Jarrow Colliery explosion, 1817

On 25 September 1817 an explosion of gas at Jarrow Colliery, near South Shields, burned a number of men and boys, six of whom died of their injuries over the following weeks. It was the first of five fatal explosions at the colliery between 1817 and 1845.

What happened

Early reports said twelve had been severely burnt. Two of them, the hewer Samuel Hood and the deputy William Wilkinson, died the next day; the trapper James Brown died on 7 October, the hewer James Liddle on 10 October, the hewer William Stanley on 20 October and the hewer Thomas Hope in November.

Jarrow had been opened in 1803. Further explosions there killed 34 in 1826, 8 in 1828, 42 in 1830 and 39 in 1845.

Recorded claims

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

• An explosion at Jarrow Colliery on 25 September 1817 claimed six lives. ^1,2,3
• An early report said that twelve were severely burnt. ³
• All six died of burns from the explosion between 26 September and November 1817. ¹
• Further explosions at the colliery killed men in 1826, 1828, 1830 and 1845. ^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: “On 25 September 1817 an explosion of gas at Jarrow Colliery, near South Shields, burned a number of men and boys, six of whom…”
• Deputy (contextual relationship)
  Named in this record’s narrative: “…had been severely burnt. Two of them, the hewer Samuel Hood and the deputy William Wilkinson, died the next day; the trapper James Brown died…”
• Hewer (contextual relationship)
  Named 4 times in this record, first in the narrative: “Early reports said twelve had been severely burnt. Two of them, the hewer Samuel Hood and the deputy William Wilkinson, died the next day; the…”
• Trapper (contextual relationship)
  Named in this record’s narrative: “…Samuel Hood and the deputy William Wilkinson, died the next day; the trapper James Brown died on 7 October, the hewer James Liddle on 10 October,…”

Photographs & further reading

This page doesn't try to reproduce everything — these are the best original sources found for this disaster.

Sources

1. (primary) Jarrow Colliery — Durham Mining Museum
2. (secondary) Jarrow Colliery (Alfred Pit) — Tyne and Wear Historic Environment Record (Sitelines)
3. (secondary) Jarrow Colliery Explosion - Jarrow - 1817 — Northern Mine Research Society

Record created: 3 October 2026 · Last researched: 3 October 2026