MineArchiveEast Cannock Colliery Explosion (1877)
A methane explosion at East Cannock Colliery in 1877 killed four boys and four pit horses, and seriously injured two men.
| Date | 31 August 1877 |
|---|---|
| Mine | East Cannock Colliery |
| Region | Staffordshire |
| Primary type | Explosion |
| Associated types | Gas / Asphyxiation |
| Fatalities | 4 (J. J. Evans (15, driver), W. Ghent, J. Moore and E. Rogers (all drivers) were killed; four pit horses also died in the same explosion.) |
| Context | During active mining |
Cause
An explosion of methane gas underground at the colliery.
What happened
The explosion happened on 31 August 1877 and killed four boys, all working as drivers: J. J. Evans (15) died that day; W. Ghent died the next day, 1 September; J. Moore and E. Rogers both died on 2 September. Four pit horses also died in the same explosion, and two men were seriously injured. Compensation of £10 10s was paid to each injured workman, and £15 15s to the owner of one of the dead horses -- a telling reflection of the era's relative valuation of an injured miner against a working animal.
Investigation & inquiry
The explosion was covered in the 1877 Mines Inspector's Report (C. 2003) for the South Staffordshire District, compiled by James P. Baker, H.M. Inspector of Mines -- the standard statutory reporting mechanism of the period. No further detail of that report's own findings are recorded beyond the named-victims register it fed into.
Recorded claims
Individual factual claims, each attached to the source(s) that support it below. Where sources disagree, both are kept.
- The four boys killed were J. J. Evans (15, driver, died 31 August 1877), W. Ghent (driver, died 1 September), J. Moore (driver, died 2 September) and E. Rogers (driver, died 2 September) -- named in Durham Mining Museum's fatalities register for the colliery, which cites the original 1877 Mines Inspector's Report. 1
Related terminology
Mining terms this disaster is structurally linked to, with the nature of the relationship.
- Colliery (contextual relationship)
Named twice in this record, first in the summary: “A methane explosion at East Cannock Colliery in 1877 killed four boys and four pit horses, and seriously injured…” - HM Chief Inspector of Mines (contextual relationship)
Named in this record’s investigation: “…the South Staffordshire District, compiled by James P. Baker, H.M. Inspector of Mines -- the standard statutory reporting mechanism of the period. No…” - Pit Pony (contextual relationship)
Named twice in this record, first in the summary: “…explosion at East Cannock Colliery in 1877 killed four boys and four pit horses, and seriously injured two men.”
Sources
- (primary) East Cannock Colliery (UK) -- named fatalities register, citing the 1877 Mines Inspectors Report (C. 2003), South Staffordshire District, by James P. Baker, H.M. Inspector of Mines — Durham Mining Museum
- (secondary) Colliery Explosion on Cannock Chase — Andrew's Kindred
- (secondary) East Cannock Colliery, Hednesford, Cannock Chase — Mindat
Record created: 1 September 2026 · Last researched: 1 September 2026