Gadlys Colliery explosion, 1848

On 24 April 1848 a localised explosion of gas at the Gadlys ironworks' colliery in Aberdare killed five men.

Cause

A localised explosion of gas.

What happened

Gadlys Colliery at Aberdare was sunk by the Wayne family's Gadlys Iron Company, its Old and New pits working the Five Feet seam at 140 yards by 1844 to supply the ironworks. On 24 April 1848 an explosion of gas, confined to one part of the workings, killed five men.

Recorded claims

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

• Five men were killed at Gadlys Colliery, Aberdare, on 24 April 1848. ^1,2
• They died in a localised explosion of gas. ¹
• The Gadlys Old and New pits, sunk by the Wayne family's Gadlys Iron Company to the Five Feet seam at 140 yards, were working by 1844. 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: “…24 April 1848 a localised explosion of gas at the Gadlys ironworks' colliery in Aberdare killed five men.”

Photographs & further reading

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

Sources

1. (secondary) Gadlys Colliery — Welsh Coal Mines
2. (primary) Colliery Disaster: Gadlys, 24 April 1848 — Durham Mining Museum

Record created: 5 October 2026 · Last researched: 5 October 2026