Pelsall Hall Colliery roof fall, 1867

Two bandsmen, R. Parr and J. Starkey, were killed by a fall of coal and rock between two slips in the shallow coal at Pelsall Hall Colliery on 10 January 1867.

Cause

A fall of coal and rock roof between two slips in the shallow coal.

What happened

On 10 January 1867 the coal and rock roof came down between two slips in the shallow coal at Pelsall Hall Colliery near Walsall. Two bandsmen were killed, R. Parr, aged 40, and J. Starkey, aged 60.

Recorded claims

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

• On 10 January 1867 two bandsmen, R. Parr, 40, and J. Starkey, 60, were killed at Pelsall Hall Colliery by a fall of coal and rock roof. ^1,2,3
• The coal and rock roof fell between two slips in the shallow coal. ^1,2,3
• The colliery belonged to the Pelsall Hall Colliery Company. ^1,2

Related terminology

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

• Coal (contextual relationship)
  Named 6 times in this record, first in the summary: “Two bandsmen, R. Parr and J. Starkey, were killed by a fall of coal and rock between two slips in the shallow coal at Pelsall Hall…”
• Colliery (contextual relationship)
  Named twice in this record, first in the summary: “…coal and rock between two slips in the shallow coal at Pelsall Hall Colliery on 10 January 1867.”

Sources

1. (secondary) Mining deaths 1860-1869, surnames P, part 1 (Ian Winstanley) — Healey Hero (Ian Winstanley's mining deaths lists)
2. (secondary) Mining deaths 1860-1869, surnames S, part 3 (Ian Winstanley) — Healey Hero (Ian Winstanley's mining deaths lists)
3. (primary) Pelsall Hall Colliery — Durham Mining Museum

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