Orrell Colliery roof fall, 1888

On 29 December 1888 a large slab of rock fell on two young drawers, Richard Shaw, 14, and Thomas Shaw, 17, as they brought a full tub along an untimbered wide place in the main road at Orrell Colliery, near Wigan.

Cause

A slab of rock fell in a wide place on the main road where no timber had been set, although it was 16 feet wide and a pillar alongside had begun to be worked.

What happened

Orrell Colliery, west of Wigan, was worked by the Orrell Coal and Cannel Company. On 29 December 1888 two drawers, Richard Shaw, 14, and Thomas Shaw, 17, were bringing out a full tub along the main road. Where the road opened into a wide place a large slab of rock fell on them and killed them both.

Investigation & inquiry

The inspector examined the place and attended the inquest.

Recorded claims

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

• On 29 December 1888 a fall of rock at the Orrell Coal and Cannel Company's Orrell Colliery, near Wigan, killed two drawers, Richard Shaw (14) and Thomas Shaw (17). ^1,2
• They were bringing out a full tub along the main road when a large slab of rock fell on them where the road widened. ^3,1,2
• No timber had been set, although the place was 16 feet wide and a pillar alongside it had begun to be worked; the inspector made an inspection and attended the inquest. ^3,1,2

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: “…a full tub along an untimbered wide place in the main road at Orrell Colliery, near Wigan.”
• Putter (contextual relationship)
  Named twice in this record, first in the summary: “On 29 December 1888 a large slab of rock fell on two young drawers, Richard Shaw, 14, and Thomas Shaw, 17, as they brought a full tub…”
• Tub (contextual relationship)
  Named twice in this record, first in the summary: “…Richard Shaw, 14, and Thomas Shaw, 17, as they brought a full tub along an untimbered wide place in the main road at Orrell Colliery,…”

Photographs & further reading

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

Sources

1. (primary) Colliery Disaster: Orrell, 29 December 1888 — Durham Mining Museum
2. (secondary) Mining victims, 1880s, S (Shaw) — Healey Hero (Ian Winstanley's list of mining victims)
3. (primary) Orrell Colliery — Durham Mining Museum

Record created: 2 October 2026 · Last researched: 5 October 2026