MineArchiveGethin Colliery explosion, 1865
Three years and ten months after the Lower pit killed 47 men, Gethin's Upper pit exploded on 20 December 1865 and killed 34 more. John Moody, the manager held responsible for the first explosion and never tried for it, was found culpably negligent again — and acquitted again.
| Date | 20 December 1865 |
|---|---|
| Mine | Gethin Colliery |
| Region | Merthyr Tydfil |
| Primary type | Explosion |
| Associated types | Gas / Asphyxiation |
| Fatalities | 34 (Welsh Coal Mines gives 34 men and boys; other accounts give 36.) |
| Context | During active mining (A second explosion at the same colliery, three years after the first, in the Upper pit.) |
Cause
An explosion in the No. 2 or Upper pit. The detailed cause is less fully recorded than for the 1862 explosion.
What happened
Gethin's second disaster came five days before Christmas 1865, in the Upper pit rather than the Lower. Thirty-four men and boys were killed, by the count of the Welsh Coal Mines record; some accounts give thirty-six. What makes it remarkable is not the toll but the repetition: the same colliery, the same manager, and the same outcome in law. John Moody, whom a jury had found guilty of manslaughter in 1862 without the Assizes taking the case, was found culpably negligent over 1865 and was indicted — and acquitted.
Investigation & inquiry
The manager John Moody was found culpably negligent and indicted, but was acquitted.
What's uncertain
Points where sources disagree or the record could not be settled; both accounts are kept. All open questions in the archive.
- An explosion in the Upper pit on 20 December 1865 killed 34 men and boys. (disputed) 1
- The 1865 toll is given as 36 elsewhere. (disputed) 2
Recorded claims
Individual factual claims, each attached to the source(s) that support it below. Where sources disagree, both are kept.
- An explosion in the Upper pit on 20 December 1865 killed 34 men and boys. (disputed) 1
- The 1865 toll is given as 36 elsewhere. (disputed) 2
- Manager John Moody was found culpably negligent and indicted, but acquitted. 1
Related terminology
Mining terms this disaster is structurally linked to, with the nature of the relationship.
- Coal (contextual relationship)
The second explosion at the same South Wales colliery in under four years, killing thirty-four men and boys in the Upper pit after forty-seven had died in the Lower — the repetition being what makes it notable, not the toll. - Colliery (contextual relationship)
Named in this record’s narrative: “…makes it remarkable is not the toll but the repetition: the same colliery, the same manager, and the same outcome in law. John Moody, whom a…” - Firedamp (hazard involved)
The colliery's coals were gassy, and firedamp was the agent of the 1862 explosion at the same pit.
Sources
- (secondary) Gethin Colliery, Abercanaid — Welsh Coal Mines
- (secondary) The Gethin Pit Explosion, 1862 — Merthyr Tydfil's History and Culture
Record created: 24 August 2026 · Last researched: 24 August 2026