Morley Main Colliery explosion, 1865

An explosion of firedamp at the Ackroyds' Morley Main Colliery, near Leeds, killed three on 26 January 1865, one of them a boy.

Cause

An explosion of firedamp.

What happened

On 26 January 1865 firedamp exploded at Morley Main Colliery, worked by Messrs Ackroyd near Leeds, killing John Clayton, a boy, and the miners Samuel Jessop and George Priestly.

Recorded claims

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

• An explosion of firedamp at Morley Main Colliery, near Leeds, on 26 January 1865 killed three: John Clayton, Samuel Jessop and George Priestly. ^1,2,3,4
• John Clayton was a boy. ²
• The colliery belonged to Messrs Ackroyd. ^3,4

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: “An explosion of firedamp at the Ackroyds' Morley Main Colliery, near Leeds, killed three on 26 January 1865, one of them a boy.”
• Firedamp (contextual relationship)
  Named 3 times in this record, first in the summary: “An explosion of firedamp at the Ackroyds' Morley Main Colliery, near Leeds, killed three on…”

Sources

1. (primary) Morley Main Colliery — Durham Mining Museum
2. (secondary) Mining victims, 1860s, C (Chisnall) — Healey Hero (Ian Winstanley's list of mining victims)
3. (secondary) Mining deaths 1860-1869, surnames P, part 3 (Ian Winstanley) — Healey Hero (Ian Winstanley's mining deaths lists)
4. (primary) Colliery accident, Morley Main, 26 January 1865 — Durham Mining Museum

Record created: 8 October 2026 · Last researched: 8 October 2026