Hayeswood Colliery inrush, 1845

Early on 4 February 1845, with almost a hundred men and boys underground at Hayeswood Colliery, Timsbury, the workings broke into old flooded ground for which there were no plans. The water rushed in about a mile from the shaft; most escaped in the dark, but seven men and four boys drowned. The pit never recovered from the flood.

Cause

The workings were being driven towards old, abandoned and flooded workings adjoining the mine, for which no plans existed, and the water broke through.

What happened

At about two in the morning an overseer found the workings were approaching water. When the day shift of about a hundred came down, the overseer Mr Evans went to the place at about five and found it unusually damp. He moved on to another wet place, and had not gone far when a rush of air nearly blew out his candle and he met a boy running without a light. The foul air put out most of the men's candles, and they groped in darkness towards the main road to the shaft, debating which way to go as the air grew worse. Evans reached the shaft bottom about half an hour later, nearly exhausted. William Walter, one of the lads who died, had run through the workings to raise the alarm and is credited with saving three lives.

Rescue & recovery

The pumps worked at eight strokes a minute, and it was many days before the mine was cleared and the bodies recovered. On 10 February a special meeting of the proprietors recorded their thanks to Findlater Crang, a surgeon of Pitfour House, for going down and staying underground to encourage the men searching for the dead.

Legal & regulatory aftermath

The pit was closed and its men and output shared among neighbouring workings; attempts to pump it out failed, and it was abandoned in June 1845.

What's uncertain

Points where sources disagree or the record could not be settled; both accounts are kept. All open questions in the archive.

• The first report gave fourteen in that part of the mine, four escaping and ten lost. (disputed) ¹

Recorded claims

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

• On 4 February 1845 Hayeswood Colliery at Timsbury was flooded by water from old workings. ^1,2,3
• Eleven men and boys drowned: seven men and four lads. ^1,2,3
• The men were approaching old flooded workings for which there were no plans. ¹
• The first report gave fourteen in that part of the mine, four escaping and ten lost. (disputed) ¹
• The proprietors thanked the surgeon Findlater Crang for going underground and leading the search for the bodies. ²

Related terminology

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

• Bad Air (contextual relationship)
  Named in this record’s narrative: “…blew out his candle and he met a boy running without a light. The foul air put out most of the men's candles, and they groped in darkness…”
• Colliery (contextual relationship)
  Named in this record’s summary: “…1845, with almost a hundred men and boys underground at Hayeswood Colliery, Timsbury, the workings broke into old flooded ground for which…”
• Shaft (contextual relationship)
  Named 3 times in this record, first in the summary: “…which there were no plans. The water rushed in about a mile from the shaft; most escaped in the dark, but seven men and four boys drowned. The…”

Sources

1. (secondary) NMRS: Hayes Wood Colliery Inrush, Somerset, 1845 — Northern Mine Research Society
2. (secondary) Timsbury community website: Hayeswood Pit Disaster 1845 — Timsbury Parish Council
3. (secondary) Timsbury community website: Chronology — Timsbury Parish Council

Record created: 11 October 2026 · Last researched: 11 October 2026