Kells Pit explosion, 1819

On Saturday 30 October 1819 an explosion of firedamp tore through the Earl of Lonsdale's Kells Pit at Whitehaven, killing twenty of the twenty-two colliers at work. Patrick McAvoy and his son were brought out alive after thirty-six hours, but the father died a week later, making 21 dead.

Cause

An explosion of firedamp in workings where pillars were being removed, attributed to the rule requiring Davy safety lamps not being observed.

What happened

Kells Pit, one of the Earl of Lonsdale's Whitehaven collieries, was being worked in 1819 in a district where the pillars of coal were being removed. The workings had been free of firedamp, they were examined daily, and on the Friday evening they were left in supposed safety. Early on Saturday 30 October, before most of the pit's workforce had arrived, three explosions went through the pit, killing twenty of the twenty-two colliers then underground.

The stewards brought in air pipes, but the bodies could be reached only with great difficulty: fourteen were brought out on the Sunday and six on the Monday. Seven men had retreated into old workings where the air was better; five of them died, but Patrick McAvoy and his son were rescued early on Monday after more than thirty-six hours, thought to have been saved by their flannel shirts. The father died of his injuries on 7 November.

The Whitehaven collieries required every hewer to work by a Davy lamp, and The Times blamed the disaster on that rule having been broken, perhaps by the indiscretion of one man. Lord Lonsdale sent twenty-two guineas at once and later a hundred more, the town opened a subscription, and the Cumberland Pacquet set out the widows' allowance of two shillings a week and a rent-free house. In the weeks after, the coal in the pit was found to be on fire and was sealed off to put it out.

Rescue & recovery

Air pipes were taken in to reach the workings; fourteen bodies were recovered on the Sunday and six on the Monday, when Patrick McAvoy and his son were found alive after more than thirty-six hours in old workings.

What's uncertain

Points where sources disagree or the record could not be settled; both accounts are kept. All open questions in the archive.

• A survey of the Whitehaven pits gives the 1819 explosion at Kells five dead. (disputed) ⁵

Recorded claims

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

• On Saturday 30 October 1819 an explosion of firedamp in the Earl of Lonsdale's Kells Pit, Whitehaven, killed twenty of the twenty-two colliers working in it. ^1,2,3,4
• With Patrick McAvoy senior, who died of his injuries on 7 November, 21 lives were lost. ^1,2
• A survey of the Whitehaven pits gives the 1819 explosion at Kells five dead. (disputed) ⁵
• Two men, Patrick McAvoy and his son, were brought out alive after more than thirty-six hours. ^3,4
• The explosion came from workings where pillars were being removed, and the regulation that no hewer approach his work without a Davy lamp had not been observed. ⁴
• The Earl of Lonsdale sent twenty-two guineas at once and later a hundred guineas for the families, and a public subscription was raised. ^3,6
• After the disaster the coal in the pit was found to have caught fire, and air was excluded to put it out. ⁶

Related terminology

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

• Coal (contextual relationship)
  Named twice in this record, first in the narrative: “…was being worked in 1819 in a district where the pillars of coal were being removed. The workings had been free of firedamp, they…”
• Colliery (contextual relationship)
  Named twice in this record, first in the narrative: “Kells Pit, one of the Earl of Lonsdale's Whitehaven collieries, was being worked in 1819 in a district where the pillars of coal…”
• Firedamp (contextual relationship)
  Named twice in this record, first in the summary: “On Saturday 30 October 1819 an explosion of firedamp tore through the Earl of Lonsdale's Kells Pit at Whitehaven, killing…”
• Hewer (contextual relationship)
  Named in this record’s narrative: “…injuries on 7 November. The Whitehaven collieries required every hewer to work by a Davy lamp, and The Times blamed the disaster on that…”
• Safety Lamp (contextual relationship)
  Named twice in this record, first in the cause: “…pillars were being removed, attributed to the rule requiring Davy safety lamps not being observed.”

Photographs & further reading

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

Sources

1. (primary) Colliery Disaster: Kell's Pit, 30 October 1819 — Durham Mining Museum
2. (primary) Colliery Disasters 1810-19 — Durham Mining Museum
3. (primary) Most Dreadful Accident (Whitehaven Gazette, 1 November 1819) — Durham Mining Museum
4. (primary) Melancholy Accident (The Times, 5 November 1819) — Durham Mining Museum
5. (primary) Whitehaven Coast Archaeological Survey, including Appendix 3: Duke Pit fanhouse (Simon Chapman) — Cranstone Consultants and Ironbridge Archaeology, for the National Trust
6. (primary) Misfortune In Kells Pit (Cumberland Pacquet, 16 November 1819) — Durham Mining Museum

Record created: 4 October 2026 · Last researched: 4 October 2026