Midgeholme Colliery explosion, 1870

On 6 June 1870 an explosion of gas at Midgeholme Colliery, near Milton, killed two hewers, George Jackson, 38, and Robert Jackson, 36.

Cause

An explosion of gas.

What happened

Midgeholme Colliery, worked at the time by M. Thompson and Sons, lay near Milton. On 6 June 1870 an explosion of gas killed two of its hewers, George Jackson, aged 38, and Robert Jackson, aged 36.

Recorded claims

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

• On 6 June 1870 an explosion of gas killed two hewers, George and Robert Jackson, at Midgeholme Colliery. ^1,2,3
• George Jackson was 38 and Robert Jackson 36. ^2,3
• Midgeholme was then worked by M. Thompson and Sons. ²

Related terminology

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

• Colliery (contextual relationship)
  Named twice in this record, first in the summary: “On 6 June 1870 an explosion of gas at Midgeholme Colliery, near Milton, killed two hewers, George Jackson, 38, and Robert…”
• Hewer (contextual relationship)
  Named twice in this record, first in the summary: “…an explosion of gas at Midgeholme Colliery, near Milton, killed two hewers, George Jackson, 38, and Robert Jackson, 36.”

Photographs & further reading

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

Sources

1. (primary) Midgeholme Colliery — Durham Mining Museum
2. (secondary) 1870s J: Ian Winstanley's alphabetical list of mining victims — Healey Hero (Ian Winstanley's list of mining victims)
3. (primary) Colliery Accident: Midgeholme, 6 June 1870 — Durham Mining Museum

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