Newmarket Colliery explosion, 1895

A collier and a byeworker at J. and J. Charlesworth's Newmarket Colliery, near Wakefield, were killed by an explosion of gas on 21 November 1895.

Cause

An explosion of gas.

What happened

On 21 November 1895 an explosion of gas at Newmarket Colliery, the Charlesworths' pit between Stanley and Methley near Wakefield, fatally injured the collier D. Barber, 54, and the byeworker W. Hill, 40.

Recorded claims

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

• On 21 November 1895 the collier D. Barber, 54, and the byeworker W. Hill, 40, were fatally injured at Newmarket Colliery, near Wakefield. ^1,2,3
• They were killed by an explosion of gas. ^1,2,3
• The colliery belonged to J. and J. Charlesworth. ^1,3

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 collier and a byeworker at J. and J. Charlesworth's Newmarket Colliery, near Wakefield, were killed by an explosion of gas on 21 November…”

Sources

1. (secondary) 1890s B: Ian Winstanley's alphabetical list of mining victims — Healey Hero (Ian Winstanley's list of mining victims)
2. (primary) Newmarket Colliery — Durham Mining Museum
3. (secondary) Mining deaths 1890-1899, surnames H part 4 (Ian Winstanley) — Healey Hero (Ian Winstanley's mining deaths lists)

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