MineArchivePlumbley Colliery drownings
On the evening of 16 March 1895 three children fell through the ice on a pond at Plumbley Colliery, near Eckington in Derbyshire, and drowned; Alfred Williamson, an engineman at the colliery, died trying to save them.
| Date | 16 March 1895 |
|---|---|
| Mine | Plumbley Colliery |
| Region | South Yorkshire |
| Primary type | Other |
| Associated types | Rescue |
| Fatalities | 4 (Four people drowned: three children and Alfred Williamson, the colliery engineman who went to their aid.) |
| Context | During active mining (The deaths were in a pond on the colliery's land, not in the underground workings.) |
Cause
Three children fell through thin ice on a pond on the colliery's land; a colliery engineman drowned attempting their rescue.
Contributing factors
The inquest heard that the fencing and warning notices around the pond had been broken down.
What happened
On the evening of Saturday 16 March 1895 three children were playing on the frozen colliery pond in Eckington Woods when the ice gave way and they fell into the water. Alfred Williamson, an engineman at Plumbley Colliery, heard their cries and went in after them, tying himself to a tree with his belt and a rope; the rope came loose and, unable to swim, he drowned with the three children. His funeral at Eckington Cemetery on 19 March was among the largest the village had known, the coffins of the children carried there that afternoon and Williamson's arriving towards evening. His gravestone was raised by the Enginemen's and Firemen's Association of Plumbley Colliery and friends, while the families of the three children could not afford a memorial and their graves were long left unmarked.
Rescue & recovery
Williamson tied himself to a tree with his belt and a rope and went into the water after the children, but the rope came loose and, being unable to swim, he drowned with them.
Investigation & inquiry
The inquest, resumed on 22 March 1895, returned a verdict of death by misadventure and attached no blame, though it was noted that the fencing and warning notices around the pond had been broken down.
Legal & regulatory aftermath
Unknown.
Changes to practice & legislation
Unknown.
Memorials & commemoration
Alfred Williamson's gravestone, raised by the Enginemen's and Firemen's Association of Plumbley Colliery and friends, stands in Eckington churchyard; the three children's graves were long unmarked.
Recorded claims
Individual factual claims, each attached to the source(s) that support it below. Where sources disagree, both are kept.
- On 16 March 1895 three children fell through the ice on a pond at Plumbley Colliery and drowned. 1,2
- Alfred Williamson, an engineman at the colliery, drowned trying to save them after the rope by which he had tied himself to a tree came loose. 2
- The inquest returned a verdict of death by misadventure, noting that the pond's fencing and warning notices had been broken down. 2
- Williamson's gravestone in Eckington churchyard was raised by the Enginemen's and Firemen's Association of Plumbley Colliery. 2
Photographs & further reading
This page doesn't try to reproduce everything — these are the best original sources found for this disaster.
Transcribed reports from the Sheffield and Rotherham Independent of 20 and 23 March 1895, including the funeral and the inquest verdict.
View sourceA contemporary memorial poem on the death of Alfred Williamson in the attempt to save the children.
View sourceSources
- (secondary) Plumbley — Wikipedia
- (secondary) The Eckington Drowning Tragedy, March 1895 — Chris Hobbs Sheffield History
Record created: 22 September 2026 · Last researched: 23 September 2026