Middle Patricroft Pit explosion, 1849

Soon after six on the morning of 6 March 1849 an explosion in the Five Foot seam of the Ince Hall Coal and Cannel Company's Middle Patricroft Pit, between Wigan and Hindley, killed twelve of the twenty-six below, among them a father and his three sons.

Cause

A naked candle carried past a firedamp warning board.

What happened

The pit stood beside Gidlow's cotton mill on the road from Wigan to Hindley and worked two seams from two shafts twenty or thirty yards apart: the Five Foot, 190 to 200 yards deep, from the upcast, ventilated by a furnace at its foot, and the Four Foot, about twenty yards deeper, from the downcast. About twenty-six men and boys had gone down at six. Most of the dead were found with their clothes still on, so the explosion came almost at once; it began about 300 yards from the shaft. Twelve or thirteen came out unhurt.

By eleven, eight bodies had been brought out. John Lewis, who lost his twin sons George and Thomas, 15, and Matthew, 13, was so badly burnt that he died about an hour after reaching the surface. At midday a woman named Pedder came looking for her husband, John, who was still below; only his hat was found until the fumes cleared. The underlooker, Ellison, had examined the workings and found them safe, and the air was said to be good. It was later found that a workman had gone in with a naked candle past the firedamp board the fireman had put up.

Rescue & recovery

The managers and James Lancaster, one of the partners, went down after the explosion; John Pedder's body was recovered only after a later search once the fumes had cleared.

Legal & regulatory aftermath

At the inquest before Mr Heyes at the Walmesley Arms, Ince, John Pedder's body was found more burnt than the rest and he was taken to have entered foul ground with a lit candle; the jury returned accidental death.

Recorded claims

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

• On 6 March 1849 an explosion in the Five Foot seam of the Ince Hall Coal and Cannel Company's Middle Patricroft Pit killed twelve. ^1,2
• A workman had gone past the fireman's firedamp board with a naked candle. ¹
• John Lewis and three of his sons, George, Thomas and Matthew, were among the dead. ^1,2
• The jury, satisfied with the ventilation and the rules, found that the men had neglected them and returned accidental death. ¹

Related terminology

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

• Coal (contextual relationship)
  Named in this record’s summary: “…of 6 March 1849 an explosion in the Five Foot seam of the Ince Hall Coal and Cannel Company's Middle Patricroft Pit, between Wigan and…”
• Firedamp (contextual relationship)
  Named twice in this record, first in the cause: “A naked candle carried past a firedamp warning board.”
• Fireman (contextual relationship)
  Named in this record’s narrative: “…workman had gone in with a naked candle past the firedamp board the fireman had put up.”
• Shaft (contextual relationship)
  Named twice in this record, first in the narrative: “…mill on the road from Wigan to Hindley and worked two seams from two shafts twenty or thirty yards apart: the Five Foot, 190 to 200 yards deep,…”

Photographs & further reading

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

Sources

1. (secondary) Ince Hall Colliery Middle Patricroft Pit Explosion - Hindley - 1849 — Northern Mine Research Society
2. (primary) Colliery Disaster: Middle Patricroft, Ince Hall, 6 March 1849 — Durham Mining Museum

Record created: 4 October 2026 · Last researched: 4 October 2026