Hafod Colliery Explosion (1873)

The colliery's own master dataller improperly opened his safety lamp to inspect a ventilation door, igniting an explosion that killed five men.

Cause

David Williams, the master dataller in charge, improperly opened his own safety lamp to inspect a newly built ventilation door, despite the colliery working with locked lamps because of a known gas risk.

What happened

On 11 December 1873, an explosion at Hafod Colliery (also recorded as Hafod-y-bwch), Ruabon, killed five men: Timothy Prichard, 34, a dataller; David Williams, 37, the master dataller in charge; Thomas Davis, 26, and William Wynne, 25, both colliers; and Anthony Boyer, 18, a filler. The colliery, the property of the Ruabon Coal Company, worked with locked safety lamps specifically because of a known risk of gas. The inquiry found that Williams had improperly opened his own lamp in order to inspect a newly built door intended to divert airflow and disperse accumulated gas; the resulting exposed flame ignited the explosion.

Investigation & inquiry

The inquiry into the cause identified the exposed flame from Williams's own improperly opened lamp as the source of ignition.

Recorded claims

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

• On 11 December 1873, colliery master dataller David Williams improperly opened his own safety lamp to inspect a newly built ventilation door, igniting an explosion that killed him along with Timothy Prichard, Thomas Davis, William Wynne and Anthony Boyer. ¹

Related terminology

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

• Colliery (contextual relationship)
  Named 4 times in this record, first in the summary: “The colliery's own master dataller improperly opened his safety lamp to inspect a…”
• Dataller (contextual relationship)
  Named 4 times in this record, first in the summary: “The colliery's own master dataller improperly opened his safety lamp to inspect a ventilation door,…”
• Filler (contextual relationship)
  Named in this record’s narrative: “…26, and William Wynne, 25, both colliers; and Anthony Boyer, 18, a filler. The colliery, the property of the Ruabon Coal Company, worked with…”
• Safety Lamp (contextual relationship)
  Named twice in this record, first in the summary: “The colliery's own master dataller improperly opened his safety lamp to inspect a ventilation door, igniting an explosion that killed…”

Sources

1. (secondary) Hafod-y-bwch Colliery Explosion - Ruabon - 1873 — Northern Mine Research Society
2. (secondary) Denbighshire Collieries — Clwyd Family History Society

Record created: 31 August 2026 · Last researched: 31 August 2026