Fatfield Colliery explosion, 1825

On the evening of 3 July 1825 an explosion in W. M. Lamb and Co.'s Juliet or Judith Pit at Fatfield, known as Harraton Outside, killed all eleven men below and the horses. A few hours later forty or fifty pitmen and boys would have been in the mine.

What happened

The explosion came while only the night men were below: the deputy Mark Curry, his son-in-law John Solsbey and Edward Ranson, stoneworkers; the waggonway wright Joseph Harrison; the hewer George Hambling; the brothers Joseph and Robert Brown, cranemen; and the watchmen Robert Robinson and William Simpson. Everyone in the pit died, and so did all the horses.

No cause could be assigned. The pit is called the Juliet Pit by the local chroniclers and the Judith Pit, Harraton Outside, in other old records; Fatfield had formed part of the Harraton estate.

Investigation & inquiry

The inquest was held at Fatfield.

Legal & regulatory aftermath

A verdict of accidental death was returned.

Recorded claims

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

• The explosion on 3 July 1825 killed eleven men and boys, everyone in the pit. ^1,2,3
• Had it happened a few hours later, forty or fifty pitmen and boys would have been in the mine. ²
• The pit belonged to Lamb and Co. and was known as Harraton Outside. ^1,2
• No cause was found, and the inquest at Fatfield returned accidental death. ^1,2

Related terminology

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

• Deputy (contextual relationship)
  Named in this record’s narrative: “The explosion came while only the night men were below: the deputy Mark Curry, his son-in-law John Solsbey and Edward Ranson,…”
• Hewer (contextual relationship)
  Named in this record’s narrative: “…Ranson, stoneworkers; the waggonway wright Joseph Harrison; the hewer George Hambling; the brothers Joseph and Robert Brown, cranemen; and…”
• Waggonway (contextual relationship)
  Named in this record’s narrative: “…his son-in-law John Solsbey and Edward Ranson, stoneworkers; the waggonway wright Joseph Harrison; the hewer George Hambling; the brothers…”

Photographs & further reading

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

Sources

1. (secondary) Fatfield Colliery Judith Pit Explosion - Chester-le-Street - 1825 — Northern Mine Research Society
2. (primary) Colliery Disaster: Fatfield, Juliet Pit, 3 July 1825 — Durham Mining Museum
3. (primary) Fatfield Colliery — Durham Mining Museum

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