MineArchiveNewbottle Colliery Dolly Pit explosion, 1824
On 19 November 1824 an explosion in the Dolly Pit at Newbottle Colliery killed eleven men, eight of them overmen and wastemen. The blast tore out the brattice dividing the shaft and dropped it to the bottom.
| Date | 1824 |
|---|---|
| Mine | Newbottle Colliery |
| Region | Tyne and Wear |
| Type | Explosion |
| Fatalities | 11 (Eleven (NMRS, Durham Mining Museum, Tyne and Wear HER). The NMRS account adds that three of five men who went down to search for the bodies died of afterdamp; it is not clear whether they are among the eleven.) |
| Context | During active mining |
Cause
An explosion of firedamp.
Contributing factors
The shaft was divided by a brattice, which the explosion blew out.
What happened
The dead were buried between 22 and 24 November; those whose ages are known were from 25 to 52. They were William Farley, Matthew Armstrong, John Scott, Thomas Watchman, Henry Thornton, Thomas Charlton, John Anderson, William Smith, George Johnson, Edward Hodgson and Benjamin Moody. They left ten widows and about fifty children.
Rescue & recovery
Five men went down in search of the bodies; three of them were overcome by afterdamp and died.
Investigation & inquiry
Unknown.
Legal & regulatory aftermath
Unknown.
Changes to practice & legislation
Unknown.
Memorials & commemoration
Unknown.
Recorded claims
Individual factual claims, each attached to the source(s) that support it below. Where sources disagree, both are kept.
- The explosion killed eleven men, including eight overmen and wastemen; they left ten widows and about fifty children. 1
- Explosion on 19 November 1824, 11 killed. 2,3
- Three of the five who descended in search of the bodies became victims of the afterdamp. 1
Related terminology
Mining terms this disaster is structurally linked to, with the nature of the relationship.
- Afterdamp (hazard involved)
Searchers were killed by afterdamp. - Brattice (contributing factor)
The shaft brattice was blown out. - Firedamp (direct cause)
An explosion of gas. - Overman (contextual relationship)
Eight of the dead were overmen and wastemen. - Shaft (contextual relationship)
Named twice in this record, first in the summary: “…overmen and wastemen. The blast tore out the brattice dividing the shaft and dropped it to the bottom.”
Sources
- (secondary) Newbottle Colliery Dolly Pit Explosion - Newbottle - 1824 — Northern Mine Research Society
- (secondary) Durham Mining Museum - Newbottle Colliery — Durham Mining Museum
- (primary) Newbottle Colliery, Dorothea Pit (HER 3123) — Tyne and Wear HER (Sitelines)
Record created: 21 September 2026 · Last researched: 22 September 2026