Muirkirk Colliery fall of coal, 1855

Two men named Gibson were killed together by a fall of coal at the face in the Muirkirk collieries on 1 June 1855.

Cause

A fall of coal at the working face.

What happened

On 1 June 1855, or 31 May by the death certificates and newspaper reports, Alexander Gibson and T. Gibson were killed together by a fall of coal at the face of their working at Muirkirk, where the pits were then worked by the trustees of the late John Wilson.

What's uncertain

Points where sources disagree or the record could not be settled; both accounts are kept. All open questions in the archive.

• Death certificates and newspaper reports date the accident to 31 May 1855. (disputed) ²

Recorded claims

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

• On 1 June 1855 Alexander Gibson and T. Gibson were killed by a fall of coal at the face of their working at Muirkirk. ^1,2
• Death certificates and newspaper reports date the accident to 31 May 1855. (disputed) ²
• The colliery was worked by the trustees of the late John Wilson. ^1,2

Related terminology

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

• Coal (contextual relationship)
  Named 3 times in this record, first in the summary: “Two men named Gibson were killed together by a fall of coal at the face in the Muirkirk collieries on 1 June 1855.”
• Colliery (contextual relationship)
  Named in this record’s summary: “…were killed together by a fall of coal at the face in the Muirkirk collieries on 1 June 1855.”

Sources

1. (secondary) 1850s G: Ian Winstanley's alphabetical list of mining victims — Healey Hero (Ian Winstanley's list of mining victims)
2. (secondary) Fatal accidents in Scottish mines, 1855 — Scottish Mining Website

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