Cwmneol Colliery overwind, 1855

On 28 November 1855 the cage carrying eight men up Cwmneol Colliery's shaft at Cwmaman overshot the bank, crashed into the headgear and broke the rope, and the cage and its occupants fell 240 yards to the pit bottom. The young engine driver was tried for manslaughter and acquitted.

Cause

An overwind: the cage was not slowed approaching the bank, struck the headgear, and the winding rope broke.

Contributing factors

A casual system of signalling between the shaft and the engine house, and an engine driver new to the work who did not count the engine strokes during the ascent.

What happened

Cwmneol, locally Morris's Pit, was sunk to the Four Feet seam in 1848 by Martin Morrison and John and Charles Carr, the first pit in the Cwmaman area; it wound by water balance until 1855. On Thursday 28 November 1855 eight miners were being raised when, instead of creeping towards the bank, the carriage shot past the banksman and crashed into the headgear. The rope broke and the men fell 240 yards to their deaths.

Rescue & recovery

Unknown.

Investigation & inquiry

At the inquest at the Boot Hotel, Aberdare, a very casual system of signalling emerged; the jury said nothing about it but returned a verdict of manslaughter against the engine driver.

Legal & regulatory aftermath

Solomon Lloyd, 21, stood trial at the Glamorgan Winter Assize, defended by a barrister nominated from the well of the court by Mr Justice Vaughan Williams, and was found not guilty.

Changes to practice & legislation

Unknown.

Memorials & commemoration

Unknown.

People

8 of the 8 who died are named in the archive; the rest are not named in the sources read for this record.

• Jenkin Davies (d. 1855) · victim, 1855 — Miner, 24 (NMRS spells Davis).
• William Hopper (d. 1855) · victim, 1855 — Miner, 17 (NMRS spells Hooper).
• Thomas Jones (d. 1855) · victim, 1855 — Miner, 30; left a wife and two children.
• Phillip Kelley (d. 1855) · victim, 1855 — Miner, 25 (NMRS Philip Kelly); left a wife and two children.
• Solomon Lloyd · witness, 1855 — Engine driver, 21; tried for manslaughter and acquitted.
• David Thomas (d. 1855) · victim, 1855 — Miner, 24; left a wife and child.
• Samuel Thomas (d. 1855) · victim, 1855 — Miner, 25.
• William Thomas (d. 1855) · victim, 1855 — Miner, 17.
• Richard Weeks (d. 1855) · victim, 1855 — Miner, 23.

What's uncertain

Points where sources disagree or the record could not be settled; both accounts are kept. All open questions in the archive.

• Spellings differ: WCM Davies, Hopper, Kelley; NMRS Davis, Hooper, Kelly; WCM's Daniel/David Thomas. (disputed) ^1,2

Recorded claims

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

• On 28 November 1855 the cage carrying eight men overshot the pit top, crashed into the headgear, broke the rope and fell 240 yards. ^1,2
• Engine driver Solomon Lloyd, 21, was tried for manslaughter at the Glamorgan Winter Assize and found not guilty. ²
• Spellings differ: WCM Davies, Hopper, Kelley; NMRS Davis, Hooper, Kelly; WCM's Daniel/David Thomas. (disputed) ^1,2

Related terminology

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

• Banksman (contextual relationship)
  The cage shot past the banksman.
• Cage (contextual relationship)
  Named 3 times in this record, first in the summary: “On 28 November 1855 the cage carrying eight men up Cwmneol Colliery's shaft at Cwmaman overshot…”
• Headgear (hazard involved)
  The cage crashed into the headgear.
• Overwind (direct cause)
  The cage was overwound into the headgear.
• Water Balance (contextual relationship)
  The pit wound by water balance until 1855.

Sources

1. (secondary) Cwmneol Colliery — Welsh Coal Mines
2. (secondary) Cwmneol Colliery — Northern Mine Research Society

Record created: 19 September 2026 · Last researched: 21 September 2026