Leycett Colliery explosion, 1883

On Sunday 21 October 1883 an explosion at the Fair Lady Pit, Leycett, killed six men who were building off a gob fire for the Madeley Coal and Iron Company: the surveyor, the underlooker, the fireman and three miners. Three more were injured.

Cause

An explosion while the men were building off a gob fire (sealing a fire in the waste with stoppings).

Contributing factors

Unknown.

What happened

Leycett's pits, owned by the Madeley Coal and Iron Company, had already suffered explosions in 1871, 1879 and 1880. On Sunday 21 October 1883 a party was at work in the Fair Lady Pit building stoppings to wall off a fire in the gob when an explosion occurred. Six died: James Kirkwood, 23, the surveyor, married about a year; Joshua Leek, the underlooker; Thomas Webb, the fireman; and the miners William Cartledge, 32, Richard Lewis, 26, and George Fox. Three others were injured. All the dead but Webb, who lived at Madeley, lived at Leycett.

Rescue & recovery

Unknown.

Investigation & inquiry

Unknown.

Legal & regulatory aftermath

Unknown.

Changes to practice & legislation

Unknown.

Memorials & commemoration

Unknown.

Recorded claims

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

• On 21 October 1883 there was an explosion while building off a gob fire; six men were killed. ^1,2
• An explosion at the Fair Lady Pit, owned by the Madeley Coal and Iron Co, on Sunday 21 October 1883 killed six men and injured three. ³
• Killed: William Cartledge (Cortledge), George Fox, James Kirkwood (mining engineer/surveyor), Joshua Leek (underlooker), Richard Lewis and Thomas Webb (fireman). ^1,2

Related terminology

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

• Fireman (contextual relationship)
  Named twice in this record, first in the summary: “…Madeley Coal and Iron Company: the surveyor, the underlooker, the fireman and three miners. Three more were injured.”
• Goaf (hazard involved)
  The fire was in the gob.
• Spontaneous Combustion (hazard involved)
  The men were sealing off a fire in the gob.

Sources

1. (secondary) Fair Lady and Bang Up Colliery (Durham Mining Museum) — Durham Mining Museum
2. (secondary) Leycett Colliery Explosion - Madeley - 1883 — Northern Mine Research Society
3. (secondary) Leycett Collieries and Disaster — Madeley Village

Record created: 17 September 2026 · Last researched: 21 September 2026