Mawstone Mine Disaster

A firedamp explosion at Mawstone Mine, Youlgreave, killed five miners working on a ventilation fan; three more men died attempting a rescue without breathing apparatus, bringing the toll to eight and closing the mine for good.

Cause

Firedamp (methane) gas, which had built up in workings running through shale while the mine was idle for the weekend, is thought to have been ignited by a spark from the switchbox of a fan motor that six men were repairing.

Contributing factors

Mawstone was especially prone to firedamp because its workings ran through layers of shale; the coroner suggested faulty ventilation equipment was the likely cause, though the inquest jury could not establish the exact cause of the explosion for certain. None of the rescuers had breathing apparatus -- some breathed through handkerchiefs, or in one case a cap held to the face -- and a rescue team with proper apparatus, summoned from the North Midlands Coal Owners' Rescue Stations at Mansfield and Chesterfield, did not arrive until 7pm, too late to save anyone.

What happened

It was just before six in the evening on 23 May 1932 when the alarm was raised at Mawstone Mine, about half a mile south of Youlgrave. The mine had been idle for the weekend while maintenance was carried out on its ventilation system; six men were down the mine working on a fan when a gust of wind and a rumble like thunder -- described by engineman Joseph Goldstraw, above ground at the time -- lifted the wooden planks around the shaft entrance. One of the six, George Frost, managed to reach the bottom of the shaft despite being knocked down several times and was winched to the surface, raising the alarm; the other five did not survive the initial explosion. As news spread through the small, close-knit village, volunteer rescue parties formed rapidly. Mine manager Kenneth Seville made an abortive solo attempt to reach the trapped men before being joined by miners Eric Evans and Jack Birds, local publican Albert Harrison, blacksmith Harry Ollerenshaw, and Youlgrave's GP, William Harrison, making his first descent underground. None had breathing apparatus; conditions below were hot, fume-filled and disorientating. Herbert Slaney, one of the rescuers, later told a reporter: 'There were acrid fumes like thick fog, making useless our electric lamps; the heat was unbearable and the poisoned atmosphere was death itself. I crawled for nearly 20 yards before realising the hopelessness of it all, and I got back just in time.' Seville, Evans and Birds were not so fortunate, and were themselves overcome by carbon monoxide and killed. A rescue party with proper breathing apparatus, summoned from the North Midlands Coal Owners' Rescue Stations at Mansfield and Chesterfield, arrived at 7pm, too late to help. That night the mine's engine-room was converted into a temporary mortuary for the eight dead: mine captain Poultney Poulter and his 27-year-old son James, Kenneth Seville, William Brindley (22), Eric Evans (23) and Jack Birds (24), among the five original victims, and the three named rescuers.

Rescue & recovery

The rescue effort drew in miners, a publican, a blacksmith and the village doctor, none equipped with breathing apparatus; three of them died attempting it. A properly equipped rescue party from the North Midlands Coal Owners' Rescue Stations arrived too late, at 7pm. Several of the surviving rescuers received gallantry awards later in the year at a ceremony in Bakewell; the blacksmith Ollerenshaw (Harry in the account of the rescue, George in the list of awards, in the same source) received a gold watch, Dr Harrison an oak bureau, and publican Albert Harrison a grandmother clock inscribed 'For heroic endeavour to save human life', which stood in Youlgrave's Farmyard Inn until 1979.

Investigation & inquiry

The inquest found that all eight men died of carbon monoxide poisoning, exacerbated by burns and shock from the blast. The jury decided there was not enough evidence to establish the exact cause of the explosion, though the coroner had earlier suggested faulty ventilation equipment was the likely cause; he went out of his way to praise the rescuers' bravery.

Legal & regulatory aftermath

No prosecution or regulatory change specific to this incident was found; the mine itself never fully recovered, though it was worked in fits and starts until the 1950s before lead mining across the district became uneconomical.

Changes to practice & legislation

None found.

Memorials & commemoration

The procession at the joint funeral of five of the victims stretched over half a mile through Youlgrave; the whole village went into mourning, shops closed, and local mines and quarries stopped work as a mark of respect. The Duke of Devonshire and Lord Hartington sent messages of sympathy, and several rescuers were presented to the Prince of Wales (later Edward VIII) a week later at Ashford-in-the-Water.

Recorded claims

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

• Six men were repairing a fan when firedamp, ignited most likely by a spark from the fan motor's switchbox, exploded; five were killed outright and George Frost escaped to raise the alarm.
• Three rescuers -- mine manager Kenneth Seville and miners Eric Evans and Jack Birds -- died of carbon monoxide poisoning after descending without breathing apparatus; a properly equipped rescue party arrived at 7pm, too late.
• At the resumed inquest, lead miner George Frost described the rescue efforts, including bringing one of the rescue party back to the surface.
• Several rescuers received gallantry awards at a ceremony in Bakewell later in 1932, including a gold watch, an oak bureau and an inscribed grandmother clock.

Related terminology

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

• Breathing Apparatus (contextual relationship)
  Named 4 times in this record, first in the contributing factors: “…exact cause of the explosion for certain. None of the rescuers had breathing apparatus -- some breathed through handkerchiefs, or in one case a cap held to…”
• Captain (contextual relationship)
  Named in this record’s narrative: “…was converted into a temporary mortuary for the eight dead: mine captain Poultney Poulter and his 27-year-old son James, Kenneth Seville,…”
• Firedamp (direct cause)
  Firedamp built up in Mawstone's shale-hosted workings over the idle weekend and is thought to have been ignited by a spark from the fan motor's switchbox.
• Lead (contextual relationship)
  Named in this record’s aftermath: “…though it was worked in fits and starts until the 1950s before lead mining across the district became uneconomical.”
• Shaft (contextual relationship)
  Named twice in this record, first in the narrative: “…above ground at the time -- lifted the wooden planks around the shaft entrance. One of the six, George Frost, managed to reach the bottom…”

Sources

1. (primary) Derbyshire HER: Mawstone lead mine, north-east of Mawstone Farm, Youlgreave (MDR8397) — Derbyshire Historic Environment Record
2. (primary) Newspaper Articles: The Lead Mine Tragedy, Inquest Story Of The Rescue Efforts (Northern Daily Mail, 31 May 1932) — Durham Mining Museum (newspaper archive)
3. (secondary) Remembering the Mawstone Mine Disaster — Great British Life (Andrew McCloy)

Record created: 16 September 2026 · Last researched: 16 September 2026