Fitzwilliam Main Colliery Explosion

An explosion of firedamp in the dip levels on the west side of Fitzwilliam Main Colliery, near Hemsworth in the West Riding, on the morning of 25 January 1879. The pit had been open less than a year, gas had scarcely been seen in it, and the men were allowed to work by naked light. A fall is thought to have released gas from a thin coal left in the roof, which fired at a naked flame. Two colliers died at once and three others later; the inspector afterwards pressed the owner to introduce safety lamps throughout.

Cause

Firedamp, believed to have been released by a roof fall, ignited at the naked light of one of the men working at the face of the No. 31 gate. A thin band of coal left in the roof above the Shafton seam had given off a little gas during sinking, and that horizon is the likely source.

Contributing factors

Naked lights were in general use because so little gas had been seen since the pit opened. The inspector concluded that the roof had taken weight without the deputies noticing. Shots had been fired in the district before the explosion, though he did not think they had caused it.

What happened

Surveyors had been in the workings during the Friday night and left between five and six on the Saturday morning reporting everything in order, and a deputy named Bird made his examination about six and entered the same in the report book. About 150 men and boys went down. At half past nine the explosion occurred in the dip levels on the west side of the pit. It was not violent: men elsewhere underground did not know anything had happened. The manager, Bennett, went down at once with others and found the blast had been in the bank on the west bord, where three gates were driven to a coal face worked on the longwall system. Damage was slight and the ventilation was quickly restored. Two men working at the face of the No. 31 gate had been killed on the spot.

Rescue & recovery

No rescue operation in the later sense was needed: the ventilation was restored quickly and the injured were brought out. Three of them died afterwards. The five who died were the colliers George Hill, 45, John Rushton, 37, John Mann, 35, Paul Brailsford, 32, and Isaiah James, 33.

Investigation & inquiry

At the inquiry H.M. Inspector Wardell found that shots had been fired in the district beforehand but thought they had played no part. He judged that the roof had weighted without the deputies noticing, and drew attention to the thin coal left in the roof of the seam, which had given off gas during sinking. He advised the owner, Fosdick, to stop the use of naked lights and to introduce safety lamps throughout the mine. The jury returned a verdict of accidental death and recorded their opinion that lamps should be brought in as soon as possible.

Legal & regulatory aftermath

The inspector's advice to abandon naked lights was given to the owner directly and endorsed by the coroner's jury; the colliery's later returns show it working as an ordinary lamped pit.

Changes to practice & legislation

The case belongs to the long run of late-Victorian findings that pushed newly-sunk pits off naked lights and onto safety lamps well before the practice was made general, and it turns on a hazard the inspectorate repeatedly warned about: gas held in a thin coal left in the roof and released by weighting.

Memorials & commemoration

None recorded.

Recorded claims

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

• The explosion occurred at Fitzwilliam Main Colliery, near Hemsworth in the West Riding, on 25 January 1879. ^1,2
• The colliery had been open less than a year, was working the Shafton seam at 145 yards, and had seen so little gas that the men were allowed naked lights. ¹
• About 150 men and boys were underground when the explosion occurred at half past nine in the dip levels on the west side; it was not violent and men in other parts of the mine were unaware of it. ¹
• Two men were killed at the face of the No. 31 gate and three others died later, the five being the colliers George Hill, John Rushton, John Mann, Paul Brailsford and Isaiah James. ¹
• The inspector attributed the ignition to gas released by a fall firing at a naked light, and noted a thin coal left in the roof which had given off gas during sinking. ¹
• The jury returned a verdict of accidental death and recommended safety lamps; Inspector Wardell advised the owner to stop the use of naked lights throughout the mine. ¹

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: “…and six on the Saturday morning reporting everything in order, and a deputy named Bird made his examination about six and entered the same in…”
• Longwall (contextual relationship)
  Named in this record’s narrative: “…bord, where three gates were driven to a coal face worked on the longwall system. Damage was slight and the ventilation was quickly restored.…”
• Naked Light (contextual relationship)
  Named 7 times in this record, first in the summary: “…had scarcely been seen in it, and the men were allowed to work by naked light. A fall is thought to have released gas from a thin coal left in the…”
• Roof Fall (contextual relationship)
  Named in this record’s cause: “Firedamp, believed to have been released by a roof fall, ignited at the naked light of one of the men working at the face of…”
• Safety Lamp (contextual relationship)
  Named 3 times in this record, first in the summary: “…later; the inspector afterwards pressed the owner to introduce safety lamps throughout.”

Photographs & further reading

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

Sources

1. (primary) Fitzwilliam Colliery Explosion, Pontefract, 1879 — Northern Mine Research Society, after the Mines Inspector Report for 1879 (read via a 2024 Wayback Machine capture)
2. (secondary) Mining Disasters in Great Britain: chronological list, 1850 onwards — Coal Mining History Resource Centre
3. (secondary) Hemsworth Colliery (Hemsworth or Fitzwilliam Colliery and Kinsley Drift) — Northern Mine Research Society (read via a 2024 Wayback Machine capture)

Record created: 9 September 2026 · Last researched: 9 September 2026