Darley Main Colliery explosion, 1849

At about 11.20 a.m. on 24 January 1849 firedamp exploded in the Barnsley seam at G. Jarratt's Darley Main Colliery in Worsbrough Dale, near Barnsley, killing 75 of the 101 men and boys underground. It was the worst Yorkshire disaster since the Oaks explosion two years before.

Cause

Firedamp released from a goaf, probably by a fall of roof, ignited at a miner's naked light; a lesser fire nearer the shaft suggested two explosions.

Contributing factors

Bank work leaving unventilated goaves; furnace ventilation weakened by water drawing in the upcast shaft; naked lights in general use.

What happened

Darley Main worked the eight-foot Barnsley seam at a shallow depth by the bank work usual in the district, which left many closed goaves able to hold firedamp. A furnace ventilated the pit, but its effect was weakened because water was drawn up the upcast shaft for at least twelve hours a day. Naked lights were in general use, though the colliery had about two dozen safety lamps. There had been smaller explosions in 1843 and twice in 1847, after the second of which a jury blamed bad management.

On the morning of the disaster 101 men and boys went down between 5 and 6 a.m. At 11.20 the explosion blew a dense jet of smoke and coal dust from the shaft. The engine tenter Broadhead and a labourer, Armitage, were first down, joined within half an hour by James Beaumont and G. P. Maddison from neighbouring collieries, who worked with the viewer, Locke, until every victim was out. Many had died of afterdamp. Seventy-five were killed, among them boys of ten and eleven, and eight horses. The funerals were at Worsbrough and Barnsley churches on 27 January.

Rescue & recovery

Rescuers from Darley Main and neighbouring collieries recovered all the bodies, helped by the air current running along the main level to the underground engine house.

Investigation & inquiry

The coroner, Badger, called leading mining engineers to examine the workings, and the Government sent Tremenheere, the commissioner under Lord Ashley's Act, and Warington Smyth of the Geological Survey. Tremenheere urged the jury on the need for Government inquiry into coal mines and for better-educated mine managers.

Legal & regulatory aftermath

The jury returned accidental death, urged the owners to improve the ventilation and remove the water-drawing machinery from the upcast shaft, and asked that the Government appoint a scientific and practical person to inspect the district's collieries.

Recorded claims

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

• The explosion on 24 January 1849 killed 75 men and boys. ^1,2
• Firedamp from a goaf, probably driven out by a fall of roof, was fired at a naked light. ¹
• The jury asked that the Government appoint a scientific and practical person to inspect the district's collieries. ¹
• Darley Main had earlier fatal explosions in January 1847 (six killed) and July 1847. ^1,2

Related terminology

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

• Downcast Shaft and Upcast Shaft (contextual relationship)
  Named 3 times in this record, first in the contributing factors: “…goaves; furnace ventilation weakened by water drawing in the upcast shaft; naked lights in general use.”
• Furnace Ventilation (contextual relationship)
  Named in this record’s contributing factors: “Bank work leaving unventilated goaves; furnace ventilation weakened by water drawing in the upcast shaft; naked lights in…”
• Goaf (contextual relationship)
  Named 3 times in this record, first in the cause: “Firedamp released from a goaf, probably by a fall of roof, ignited at a miner's naked light; a…”
• Naked Light (contextual relationship)
  Named 3 times in this record, first in the cause: “…from a goaf, probably by a fall of roof, ignited at a miner's naked light; a lesser fire nearer the shaft suggested two explosions.”
• Viewer (contextual relationship)
  Named in this record’s narrative: “…and G. P. Maddison from neighbouring collieries, who worked with the viewer, Locke, until every victim was out. Many had died of afterdamp.…”

Photographs & further reading

This page doesn't try to reproduce everything — these are the best original sources found for this disaster.

Sources

1. (secondary) Darley Main Colliery Explosion - Barnsley - 1849 — Northern Mine Research Society
2. (primary) Darley Main Colliery — Durham Mining Museum

Record created: 3 October 2026 · Last researched: 3 October 2026