Ferndale Colliery roof fall, 1891

Two men clearing an earlier fall at Ferndale's No. 1 pit, in the Rhondda Fach, were killed by a fresh fall of roof on 29 October 1891.

Cause

A fall of roof on a heading in the Elled seam while an earlier fall was being cleared.

What happened

On 29 October 1891 Evan Morris, 29, a labourer, and the collier William Llewellyn were clearing a fall in the main roadway of Ferndale's Old Pit, No. 1, when more of the roof came down on a heading in the Elled seam and killed them both.

Recorded claims

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

• On 29 October 1891 a fall of roof at Ferndale No. 1 pit killed Evan Morris, 29, and William Llewellyn. ^1,2,3
• The roof fell on a heading in the Elled seam. ^1,3
• The men were clearing an earlier fall in the main roadway when they were killed. ²
• The colliery belonged to D. Davis and Sons Ltd. ^1,3

Related terminology

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

• Roof Fall (contextual relationship)
  Named twice in this record, first in the summary: “…at Ferndale's No. 1 pit, in the Rhondda Fach, were killed by a fresh fall of roof on 29 October 1891.”

Sources

1. (secondary) 1890s L3: Ian Winstanley's alphabetical list of mining victims — Healey Hero
2. (secondary) Welsh Coal Mines: fatalities, 1891 — Welsh Coal Mines
3. (secondary) Mining deaths 1890-1899, surnames M part 7 (Ian Winstanley) — Healey Hero (Ian Winstanley's mining deaths lists)

Record created: 8 October 2026 · Last researched: 8 October 2026