Methley Junction Colliery explosion, 1875

On 9 December 1875 a fall of roof released gas that exploded in the Haigh Moor seam at H. Briggs and Son's Methley Junction Colliery, near Normanton, killing six. The men went down with safety lamps but changed to candles later in the shift.

Cause

Gas liberated by a fall of roof, probably ignited at an open candle.

Contributing factors

Men went down with safety lamps but changed to candles later in the shift.

What happened

The Haigh Moor seam lay 135 yards down, and a 35-foot fan passed about 55,000 cubic feet of air a minute through the mine. The explosion was in the No. 4 South Ending, where 26 men and boys were working five benks. The deputy had visited shortly before and seen no sign of the roof weighting, but immediately afterwards it plainly had, and the gas from the fall was thought to have fired at an open candle at the face of the No. 5 benk. The man nearest it had a safety lamp, found locked and in perfect order.

The explosion affected only a small area, and the bodies were soon recovered and the ventilation restored. The dead were Thomas Thompson, Alfred Anson, James Inman, James Husson, Samuel Stirland and Thomas Smethurst.

Rescue & recovery

The bodies were recovered within a short time and the ventilation restored.

Investigation & inquiry

The inspector, Wardell, concluded that a fall of roof released the gas; with naked lights in use the exact ignition was hard to fix. He recommended that the mine be lit only by safety lamps.

Legal & regulatory aftermath

The jury returned accidental death after a quarter of an hour.

Recorded claims

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

• The explosion on 9 December 1875 killed six. ^1,2
• The gas was liberated by a fall of roof. ^1,2
• The men went down with safety lamps but substituted candles later in the shift; the inspector recommended safety lamps only. ¹

Related terminology

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

• Colliery (contextual relationship)
  Named in this record’s summary: “…in the Haigh Moor seam at H. Briggs and Son's Methley Junction Colliery, near Normanton, killing six. The men went down with safety lamps…”
• Deputy (contextual relationship)
  Named in this record’s narrative: “…4 South Ending, where 26 men and boys were working five benks. The deputy had visited shortly before and seen no sign of the roof weighting,…”
• Naked Light (contextual relationship)
  Named in this record’s investigation: “…Wardell, concluded that a fall of roof released the gas; with naked lights in use the exact ignition was hard to fix. He recommended that the…”
• Roof Fall (contextual relationship)
  Named 3 times in this record, first in the summary: “On 9 December 1875 a fall of roof released gas that exploded in the Haigh Moor seam at H. Briggs and…”
• Safety Lamp (contextual relationship)
  Named 4 times in this record, first in the summary: “…Colliery, near Normanton, killing six. The men went down with safety lamps but changed to candles later in the shift.”

Photographs & further reading

This page doesn't try to reproduce everything — these are the best original sources found for this disaster.

Sources

1. (secondary) Methley Junction Colliery Explosion - Normanton - 1875 — Northern Mine Research Society
2. (primary) Methley Junction Colliery — Durham Mining Museum

Record created: 3 October 2026 · Last researched: 3 October 2026