Glyn Pits, Pontypool roof fall, 1876

Between twelve and one o'clock on Monday 27 March 1876 a stone of four or five tons fell from the roof of a stall in the Ebbw Vale Company's Glyn Pit, near Pontypool, on John Rogers and his son William, killing them both. A younger son working with them escaped when the stone grazed his boot.

Cause

A roof stone fell when the prop beneath it was removed to be reset, after the coal round its foot had been worked away, without a second prop first being put under the stone.

Contributing factors

The fireman had examined and marked the stall as safe at half past five that morning. The custom was that a man taking a prop from under a stone should first secure it with another, and there was plenty of timber near by. John Rogers was very deaf.

What happened

The prop under the stone was tight when the family went in at seven, but about two hours later it had slackened. William pulled it down to set it up tighter, and his father, who had warned the younger boy not to go under the stone, was about to put the post back when the stone fell without warning on both of them. The boy James ran for help; William Williams and other men dug under the stone to free them. William was dead, and his father died within a minute of being brought out. A child of the family had been buried the week before.

Investigation & inquiry

The coroner, E. D. Batt, opened the inquest at the Town Hall, Pontypool, on 31 March and adjourned it for the Government Inspector, Mr Cadman. The overman John Rees and the fireman William Gray held that the fall was caused by the removal of the prop. On the Saturday, with Cadman present, the evidence was read over and the jury returned a verdict of death by misadventure.

Recorded claims

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

• Between twelve and one on Monday 27 March 1876 a stone of four or five tons fell on John Rogers and his son William in the Glyn Pit, near Pontypool, killing them both. ^1,2,3
• A second son, James, working with them, escaped when the falling stone grazed the heel of his boot. ^2,3,4
• The stone had been supported by a prop that the father had loosened by working the coal from round its foot and that the son pulled down to reset; no new prop had been set first. ^3,4
• The pit belonged to the Ebbw Vale Company. ³
• After the Government Inspector, Mr Cadman, had heard the evidence, the jury returned a verdict of death by misadventure. ⁴

Related terminology

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

• Coal (contextual relationship)
  Named in this record’s cause: “…fell when the prop beneath it was removed to be reset, after the coal round its foot had been worked away, without a second prop first…”
• Fireman (contextual relationship)
  Named twice in this record, first in the contributing factors: “The fireman had examined and marked the stall as safe at half past five that…”
• Overman (contextual relationship)
  Named in this record’s investigation: “…March and adjourned it for the Government Inspector, Mr Cadman. The overman John Rees and the fireman William Gray held that the fall was caused…”
• Stall (contextual relationship)
  Named twice in this record, first in the summary: “…27 March 1876 a stone of four or five tons fell from the roof of a stall in the Ebbw Vale Company's Glyn Pit, near Pontypool, on John Rogers…”

Sources

1. (secondary) Fatalities 1876 — Welsh Coal Mines
2. (primary) South Wales Daily News, 29 March 1876: Pontypool: fatal accident — South Wales Daily News (Welsh Newspapers Online, National Library of Wales)
3. (primary) Monmouthshire Merlin, 7 April 1876: Inquest on the man and boy crushed to death at the Glyn Pits — Monmouthshire Merlin (Welsh Newspapers Online, National Library of Wales)
4. (primary) County Observer and Monmouthshire Central Advertiser, 8 April 1876: Glyn Pits: the inquest — County Observer and Monmouthshire Central Advertiser (Welsh Newspapers Online, National Library of Wales)

Record created: 19 October 2026 · Last researched: 19 October 2026