Mynydd Newydd Colliery explosion, 1869

An explosion of gas at Mynydd Newydd Colliery, near Swansea, on 26 March 1869 killed three colliers, two of them brothers; one of the dead had taken a candle past a danger signal.

Cause

Enoch Lewis passed a danger signal with a candle and ignited a small quantity of gas.

What happened

On 26 March 1869 an explosion of gas at Mynydd Newydd Colliery killed three colliers: Matthews, 38, his brother Thomas, 30, and Enoch Lewis, 20, whose body was badly mutilated. The evidence showed that Lewis had passed a danger signal with a candle and ignited a small quantity of gas.

Recorded claims

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

• On 26 March 1869 Enoch Lewis, 20, James Matthews, 38, and Thomas Matthews, 30, all colliers, were killed by an explosion of gas. ¹
• The evidence proved that one of the deceased, Enoch Lewis, passed a danger signal with a candle and ignited a small quantity of gas. ^1,2
• Thomas Matthews, 30, was the brother of Joseph Matthews, 38; Enoch Lewis's body was badly mutilated. 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: “An explosion of gas at Mynydd Newydd Colliery, near Swansea, on 26 March 1869 killed three colliers, two of them…”

Photographs & further reading

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

Sources

1. (primary) Mynydd Newydd Colliery 1843-1955 — Northern Mine Research Society
2. (secondary) 1869 (Welsh mining fatalities by date) — Welsh Coal Mines

Record created: 2 October 2026 · Last researched: 2 October 2026