Lakes Pit explosion, Dukinfield, 1848

Shortly after the midday meal on 23 February 1848 gas fired in the Victoria Pit at Dukinfield, the deepest in the district, where Swire and Lees' men were cutting through into old workings. Seven died; the owners had long tried, and failed, to stop the men using candles.

Cause

Gas from the gob, freed as the workings broke into it, fired at candles.

Contributing factors

Candles were in use alongside safety lamps despite the owners' efforts to stop them.

What happened

The Victoria Pit, also known as the Lakes Pit, was the deepest pit in the neighbourhood. Its shaft was 345 yards deep; from the bottom a down brow ran 300 yards and the workings went north 542 yards to a jig brow, off which two levels led to the place of the explosion. The underground steward, Charles Turner, said the area was safe until the men cut through into the gob, and that for that work they had been given safety lamps.

The underlooker, John Daniel Burton, had been measuring in the pit an hour before. He saw the Aspdens at work with safety lamps, but Levi Broadbent and Mayer with candles; the air was good, and he told them to use lamps as soon as the Aspdens broke through, warning the Aspdens to stop the hole when they did. A little after dinner the gas fired. Seven died, among them Joseph and William Aspden, Richard Broadbent and Levi Thorpe, and several others were badly hurt.

Legal & regulatory aftermath

At the inquest at the Slape Tavern, Dukinfield, the coroner, Mr Hudson, explained the law on manslaughter; after twenty minutes the jury returned accidental death.

Recorded claims

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

• On 23 February 1848 an explosion at the Victoria Pit, Dukinfield, worked by Swire and Lees, killed seven. ^1,2
• The Victoria Pit was the deepest in the neighbourhood, its shaft 345 yards deep. ¹
• Gas freed as the workings cut through into the gob was thought to have been fired by candles, which the owners had failed to stop the men using. ¹
• The inquest at the Slape Tavern, Dukinfield, returned accidental death. ¹

Related terminology

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

• Goaf (contextual relationship)
  Named twice in this record, first in the cause: “Gas from the gob, freed as the workings broke into it, fired at candles.”
• Haulage (contextual relationship)
  Named in this record’s narrative: “…a down brow ran 300 yards and the workings went north 542 yards to a jig brow, off which two levels led to the place of the explosion. The…”
• Level (contextual relationship)
  Named in this record’s narrative: “…and the workings went north 542 yards to a jig brow, off which two levels led to the place of the explosion. The underground steward, Charles…”
• Safety Lamp (contextual relationship)
  Named 3 times in this record, first in the contributing factors: “Candles were in use alongside safety lamps despite the owners' efforts to stop them.”
• Shaft (contextual relationship)
  Named in this record’s narrative: “…as the Lakes Pit, was the deepest pit in the neighbourhood. Its shaft was 345 yards deep; from the bottom a down brow ran 300 yards and…”

Photographs & further reading

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

Sources

1. (secondary) Victoria Colliery Explosion - Dukinfield - 1848 — Northern Mine Research Society
2. (primary) Colliery Disaster: Victoria Pit, Duckinfield, 23 February 1848 — Durham Mining Museum

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