High Brooks Colliery overwinding, 1864

Two colliers, Robert Pilling and Stephen Webster, were killed by an overwind at Mercer and Evans' High Brooks Colliery near Wigan on 21 December 1864.

Cause

Overwinding.

What happened

On 21 December 1864 the colliers Robert Pilling and Stephen Webster were killed by overwinding at High Brooks Colliery, Mercer and Evans' pit at Ashton-in-Makerfield, south-west of Wigan.

Recorded claims

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

• On 21 December 1864 two colliers, Robert Pilling and Stephen Webster, were killed by overwinding at High Brooks Colliery, Ashton-in-Makerfield. ^1,2
• The colliery belonged to Mercer and Evans. ^1,2
• The deaths were caused by overwinding. ^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: “…Webster, were killed by an overwind at Mercer and Evans' High Brooks Colliery near Wigan on 21 December 1864.”
• Overwind (contextual relationship)
  Named in this record’s summary: “Two colliers, Robert Pilling and Stephen Webster, were killed by an overwind at Mercer and Evans' High Brooks Colliery near Wigan on 21 December…”

Sources

1. (primary) High Brooks Colliery — Durham Mining Museum
2. (secondary) Mining deaths 1860-1869, surnames P, part 2 (Ian Winstanley) — Healey Hero (Ian Winstanley's mining deaths lists)

Record created: 8 October 2026 · Last researched: 8 October 2026