MineArchiveNantmelyn Colliery roof fall, 1895
A fall of roof at Nantmelyn Colliery, Cwmdare, on Tuesday 12 November 1895 killed the collier John Dean outright and so badly injured his workmate William Williams that he died the same day.
| Date | 12 November 1895 |
|---|---|
| Mine | Nantmelyn Colliery |
| Region | Rhondda Cynon Taf |
| Type | Collapse / Roof Fall |
| Fatalities | 2 (John Dean, 32, collier, and William Samuel Williams, 23, collier.) |
| Context | During active mining |
Cause
A fall of roof in the stall where the two men were working.
What happened
John Dean, 32, of Glan Road, Aberdare, was killed instantly when the roof fell in his stall. William Williams, 23, of Harriet Street, Trecynon, who was working with him, was so seriously injured that he died of his injuries in the course of the day. Williams had been married only six weeks. The colliery was then the property of the Aberdare Merthyr company, in its last year of working before the liquidation.
Investigation & inquiry
The inquest on both men was held on Thursday 14 November before R. J. Rhys at the Bridgend, Trecynon, and returned a verdict of accidental death.
Recorded claims
Individual factual claims, each attached to the source(s) that support it below. Where sources disagree, both are kept.
- A fall of roof at Nantmelyn Colliery on 12 November 1895 killed John Dean and fatally injured William Williams. 1,2,3
- Williams died of his injuries the same day; he had been married six weeks. 1,2,4
- The colliery was the property of the Aberdare Merthyr company. 2
- The inquest before R. J. Rhys at Trecynon returned a verdict of accidental death. 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: “A fall of roof at Nantmelyn Colliery, Cwmdare, on Tuesday 12 November 1895 killed the collier John Dean…” - Roof Fall (contextual relationship)
Named twice in this record, first in the summary: “A fall of roof at Nantmelyn Colliery, Cwmdare, on Tuesday 12 November 1895 killed…” - Stall (contextual relationship)
Named twice in this record, first in the cause: “A fall of roof in the stall where the two men were working.”
Photographs & further reading
This page doesn't try to reproduce everything — these are the best original sources found for this disaster.
Contemporary report of the fall and the two deaths.
View sourceThe 1895 list of Welsh mining deaths, including the two Nantmelyn colliers.
View sourceSources
- (secondary) Welsh mining fatalities, 1895 — Welsh Coal Mines
- (primary) Fall of roof at Nantymelyn (South Wales Echo, 13 November 1895) — National Library of Wales
- (primary) Fatal colliery accident at Aberdare (Weekly Mail, 16 November 1895) — National Library of Wales
- (primary) Fatal accident at Nantmelyn: inquest (South Wales Echo, 15 November 1895) — National Library of Wales
Record created: 10 October 2026 · Last researched: 10 October 2026