Gin Pit explosion, 1863

A firedamp explosion at Gin Pit, Maesteg on the Saturday after Christmas Day 1863 killed fourteen men and boys — the most serious mining accident in the Maesteg district — after the pit went unexamined for almost 36 hours and a young, inexperienced fireman failed to inspect it before the shift began.

Cause

A young lad took a naked light into work before the fireman had examined the workings. Gas that had accumulated in a stall in front of the air ignited; the coal there was eight feet thick and the stall had not been properly bratticed.

What happened

The colliery, worked in connection with the Llynvi ironworks and owned by the Llynvi Iron and Coal Company, was known locally as the Gin Pit and employed 160 men and boys and 18 horses. It was the duty of the fireman to examine the mine every morning before the men went to work and report to the underviewer. The colliery overman, Eynon Jones, unable to attend himself, had told his son — who held the post of fireman, aged about 21 and inexperienced — to appoint someone else to inspect in his place; the inspection was not carried out, and the son was himself killed in the explosion that followed. There had been no work at the mine from the previous Thursday evening until the Saturday morning, and the colliery had gone unexamined for almost 36 hours. The explosion happened when a young lad brought a naked light into the workings ahead of the fireman's inspection; gas had accumulated in a stall in front of the air current, in coal eight feet thick.

Investigation & inquiry

An inquest was held before the coroner, Mr Alexander Cuthbertson. The Mines Inspector, Mr Evans, examined the colliery afterwards and found coal charred and coked in many places and iron trams completely doubled up by the force of the blast. He reported that he had, some time before the explosion, formally notified the general manager of the colliery's dangerous condition — it was then nearly at an explosive point and safety lamps were in use in place of proper ventilation — and that a change of management had since brought considerable improvement under the new manager, Mr Grey. The Inspector's comment on the fireman was pointed: the important office had been entrusted to a young man of about 21, of no great experience as a workman and none as a fireman, and had the stall been properly bratticed and the examination rules carried out, the explosion would not have happened.

Legal & regulatory aftermath

The colliery company paid a weekly allowance to the relatives of the victims.

Memorials & commemoration

No memorial has been found for this disaster.

Recorded claims

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

• Welsh Coal Mines names the dead as William Elias (27, married); Dafydd Williams (44, wife, three children and a widow); Dafydd Williams (his 14-year-old son); Denis Mahany (14); William Gower (11); Benjamin Rees (17); Dafydd John (31, widow); John Bevan (53, of Ty'ncornel, wife and three children); William Davies (23, widow); William Isaac (38, carpenter, wife and seven children); David Jones (21, widow); Morgan Thomas (22, widow); Daniel Edwards (29, wife and two children); and Dafydd Rhys (38, married). (disputed) ¹
• NMRS names the dead as William Isaac (40, married); Morgan Thomas (21); Benjamin Rees (17); David Williams (44, married); David Williams (14, his son); David Rees (36, married); Dennis Mahoney (14); David Jones (21); William Davies (23); David John (30); Daniel Edwards (25, married); John Bevan (41, married); and William Elias (27, married) — thirteen named against Welsh Coal Mines' fourteen, with several ages differing (Isaac 38/40, Edwards 29/25) and 'Dafydd Rhys' against 'David Rees', most likely the same men under anglicised or differently rendered names. (disputed) ²
• The pit had gone unexamined for almost 36 hours before the explosion; the designated fireman, the overman's inexperienced 21-year-old son, did not carry out the required inspection and was himself killed. ²

Related terminology

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

• Fireman (contextual relationship)
  Named 7 times in this record, first in the summary: “…pit went unexamined for almost 36 hours and a young, inexperienced fireman failed to inspect it before the shift began.”
• Naked Light (contextual relationship)
  Named twice in this record, first in the cause: “A young lad took a naked light into work before the fireman had examined the workings. Gas that had…”
• Overman (contextual relationship)
  Named in this record’s narrative: “…the men went to work and report to the underviewer. The colliery overman, Eynon Jones, unable to attend himself, had told his son — who held…”
• Stall (contextual relationship)
  Named 4 times in this record, first in the cause: “…the fireman had examined the workings. Gas that had accumulated in a stall in front of the air ignited; the coal there was eight feet thick and…”
• Whim (contextual relationship)
  Named twice in this record, first in the summary: “A firedamp explosion at Gin Pit, Maesteg on the Saturday after Christmas Day 1863 killed…”

Sources

1. (secondary) Gin Maesteg (Welsh Coal Mines) — Welsh Coal Mines
2. (secondary) Llynvi Colliery Explosion - Maesteg - 1863 — Northern Mine Research Society

Record created: 14 September 2026 · Last researched: 14 September 2026