Hall End Colliery fire, 1884

Early on 7 September 1884 the face of the New Mine Coal at Hall End Colliery, West Bromwich, burst into flame at the naked candles of the night shift. Twelve men were burned and seven of them died in hospital over the following fortnight.

Cause

Firedamp, thought to have accumulated near a fault reached on 28 August while the barometer was falling, was fired by the naked candles the men worked with; the Durham Mining Museum's record gives the ignition as probably matches.

Contributing factors

The New Mine Coal was admitted to be the most fiery seam in the district, yet the colliery was worked with naked lights. No gas had been recorded since the seam was opened in January 1884, and the inspector had once had the ventilation stopped for three hours without finding any.

What happened

Hall End worked the New Mine Coal with a day shift and a night shift. On 28 August a fault was reached, and it was thought safe to work near it. On the afternoon of Saturday 6 September seventeen men went down at 3 p.m. for the night shift and were set to work by the deputy night overman. They worked by naked candles until about 4.30 the next morning, when the face was suddenly enveloped in flame. There was a great volume of flame but little violence. Twelve men were burned, and seven of them died in West Bromwich Hospital between 9 and 18 September.

Investigation & inquiry

On 7 September the inspector, Mr Scott, with the assistant inspector Mr Pickering and the certificated manager and part-owner Edward Philips, examined the workings. The inquest at West Bromwich Town Hall from 1 to 4 October heard that the ventilation was satisfactory, that the seam had been examined and the results entered in the report book, and that the night overman or his deputy went round with a safety lamp before the men started, though the Act did not require it. With so many of those at the scene dead, there was too little evidence to say exactly what had happened. The jury returned accidental death, adding that the owners were culpable for not compelling the men to work with safety lamps and the officials for not using caution in their duties.

Changes to practice & legislation

Reporting to the Home Secretary, R. C. Grosvenor said such accidents would continue unless safety lamps were made compulsory by law in every seam that the district inspector thought likely to give off gas, and proposed that the Coal Mines Regulation Act 1872 be amended so that this could be done by order of the Secretary of State on the inspector's recommendation, without the arbitration then required.

Recorded claims

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

• At about 4.30 a.m. on 7 September 1884, near the end of the night shift that went down on Saturday 6 September, the working face of the New Mine Coal at Hall End Colliery, West Bromwich, was enveloped in flame; twelve men were burned and seven died in West Bromwich Hospital between 9 and 18 September. ^1,2
• Firedamp was fired by the naked lights the men worked with; the Durham Mining Museum's record gives the ignition as probably matches. ^1,2
• The inquest jury returned accidental death but found the owners culpable for not compelling the men to use safety lamps, and the officials culpable for want of caution. ¹
• R. C. Grosvenor's report to the Home Secretary urged that safety lamps be made compulsory, by order on the district inspector's recommendation, in any seam likely to give off gas. ¹

Related terminology

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

• Coal Mines Regulation Act (contextual relationship)
  Named in this record’s changes to practice: “…inspector thought likely to give off gas, and proposed that the Coal Mines Regulation Act 1872 be amended so that this could be done by order of the Secretary of…”
• Deputy (contextual relationship)
  Named twice in this record, first in the narrative: “…went down at 3 p.m. for the night shift and were set to work by the deputy night overman. They worked by naked candles until about 4.30 the…”
• Fault (contextual relationship)
  Named twice in this record, first in the cause: “Firedamp, thought to have accumulated near a fault reached on 28 August while the barometer was falling, was fired by…”
• Overman (contextual relationship)
  Named twice in this record, first in the narrative: “…3 p.m. for the night shift and were set to work by the deputy night overman. They worked by naked candles until about 4.30 the next morning,…”
• Safety Lamp (contextual relationship)
  Named 3 times in this record, first in the investigation: “…book, and that the night overman or his deputy went round with a safety lamp before the men started, though the Act did not require it. With so…”

Sources

1. (secondary) Hall End Colliery Fire, West Bromwich, 1884 (NMRS accidents and disasters) — Northern Mine Research Society
2. (primary) Colliery disaster, 6 September 1884: Hall End (Durham Mining Museum) — Durham Mining Museum

Record created: 24 October 2026 · Last researched: 24 October 2026