MineArchiveMuiredge Colliery roof fall, 1896
A fall of roof stone at a longwall face in the parrot coal of Muiredge No. 1 Pit, Buckhaven, on 9 December 1896 buried and killed two young miners, Robert Brown and George Hunter.
| Date | 9 December 1896 |
|---|---|
| Mine | Muiredge Colliery |
| Region | Fife |
| Type | Collapse / Roof Fall |
| Fatalities | 2 (Robert Brown (20, or about 21) and George Hunter (15, or about 16), miners.) |
| Context | During active mining |
Cause
A fall of roof stone at a longwall face.
What happened
On Wednesday 9 December 1896 Robert Brown and George Hunter were at work in the parrot coal of No. 1 Pit at Muiredge, Buckhaven, when the roof at their longwall face fell and buried them. It was some time before they could be got out, and both were dead when they were reached.
Rescue & recovery
Both men were dug out from under the fall, but were dead when extricated.
Recorded claims
Individual factual claims, each attached to the source(s) that support it below. Where sources disagree, both are kept.
- Robert Brown, aged 20, and George Hunter, aged 15, miners, were killed by a fall of roof stone at a longwall face on 9 December 1896. 1
- The accident happened on a Wednesday in No. 1 Pit, parrot coal, at Muiredge, Buckhaven, when the roof fell and buried the two men. 2
- It was some time before Brown and Hunter were extricated, and when they were reached both were dead; Brown was about 21 and Hunter about 16. 2
Related terminology
Mining terms this disaster is structurally linked to, with the nature of the relationship.
- Longwall (contextual relationship)
Named 3 times in this record, first in the summary: “A fall of roof stone at a longwall face in the parrot coal of Muiredge No. 1 Pit, Buckhaven, on 9…” - Roof Fall (contextual relationship)
Named twice in this record, first in the summary: “A fall of roof stone at a longwall face in the parrot coal of Muiredge No. 1 Pit,…”
Photographs & further reading
This page doesn't try to reproduce everything — these are the best original sources found for this disaster.
The pit's history with transcribed Dunfermline Press reports, including the 1896 roof fall.
View sourceSources
- (primary) Durham Mining Museum - Muiredge Colliery (UK) — Durham Mining Museum
- (secondary) Fife Pits: Muiredge Colliery, Buckhaven — Fife Pits
Record created: 30 September 2026 · Last researched: 2 October 2026