MineArchiveMcLaren Colliery Explosion, 1902
| Date | 3 September 1902 |
|---|---|
| Mine | McLaren Colliery |
| Region | Caerphilly |
| Type | Explosion |
| Fatalities | 17 (Seventeen men. The death roll gives their ages and addresses — the youngest, William J. Jones of East Street, Tredegar, was seventeen.) |
| Context | During active mining |
An explosion at McLaren Colliery, Abertysswg, on 3 September 1902 killed seventeen men. The colliery was five years old, and the village around it younger still; the dead came from the new streets of Abertysswg and from Tredegar down the valley, and the youngest of them was seventeen.
Cause
Not established from the sources read.
What happened
The explosion came on Wednesday 3 September 1902, five years after the first shaft was sunk. Seventeen men were killed. The death roll is a picture of where the colliery drew its men from. Some lived in the new village that had grown up around the pit — Evan H. Evans at 6 McLaren Cottages, John T. Jones at 14 Arthur Street, both Abertysswg. Most came from Tredegar, a few miles down the valley: William Baker of Prospect Place, William H. Brown of Queen Street, Walter Griffiths and Gwilym Morgan both of Charles Street, John Jones of The Garn, Rees Jones of High Street. George Grainger came from Cwmsifiog. The youngest was William J. Jones of East Street, Tredegar, who was seventeen; the oldest of those whose age is recorded was Gwilym Morgan at forty-one. A miners' memorial stands in Abertysswg today.
Memorials & commemoration
The McLaren Miners' Memorial stands in Abertysswg.
Recorded claims
Individual factual claims, each attached to the source(s) that support it below. Where sources disagree, both are kept.
- Seventeen men were killed in the explosion of 3 September 1902. (medium) 1,2
- The death roll records addresses in the new village of Abertysswg — McLaren Cottages and Arthur Street — and in Tredegar and Cwmsifiog down the valley. (medium) 2
- The youngest of the dead was William J. Jones of 30 East Street, Tredegar, aged seventeen. (medium) 2
- A glass negative of about 1901 shows the colliery about a year before the explosion, with its screen plant and coke ovens in operation. (high) 3
Related terminology
Mining terms this disaster is structurally linked to, with the nature of the relationship.
- Colliery (contextual relationship)
Named 3 times in this record, first in the summary: “An explosion at McLaren Colliery, Abertysswg, on 3 September 1902 killed seventeen men. The colliery…” - Shaft (contextual relationship)
Named in this record’s narrative: “…came on Wednesday 3 September 1902, five years after the first shaft was sunk. Seventeen men were killed. The death roll is a picture of…”
Photographs & further reading
This page doesn't try to reproduce everything — these are the best original sources found for this disaster.
The roll of the seventeen killed, with each man's age and the street he lived in.
View sourceSources
- (secondary) Welsh mining disasters: list of accidents with five or more fatalities — Welsh Coal Mines
- (secondary) McLaren Colliery disaster: death roll, 3 September 1902 — Welsh Coal Mines
- (primary) Tredegar Iron & Coal Co. Ltd., glass negative: exterior view at McLaren Colliery, Abertysswg, c.1901 — Amgueddfa Cymru — Museum Wales
Record created: 3 September 2026 · Last researched: 3 September 2026