MineArchiveGwaun Cae Gurwen Colliery shaft accident, 1847
| Date | 1 September 1847 |
|---|---|
| Mine | Gwaun Cae Gurwen Colliery |
| Region | Neath Port Talbot |
| Type | Winding / Shaft Accident |
| Fatalities | 6 (David Matthews, 36, who left a wife and three children; Evan Rees, 37, a wife and three children; John Lewis, 28, a wife and two children; John Mainwaring, 30; Richard Williams, 18; Thomas Rees, 17.) |
| Context | During active mining (The early-morning ride out of the night's work at Mr Townsend Kirkhouse Wood's pit at Gwaun-cae-Gurwen, where men were wound in a carriage on an engine chain with only the engineman at the top.) |
Six colliers who had gone down the pit at Gwaun-cae-Gurwen at six on the Tuesday evening signalled with the horn to be raised at three the next morning. The engineman, Morgan Davies, alone at the top, saw the flash of their candles as the carriage neared the surface and then heard it crash back down: a link of the chain with a small flaw had broken, and the men fell nearly ninety fathoms. All six were killed.
Cause
A flawed link of the winding chain broke as the carriage carrying six men neared the top of the shaft.
Contributing factors
The engineman was alone at the pit head; the inquest juries recommended that a proper person be kept at the mouth of the pit at all times.
What happened
Morgan Davies, who had worked the engine for nine years, heard the horn from the bottom and set the engine to draw the carriage up. He was the only person there. After the crash he ran to the house of William Williams to raise the alarm, and Williams and others were let down by a chain on the other side of the pit; they came up to report that every man was dead.
Rescue & recovery
The men who went down on the second chain found all six killed, and the bodies were brought up badly broken by the fall.
Investigation & inquiry
On the Thursday Charles Collins held an inquest at the Leigh Arms, Gwaun-cae-Gurwen, on view of two of the bodies; two juries were sworn and each returned accidental death, adding the suggestion that a proper person should be placed at all times at the mouth of the pit.
Recorded claims
Individual factual claims, each attached to the source(s) that support it below. Where sources disagree, both are kept.
- Six colliers who went down Mr Townsend Kirkhouse Wood's pit at six on a Tuesday evening were being raised at three the next morning when a flawed link of the chain broke, and they fell nearly 90 fathoms. 1
- The Cambrian of Friday 3 September 1847 describes the accident as happening at three on the Wednesday morning, 1 September; Welsh Coal Mines dates it September 1847. (disputed) 1
- The Durham Mining Museum lists a shaft accident with six lives lost on 31 August 1847. (disputed) 2
- Welsh Coal Mines' own summary says a flat winding rope broke; the Cambrian report it reproduces says a link of the chain, with a small flaw, broke. (disputed) 1
- Two juries at the Leigh Arms before Charles Collins returned accidental death, suggesting that a proper person be stationed at the mouth of the pit at all times. 1
Related terminology
Mining terms this disaster is structurally linked to, with the nature of the relationship.
- Banksman (contributing factor)
No one but the engineman was at the pit top; the juries asked for a person at the pit mouth. - Fathom (contextual relationship)
Named in this record’s summary: “…chain with a small flaw had broken, and the men fell nearly ninety fathoms. All six were killed.” - Shaft (contextual relationship)
Named in this record’s cause: “…chain broke as the carriage carrying six men neared the top of the shaft.” - Winding Engine (relevant method/equipment)
The men were wound by an engine on a chain.
Sources
- (secondary) Gwaun Cae Gurwen Colliery — Welsh Coal Mines
- (secondary) Durham Mining Museum - Gwaun Cae Gurwen Colliery — Durham Mining Museum
Record created: 13 September 2026 · Last researched: 13 September 2026