MineArchiveMostyn Colliery explosions, 1806
Two firedamp explosions at Mostyn Colliery on the Dee estuary in Flintshire in 1806 killed thirty-six men between them, by the most widely repeated count. The Coal Mining History Resource Centre's list reads the same record differently: thirty-six in the first explosion and about thirty more in the second. A fire in 1807 and another explosion in 1809 followed at the same colliery.
| Date | 1806 |
|---|---|
| Mine | Mostyn Colliery |
| Region | Flintshire |
| Type | Explosion |
| Fatalities | 36 (36 by Wikipedia, Heritage Hunter and the Durham Mining Museum; the Coal Mining History Resource Centre gives 36 in the first explosion and about 30 in the second. No names are known.) |
| Context | During active mining |
Cause
Explosions of firedamp.
Contributing factors
Unknown.
What happened
Mostyn was one of the oldest and largest collieries in Wales, working seams that ran out under the Dee estuary, with a long history of firedamp: Sir Roger Mostyn described an explosion there in 1675. Two explosions are recorded in 1806. No contemporary account giving the dates, the pits involved or the circumstances has been read, and the victims are not named. The colliery suffered a fire that killed twenty-six in April 1807 and an explosion that killed twenty-two in March 1809.
Rescue & recovery
Unknown.
Investigation & inquiry
Unknown.
Legal & regulatory aftermath
Unknown.
Changes to practice & legislation
Unknown.
Memorials & commemoration
A plaque in the Welsh National and Universal Mining Memorial Garden at Senghenydd commemorates it.
What's uncertain
Points where sources disagree or the record could not be settled; both accounts are kept. All open questions in the archive.
- The first of the two 1806 explosions killed thirty-six men and the second about thirty. (disputed) 4
Recorded claims
Individual factual claims, each attached to the source(s) that support it below. Where sources disagree, both are kept.
- Two explosions occurred at Mostyn in 1806, causing the deaths of 36 men. 1,2,3
- The first of the two 1806 explosions killed thirty-six men and the second about thirty. (disputed) 4
- The 1806 disaster is commemorated by a plaque at the Welsh National and Universal Mining Memorial Garden, Senghenydd. 5
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: “…thirty-six men between them, by the most widely repeated count. The Coal Mining History Resource Centre's list reads the same record…” - Colliery (contextual relationship)
Named 4 times in this record, first in the summary: “Two firedamp explosions at Mostyn Colliery on the Dee estuary in Flintshire in 1806 killed thirty-six men…” - Firedamp (direct cause)
Recorded as explosions, the colliery's long-standing hazard.
Plans & documents
Sources
- (secondary) Mostyn Colliery — Wikipedia
- (secondary) The miners of Mostyn — Heritage Hunter
- (secondary) Colliery Disaster: Mostyn, 1806 — 36 lives lost — Durham Mining Museum
- (primary) Mining disasters in Great Britain, 1800–1819 — Coalmining History Resource Centre
- (secondary) Memorial: 1806 Mostyn Colliery Disaster — Durham Mining Museum
Record created: 20 September 2026 · Last researched: 21 September 2026