Garnant Colliery Disaster, 1884

At about five on the morning of Wednesday 16 January 1884, ten men crowded into a cage at Garnant Colliery that was meant to carry eight. The winding rope snapped and the cage fell 225 feet to the bottom of the shaft. All ten were killed — four of them aged sixteen or under. They had come early so as to finish in time for a funeral.

Cause

The winding rope attached to the cage snapped as the men were being lowered.

Contributing factors

Ten men were in a cage in which not more than eight were normally allowed to descend at one time.

What happened

The men had arranged to start their shift before time that morning, so that they could finish early and go to a funeral. By about five o'clock the first five trips had taken forty men down safely. On the next trip ten crowded into the cage — two more than were normally allowed. It had gone down many yards when the wire rope snapped and the cage fell to the bottom of the shaft, 225 feet below. All ten were killed. Four of them were sixteen or younger: Evan Roberts of Brynaman was sixteen, and his brother Thomas fourteen; Daniel Williams of Cwmamman was fourteen; Edward Morgan of Brynaman was fourteen. Of the men, David Roberts left a wife and five children, and Thomas Bevan and William Lake three each.

Investigation & inquiry

An official was prosecuted for negligence over the accident. The mine owners themselves went unpunished; the colliery was owned at the time by David Pugh, MP for Cardiganshire. The Inspector of Mines reported on the disaster in his report for 1884-85.

Memorials & commemoration

A local history site is maintained in memory of the ten who died.

Recorded claims

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

• The Welsh Coal Mines colliery page states that ten men met their death and names ten, and the local history site devoted to the disaster is dedicated to the memory of the ten. The Welsh Coal Mines list of disasters gives 18 for the same date; that figure is not followed here. (disputed) ^1,2,3
• Not more than eight men were normally allowed to descend in the cage at one time, but on this morning ten men crowded into it. (high) ²
• The cage had gone down many yards when the wire rope to which it was attached snapped, and it plunged to the bottom of the shaft, 225 feet below. (high) ²
• The first five trips, carrying forty men in all, had been lowered safely; it was the next trip that proved fatal. (high) ²
• The men had arranged to start their shift before time so that they could attend a funeral after an early finish. (medium) ²
• An official was prosecuted for negligence over the accident; the mine owners themselves went unpunished. The colliery was at the time owned by David Pugh, MP for Cardiganshire. (medium) ²

Related terminology

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

• Cage (contextual relationship)
  Named 6 times in this record, first in the summary: “…on the morning of Wednesday 16 January 1884, ten men crowded into a cage at Garnant Colliery that was meant to carry eight. The winding rope…”
• Colliery (contextual relationship)
  Named twice in this record, first in the summary: “…of Wednesday 16 January 1884, ten men crowded into a cage at Garnant Colliery that was meant to carry eight. The winding rope snapped and the cage…”
• Shaft (contextual relationship)
  Named twice in this record, first in the summary: “…winding rope snapped and the cage fell 225 feet to the bottom of the shaft. All ten were killed — four of them aged sixteen or under. They had…”

Photographs & further reading

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

Sources

1. (secondary) Welsh mining disasters: list of accidents with five or more fatalities — Welsh Coal Mines
2. (secondary) Garnant Colliery, Cwmamman — Welsh Coal Mines
3. (secondary) The Garnant Colliery Disaster — Cwmamman History

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