MineArchiveDrumpellier Colliery explosion, 1875
On Friday 16 July 1875 three young men, the brothers Charles and John Richardson and Arthur Moffat, were killed by a firedamp explosion in No. 4 pit, Drumpellier, Coatbridge, while replacing a wooden brattice with a brick air-course wall between the Splint and Kiltongue coals. The manager had told them the day before not to go to the work.
| Date | 16 July 1875 |
|---|---|
| Mine | Drumpellier Colliery |
| Region | North Lanarkshire |
| Type | Explosion |
| Fatalities | 3 (3: Charles Richardson (21), oversman; John Richardson (23), fireman, his brother; and Arthur Moffat (24), roadsman. All three were married.) |
| Injuries | James Gillespie was found in a very exhausted state and seriously injured. |
| Context | During active mining |
What happened
The men were building up an air-course wall about 150 fathoms in, removing the wooden bratticing to put up a brick one. About half past one another workman came to the pithead to say he feared something serious had happened below.
Rescue & recovery
The manager, Mr Russell, went down with other workmen and found that firedamp had exploded. Gillespie was found exhausted and taken home; the bodies of Moffat and the Richardsons were brought out from among the debris.
Recorded claims
Individual factual claims, each attached to the source(s) that support it below. Where sources disagree, both are kept.
- On Friday 16 July 1875 a firedamp explosion in No. 4 pit, Drumpellier, Coatbridge, killed three men and seriously injured a fourth. 1,2
- The men were building an air-course wall about 150 fathoms from the shaft between the Splint and Kiltongue coals, replacing a wooden brattice with brick. 1,2
- The manager had warned them the day before not to go to the work. 1,2
- The dead were Charles Richardson, oversman, 21, his brother John, fireman, 23, and Arthur Moffat, roadsman, 24. 1
Related terminology
Mining terms this disaster is structurally linked to, with the nature of the relationship.
- Brattice (contextual relationship)
Named in this record’s summary: “…in No. 4 pit, Drumpellier, Coatbridge, while replacing a wooden brattice with a brick air-course wall between the Splint and Kiltongue coals.…” - Coal (contextual relationship)
Named in this record’s summary: “…with a brick air-course wall between the Splint and Kiltongue coals. The manager had told them the day before not to go to the work.” - Fathom (contextual relationship)
Named in this record’s narrative: “The men were building up an air-course wall about 150 fathoms in, removing the wooden bratticing to put up a brick one. About half…” - Firedamp (contextual relationship)
Named twice in this record, first in the summary: “…Charles and John Richardson and Arthur Moffat, were killed by a firedamp explosion in No. 4 pit, Drumpellier, Coatbridge, while replacing a…” - Pithead (contextual relationship)
Named in this record’s narrative: “…put up a brick one. About half past one another workman came to the pithead to say he feared something serious had happened below.”
Sources
- (secondary) Scottish Mining Website: Accidents 1855-1870 to 1880, Lanarkshire (Coatbridge) — Scottish Mining Website
- (primary) Welsh Newspapers: County Observer and Monmouthshire Central Advertiser, 24 July 1875, 'Explosion of firedamp' — Welsh Newspapers (National Library of Wales)
Record created: 13 October 2026 · Last researched: 16 October 2026