MineArchiveLeeswood Green Blackdamp Deaths, 1872
Two Leeswood men, Morgan Edwards and Frank Jones, were killed at the Leeswood Green pit on 26 July 1872, the cause of death recorded as choked by blackdamp caused by deficient ventilation. Frank Jones left a wife and a number of children.
| Date | 26 July 1872 |
|---|---|
| Mine | Leeswood Green Colliery |
| Region | Flintshire |
| Type | Gas / Asphyxiation |
| Fatalities | 2 (Morgan Edwards and Frank Jones, both of Leeswood.) |
| Injuries | None recorded beyond the two deaths. |
| Context | During active mining |
Cause
Blackdamp — the oxygen-poor mixture of nitrogen and carbon dioxide that collects in badly ventilated workings, also called chokedamp. The recorded cause of death is 'choked by black damp caused by deficient ventilation'.
Contributing factors
The ventilation was found deficient. Nothing further is recorded.
What happened
Little survives beyond the finding. Two men of the village died together at the Green pit on 26 July 1872, three years after the quarrel over wages and the Welsh language that had ended with soldiers firing on a crowd at Mold. The cause of death was recorded as choking by blackdamp, and the blackdamp was put down to deficient ventilation — that is, to the colliery, not to the men. Frank Jones left a wife and a number of children.
Rescue & recovery
Nothing is recorded of the recovery.
Investigation & inquiry
The cause of death as recorded — 'choked by black damp caused by deficient ventilation' — is the language of an inquest verdict, but no inquest report is recorded and no proceedings against the company are recorded.
Legal & regulatory aftermath
None recorded.
Changes to practice & legislation
Nothing recorded.
Memorials & commemoration
No memorial specific to these deaths is known.
Recorded claims
Individual factual claims, each attached to the source(s) that support it below. Where sources disagree, both are kept.
- Morgan Edwards and Frank Jones died at the Leeswood Green pit on 26 July 1872; the cause of death is recorded as 'choked by black damp caused by deficient ventilation', and Frank Jones left a wife and a number of children. 1
Related terminology
Mining terms this disaster is structurally linked to, with the nature of the relationship.
- Chokedamp (contextual relationship)
Named 5 times in this record, first in the summary: “…Green pit on 26 July 1872, the cause of death recorded as choked by blackdamp caused by deficient ventilation. Frank Jones left a wife and a…” - Colliery (contextual relationship)
Named in this record’s narrative: “…blackdamp was put down to deficient ventilation — that is, to the colliery, not to the men. Frank Jones left a wife and a number of children.”
Sources
- (secondary) Leeswood Collieries — Welsh Coal Mines
- (secondary) List of coal mines UK 1880 — Coalmining History Resource Centre
Record created: 8 September 2026 · Last researched: 8 September 2026