Cwmneol Colliery explosion, 1866

An explosion of firedamp in No. 2 heading of the Four Feet seam, No. 1 pit, Cwmneol Colliery, Cwmaman, in February 1866 killed two timbermen, David Richards and Henry Hughes, who were badly burned on the face, hands and body.

Cause

An explosion of firedamp in a stall in No. 2 heading of the Four Feet seam.

What happened

Both men were severely burned and died on the spot or shortly afterwards. The colliery belonged at the time to the United Merthyr Collieries Company.

Investigation & inquiry

The inquest was opened at the Swan Inn and adjourned. At the adjourned hearing one of the colliery's officials gave evidence that contradicted other witnesses, and the coroner adjourned it again to the 28th of the month.

Recorded claims

Individual factual claims, each attached to the source(s) that support it below. Where sources disagree, both are kept.

• An explosion of firedamp in the Four Feet seam at Cwmneol Colliery, Cwmaman, in February 1866 killed the timbermen David Richards and Henry Hughes. ^1,2,3
• The explosion was in No. 2 heading of the Four Feet seam in No. 1 pit, in a stall. ^2,3
• The colliery then belonged to the United Merthyr Collieries Company. ²
• The inquest was adjourned after an official of the colliery gave evidence contradicting that of other witnesses. ²

Related terminology

Mining terms this disaster is structurally linked to, with the nature of the relationship.

• Colliery (contextual relationship)
  Named 3 times in this record, first in the summary: “…firedamp in No. 2 heading of the Four Feet seam, No. 1 pit, Cwmneol Colliery, Cwmaman, in February 1866 killed two timbermen, David Richards and…”
• Firedamp (contextual relationship)
  Named twice in this record, first in the summary: “An explosion of firedamp in No. 2 heading of the Four Feet seam, No. 1 pit, Cwmneol Colliery,…”
• Stall (contextual relationship)
  Named in this record’s cause: “An explosion of firedamp in a stall in No. 2 heading of the Four Feet seam.”

Sources

1. (secondary) Glamorgan colliery fatalities, 1866 — Welsh Coal Mines website
2. (primary) The Cardiff Times, 23 February 1866: Aberdare: fire-damp explosion — The Cardiff Times (Welsh Newspapers Online, National Library of Wales)
3. (primary) The Merthyr Telegraph, 17 February 1866: Aberdare: serious and fatal explosion in the Cwmneol Colliery, Cwmaman — The Merthyr Telegraph (Welsh Newspapers Online, National Library of Wales)

Record created: 19 October 2026 · Last researched: 19 October 2026