Hickleton Main Colliery roof fall, 1909

A sharp bump threw out the props in a faulty, over-wide place at Hickleton Main Colliery on 25 November 1909 and brought down a large area of roof on two colliers.

Cause

A bump in faulted ground threw out the props in an over-wide working place.

What happened

On 25 November 1909 two colliers at Hickleton Main Colliery, Thurnscoe, Samuel Brown, 33, and Walter Nightingale, 39, were working in a faulty place when a sharp bump, a sudden movement of the strata, threw out a number of props and brought down a large area of roof, burying both men. The place was very well timbered but far too wide.

Recorded claims

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

• On 25 November 1909 a fall of roof killed two colliers at Hickleton Main. ^1,2,3
• The dead were Samuel Brown, 33, and Walter Nightingale, 39. ^1,2,3
• A sharp bump threw out props in a faulty place, well timbered but far too wide. ^1,2
• The colliery was owned by the Hickleton Main Colliery Co. Ltd. ^1,2

Related terminology

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

• Colliery (contextual relationship)
  Named twice in this record, first in the summary: “…threw out the props in a faulty, over-wide place at Hickleton Main Colliery on 25 November 1909 and brought down a large area of roof on two…”

Sources

1. (primary) Durham Mining Museum: Hickleton Main, 25 November 1909 — Durham Mining Museum
2. (primary) NMRS Coal Mining Accidents and Deaths: Samuel Brown, Hickleton Main, 1909 — Northern Mine Research Society
3. (primary) NMRS Coal Mining Accidents and Deaths: Walter Nightingale, Hickleton Main, 1909 — Northern Mine Research Society
4. (primary) Hickleton Main Colliery (Durham Mining Museum) — Durham Mining Museum

Record created: 18 October 2026 · Last researched: 18 October 2026