MineArchiveLundhill Colliery explosion, 1854
| Date | 22 August 1854 |
|---|---|
| Mine | Lundhill Colliery |
| Region | South Yorkshire |
| Type | Explosion |
| Fatalities | 6 (Five died at once and a sixth later of his injuries. The names differ between the NMRS and the Durham Mining Museum; the Friends of Hemingfield Colliery account, read on the mine's own pass, gives five.) |
| Context | During active mining (The sinking of the shaft to the Barnsley thick coal at Lundhill, near Wombwell, two and a half years before the colliery's great explosion of 1857.) |
On 22 August 1854, as the Lundhill shaft near Barnsley was being sunk towards the Barnsley thick coal, firedamp that had often been seen issuing from a drainage borehole in the shaft bottom came out in force and exploded at the sinkers' candles, killing six. The owners had supplied a ventilating engine, air pipes and safety lamps, but the agent and contractor had not used them and were absent that morning. Two inquests cleared the owners.
Cause
An outburst of firedamp from a borehole in the bottom of the sinking shaft, fired by lighted candles taken down by the sinkers.
Contributing factors
A ventilating engine and air pipes bought by the owners for the sinking shaft had not been put to use by the agent, Mr Pease, or the contractor, John Jebson, and safety lamps provided were not enforced. Work had been stopped for two or three days by water, and when it resumed no examination was made; the men were left without directions.
What happened
The sinkers were almost down to a coal bed, connected to the shaft bottom by a small borehole to drain water, from which gas had frequently been seen coming. On the morning of 22 August the gas came out in such force and abundance that it exploded with terrific force at their candles. One of the victims said as he was brought out, 'we shall have air-pipes put in now'.
Investigation & inquiry
There were two inquests, one on five men and a second on the man who died later. The first jury found the men accidentally killed, acquitting the owners but saying the contractor ought to have men he could trust and use the ventilation provided, and that more caution by one of the dead might have prevented it. Before the second, the management brought in Serjeant Wilkins and a team of engineering witnesses who saw the works much improved; Inspector Charles Morton reported that surviving labourers had been tampered with and the jury drawn from people unlikely to act independently, and the owners and agents were exonerated.
Recorded claims
Individual factual claims, each attached to the source(s) that support it below. Where sources disagree, both are kept.
- Firedamp had exploded at Lundhill once before, on 22 August 1854, killing six. 1
- The NMRS names James Batty, 32, banksman; William Davis, 50; Matthew Thompson, 50; Thomas Jackson, 48; and Noah Ely, 52. (disputed) 2
- The Durham Mining Museum names six: James Batty, 23, banksman; William Davey, 50; Noah Heeley, 52; Thomas Jackson; William Mosely, 24; and Matthew Pollard, 50. (disputed) 1
- Gas that had often been seen coming from a borehole in the bottom of the sinking shaft came out in force and was fired by the sinkers' lighted candles; no examination was made that morning because the agent and contractor were absent. 2
- The first jury acquitted the owners but criticised the contractor John Jebson; after a sixth man died a second inquest exonerated owners and agents, which Inspector Charles Morton attributed to 'unwonted and extraordinary exertions' by the management, witnesses tampered with and a jury chosen from the colliery's neighbourhood. 2
Related terminology
Mining terms this disaster is structurally linked to, with the nature of the relationship.
- Firedamp (direct cause)
Gas from a borehole fired. - Naked Light (direct cause)
The sinkers took down lighted candles. - Outburst (contextual relationship)
Named in this record’s cause: “An outburst of firedamp from a borehole in the bottom of the sinking shaft,…” - Safety Lamp (contributing factor)
Safety lamps were provided but not enforced. - Shaft Sinking (contextual relationship)
Named 5 times in this record, first in the summary: “…borehole in the shaft bottom came out in force and exploded at the sinkers' candles, killing six. The owners had supplied a ventilating engine,…”
Sources
- (secondary) Lundhill Colliery — Durham Mining Museum
- (secondary) Lundhill Colliery Explosion - Barnsley - 1854 — Northern Mine Research Society (information supplied by Ian Winstanley and the Coal Mining History Resource Centre)
- (secondary) Lundhill Colliery Disaster, 19th February 1857 — Friends of Hemingfield Colliery
Record created: 10 September 2026 · Last researched: 13 September 2026