MineArchiveHoddlesden Colliery shaft accident, 1872
On the morning of Friday 11 October 1872 two coal miners at Hoddlesden Colliery, near Darwin, got into the cage to go down No. 2 shaft. The shield joining the rope and cages to the winding drum came unkeyed and they fell about 50 yards; the younger man died at once and the elder six hours later.
| Date | 11 October 1872 |
|---|---|
| Mine | Hoddlesden Colliery |
| Region | Lancashire |
| Type | Winding / Shaft Accident |
| Fatalities | 2 (Nightingale Lawrence (Nightingale in the Blackburn Times), 34, coal miner; Charles Walsh (Welsh in the same report), 19, coal miner.) |
| Context | During active mining |
Cause
The winding drum, by the shield attaching the rope and cages, came unkeyed as the cage was going down.
What happened
The two men had got into the cage with another man to be lowered down No. 2 shaft of Joseph Place and Son's colliery when the shield by which the rope and cages were attached came unkeyed, and they were thrown down the pit, a distance of about 50 yards. Their bodies were badly broken.
Charles Walsh, 19, died instantly. The elder man, 34, recorded by the inspector as Nightingale Lawrence and called Nightingale by the Blackburn Times, lived for six hours; he had a broken collar bone among his injuries, and Dr Wraith attended him.
Rescue & recovery
Dr Wraith attended the injured man, who died six hours after the fall.
Recorded claims
Individual factual claims, each attached to the source(s) that support it below. Where sources disagree, both are kept.
- On 11 October 1872 two coal miners were killed at Joseph Place and Son's Hoddlesden Colliery when the winding drum came unkeyed as they were descending the shaft. 1,2,3,4
- The shield attaching the rope and cages came unkeyed and the men fell about 50 yards down No. 2 shaft. 3
- The younger man died instantly; the elder lived six hours with a broken collar bone among his injuries. 3,4
Related terminology
Mining terms this disaster is structurally linked to, with the nature of the relationship.
- Cage (contextual relationship)
Named 6 times in this record, first in the summary: “…two coal miners at Hoddlesden Colliery, near Darwin, got into the cage to go down No. 2 shaft. The shield joining the rope and cages to the…” - Coal (contextual relationship)
Named in this record’s summary: “On the morning of Friday 11 October 1872 two coal miners at Hoddlesden Colliery, near Darwin, got into the cage to go…” - Colliery (contextual relationship)
Named twice in this record, first in the summary: “…the morning of Friday 11 October 1872 two coal miners at Hoddlesden Colliery, near Darwin, got into the cage to go down No. 2 shaft. The shield…” - Shaft (contextual relationship)
Named twice in this record, first in the summary: “…Hoddlesden Colliery, near Darwin, got into the cage to go down No. 2 shaft. The shield joining the rope and cages to the winding drum came…”
Photographs & further reading
This page doesn't try to reproduce everything — these are the best original sources found for this disaster.
The accident's owners, cause and the two men killed.
View sourceIan Winstanley's entry for Charles Walsh, with the Blackburn Times report.
View sourceSources
- (primary) Hoddlesden Colliery — Durham Mining Museum
- (primary) Colliery Accident: Hoddlesden, 11 October 1872 — Durham Mining Museum
- (secondary) 1870s W: Ian Winstanley's alphabetical list of mining victims — Healey Hero (Ian Winstanley's list of mining victims)
- (secondary) 1870s L: Ian Winstanley's alphabetical list of mining victims — Healey Hero (Ian Winstanley's list of mining victims)
Record created: 2 October 2026 · Last researched: 4 October 2026