Lower Duffryn Colliery explosion, 1867

A shot fired in a gassy stall in the Nine Feet seam at Lower Duffryn (Cwmpennar), Mountain Ash, on 2 May 1867 set off an explosion that killed two or three men, the shotfirer among them.

Cause

A shot fired in a stall in the Nine Feet seam where gas had been detected.

What happened

Twenty-eight men and boys worked the district in the Nine Feet seam. On 2 May 1867 the shotfirer, Edwards, fired a shot in John Morgan's stall, where gas had been found; the two had stepped back to the parting, and as they went back in they were met by fire at the canvas air door. The collier Josiah Jenkins, his light blown out, found Edwards with his trousers alight and put out the flames.

Edwards, 56, and Morgan, 26, died of their burns, Morgan on the 17th; Welsh Coal Mines adds a third, Henry Watkin, 19.

Investigation & inquiry

The jury found the shotfirer guilty of carelessness in not examining the place before firing and recommended that no shots be fired in the Nine Feet vein. The inspector, T. E. Wales, thought the ventilation ample but held that no ventilation could protect men while shots were fired in that seam.

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 third man, Henry Watkin, 19, also died of his injuries. (disputed) ²

Recorded claims

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

• An explosion of gas at Lower Duffryn (Lower Cwmpennar) on 2 May 1867 killed the shotfirer Edward Edwards and the collier John Morgan. ^1,2
• A third man, Henry Watkin, 19, also died of his injuries. (disputed) ²
• The gas was fired by a shot in John Morgan's stall in the Nine Feet seam, where gas had been detected. ²
• The jury found the shotfirer guilty of carelessness and recommended that no shots be fired in the Nine Feet vein. ²

Related terminology

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

• Colliery (contextual relationship)
  Named in this record’s narrative: “…56, and Morgan, 26, died of their burns, Morgan on the 17th; Welsh Coal Mines adds a third, Henry Watkin, 19.”
• Shot-firing (contextual relationship)
  Named 3 times in this record, first in the summary: “…on 2 May 1867 set off an explosion that killed two or three men, the shotfirer among them.”
• Stall (contextual relationship)
  Named 3 times in this record, first in the summary: “A shot fired in a gassy stall in the Nine Feet seam at Lower Duffryn (Cwmpennar), Mountain Ash, on…”
• Vein (contextual relationship)
  Named in this record’s investigation: “…firing and recommended that no shots be fired in the Nine Feet vein. The inspector, T. E. Wales, thought the ventilation ample but held…”

Sources

1. (secondary) Lower Duffryn Colliery — Northern Mine Research Society
2. (secondary) Welsh Coal Mines fatalities, 1867 — Welsh Coal Mines

Record created: 7 October 2026 · Last researched: 7 October 2026