Ouston Colliery explosion, 1823

On 21 February 1823 firedamp exploded in an old working at Ouston Colliery, near Chester-le-Street, killing four, the youngest a boy of ten, and severely burning two more.

Cause

Firedamp gathered in an old working exploded.

What happened

Ouston Colliery lay between Birtley and Pelton, north of Chester-le-Street, and drew its men from all three places. On 21 February 1823 inflammable air, or firedamp, that had gathered in an old working exploded. Four were killed: Joseph Barrowfoot, 40, of Birtley; Joseph Brown, 52, of Pelton; and two from Ouston itself, Charles Turnbull, 19, and James Bell, who was ten. Two more were severely burnt.

It was the second fatal explosion at the colliery in six years: on 3 November 1817 firedamp had killed John Turnbull and severely burnt three others.

Recorded claims

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

• On 21 February 1823 an explosion of firedamp in Ouston Colliery, near Chester-le-Street, killed four and severely burnt two. ^1,2
• The firedamp exploded in an old working. ²
• The dead were Joseph Barrowfoot, 40, of Birtley; James Bell, 10, of Ouston; Joseph Brown, 52, of Pelton; and Charles Turnbull, 19, of Ouston. ²
• It was the colliery's second fatal explosion: firedamp had killed John Turnbull and severely burnt three others on 3 November 1817. ¹

Related terminology

Mining terms this disaster is structurally linked to, with the nature of the relationship.

• Colliery (contextual relationship)
  Named 3 times in this record, first in the summary: “On 21 February 1823 firedamp exploded in an old working at Ouston Colliery, near Chester-le-Street, killing four, the youngest a boy of ten,…”
• Firedamp (contextual relationship)
  Named 4 times in this record, first in the summary: “On 21 February 1823 firedamp exploded in an old working at Ouston Colliery, near…”

Photographs & further reading

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

Sources

1. (primary) Local Records; or, Historical Register of Remarkable Events, vol. 2 (J. Sykes, 1866 edition) — Internet Archive
2. (primary) Ouston Colliery — Durham Mining Museum

Record created: 5 October 2026 · Last researched: 6 October 2026