Lea Green Colliery shaft sinking explosion, 1893

At 4 a.m. on 14 October 1893 a naked candle fell from the side of a shaft being sunk at Lea Green Colliery and ignited an accumulation of gas, killing the sinker Evan Jones and badly burning seven others. The inquest criticised the sinking operations, the Inspector prosecuted the company and the manager, and the magistrates cleared both.

Cause

A naked candle fell from the side of the new shaft and ignited an accumulation of gas.

Contributing factors

The coroner's jury found two of the chargemen not competent and that the safety rules under the Mines Act of 1887 had not been implemented. A sinker testified that gas had been found in the shaft before the explosion and that he would have been sacked had he reported it.

What happened

In 1892 the Sutton Heath & Lea Green Collieries Co. Ltd was sinking the new Queen and King pits at Lea Green. At 4 a.m. on 14 October 1893, in the sixth hour of the shift, the sinker Evan Jones and seven other men were at work in the shaft being sunk when a naked candle fell from its side into an accumulation of gas. Jones died on 20 October; the other seven were badly burned.

One of the survivors, Henry France, was run over and killed by coal boxes in April 1916, when he was 61, and the local history records that he had been badly burnt in the explosion of October 1893.

Investigation & inquiry

The coroner's jury at Jones's inquest returned a verdict of accidental death but made four critical comments on the sinking operations, including that two of the chargemen were not competent and that the safety rules under the Mines Act of 1887 had not been implemented.

Legal & regulatory aftermath

Henry Hall, H.M. Inspector of Mines, brought proceedings against the Sutton Heath & Lea Green Collieries Co. for insufficient ventilation and failing to use safety lamps. The manager, Thomas Pennington, told the court on 8 January 1894 that he did not know shafts under construction were his responsibility, and the sinker Richard Croan gave evidence at the six-hour hearing that gas had been found in the shaft before the explosion. The prosecution failed: the magistrates cleared the company and the manager of one charge and the second charge was withdrawn.

What's uncertain

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

• The Mines Inspectors' report gives Evan Jones's age as 23 and the local history as 37. (disputed) ^1,2

Recorded claims

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

• An explosion in a shaft being sunk at Lea Green Colliery at 4 a.m. on 14 October 1893 killed the sinker Evan Jones, who died on 20 October, and badly burned seven others. ^1,2
• A naked candle fell from the side of the new shaft and ignited an accumulation of gas. ¹
• The coroner's jury returned a verdict of accidental death but made four critical comments on the sinking operations, including that two chargemen were not competent and that the safety rules under the Mines Act of 1887 had not been implemented. ¹
• H.M. Inspector Henry Hall prosecuted the Sutton Heath & Lea Green Collieries Co. for insufficient ventilation and failing to use safety lamps; on 8 January 1894 the magistrates cleared the company and manager of one charge and the second was withdrawn. ¹
• The Mines Inspectors' report gives Evan Jones's age as 23 and the local history as 37. (disputed) ^1,2

Related terminology

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

• Coal (contextual relationship)
  Named in this record’s narrative: “…of the survivors, Henry France, was run over and killed by coal boxes in April 1916, when he was 61, and the local history records…”
• HM Chief Inspector of Mines (contextual relationship)
  Named in this record’s aftermath: “Henry Hall, H.M. Inspector of Mines, brought proceedings against the Sutton Heath & Lea Green Collieries…”
• Safety Lamp (contextual relationship)
  Named in this record’s aftermath: “…Green Collieries Co. for insufficient ventilation and failing to use safety lamps. The manager, Thomas Pennington, told the court on 8 January 1894…”
• Shaft (contextual relationship)
  Named 5 times in this record, first in the summary: “At 4 a.m. on 14 October 1893 a naked candle fell from the side of a shaft being sunk at Lea Green Colliery and ignited an accumulation of gas,…”
• Shaft Sinking (contextual relationship)
  Named 7 times in this record, first in the summary: “…Lea Green Colliery and ignited an accumulation of gas, killing the sinker Evan Jones and badly burning seven others. The inquest criticised…”

Photographs & further reading

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

Sources

1. (secondary) Lea Green Colliery (1870s-1964), An Illustrated History of Old Sutton in St Helens — Stephen Wainwright, Sutton Beauty & Heritage
2. (secondary) Accidents and incidents at Lea Green Colliery — Northern Mine Research Society

Record created: 28 September 2026 · Last researched: 30 September 2026