MineArchiveHollybush Colliery boiler suffocation, 1881
On the morning of Sunday 18 December 1881 four men working on a pumping engine and its boiler underground at Hollybush Colliery, between Blackwood and Tredegar, were suffocated when the workings filled with fumes.
| Date | 18 December 1881 |
|---|---|
| Mine | Hollybush Colliery |
| Region | Caerphilly |
| Type | Gas / Asphyxiation |
| Fatalities | 4 (William Tedstone, 56, married with four children; his son John (William in one report) Tedstone, 28, married with one child; George Laws Thom, 48, a widower with six children; and Reuben Harris, 40, single.) |
| Context | During active mining |
Cause
Fumes from an underground boiler, fired to raise steam for a pumping engine, filled the workings.
What happened
Hollybush Colliery worked two house-coal levels at Llwyncelyn in the Sirhowy valley, with an underground boiler raising steam for the engines. On the Sunday morning, when the pit was otherwise idle, several men went down to try a pumping engine. The workings filled with fumes and four of them were suffocated. The first telegrams spoke of four men killed repairing an engine underground near Tredegar. The four were buried the following day in the churchyard of Bedwellty parish church, followed by a large crowd, with the vicar, S. Johns, officiating.
Recorded claims
Individual factual claims, each attached to the source(s) that support it below. Where sources disagree, both are kept.
- On Sunday 18 December 1881 four men were killed underground at Hollybush Colliery, Bedwellty. 1,2
- They were suffocated while raising steam in an underground boiler. 1
- The men were trying a pumping engine underground when the pit filled with fumes. 3,2
- They were buried in Bedwellty parish churchyard, with a large crowd following. 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: “…working on a pumping engine and its boiler underground at Hollybush Colliery, between Blackwood and Tredegar, were suffocated when the workings…” - Level (contextual relationship)
Named in this record’s narrative: “Hollybush Colliery worked two house-coal levels at Llwyncelyn in the Sirhowy valley, with an underground boiler…” - Pumping Engine (contextual relationship)
Named 3 times in this record, first in the summary: “On the morning of Sunday 18 December 1881 four men working on a pumping engine and its boiler underground at Hollybush Colliery, between Blackwood…”
Photographs & further reading
This page doesn't try to reproduce everything — these are the best original sources found for this disaster.
Welsh-language report naming the four dead and their families, and the funeral at Bedwellty.
View sourceThe telegraphed first report of four killed repairing an engine underground.
View sourceThe colliery's history, with the four men's names and ages.
View sourceSources
- (secondary) Welsh Coal Mines: Hollybush Colliery, Tredegar — Welsh Coal Mines
- (primary) 'Damwain angeuol, Hollybush', Seren Cymru, 30 December 1881 — Welsh Newspapers Online (National Library of Wales)
- (primary) 'Coalpit accident in South Wales', Pembrokeshire Herald, 23 December 1881 — Welsh Newspapers Online (National Library of Wales)
Record created: 10 October 2026 · Last researched: 10 October 2026