MineArchiveQuarrelton Colliery inrush, 1818
On the morning of 2 May 1818 miners at Mr Houston's Quarrelton pit by Johnstone took the coal too close to an old pit full of water, and it broke in. Of those cut off, five died; two were found alive ten days later, having lived on pit water and three pieces of oatcake found in the pockets of men who escaped.
| Date | 2 May 1818 |
|---|---|
| Mine | Quarrelton Colliery |
| Region | Renfrewshire |
| Primary type | Flooding / Inundation |
| Associated types | Entrapment, Rescue |
| Fatalities | 5 (Five miners, whose names are not given in the reports read. Two survivors, brothers named Hodgert.) |
| Context | During active mining |
Cause
The coal had been worked too near an adjoining old pit filled with water, which broke into the workings.
What happened
Twenty-five men and four horses were underground; seven were at first feared lost. The two survivors were above the water level in another part of the workings, with a horse, which they did not need to kill. Their light lasted only two hours, and they spent ten days in darkness and foul air.
Rescue & recovery
A powerful steam engine pumped night and day, but by the Monday little progress had been made, so on Tuesday 5 May a mine about four feet by three, wide enough for only two men to work, was begun from the pit towards the place where the men were thought to be. It broke through on the morning of 12 May, and the two men were brought out alive. The other five were in a part of the workings full of chokedamp; it was expected to be weeks before the water could be drawn off.
Memorials & commemoration
The Johnstone and Elderslie coal miners' memorial cairn, built in 1994 in the Wee Wood by Quarrelton Road, chiefly commemorates the miners who died in the Quarrelton disaster of 1818 and the Benston disaster of 1860.
Recorded claims
Individual factual claims, each attached to the source(s) that support it below. Where sources disagree, both are kept.
- On 2 May 1818 water from an old flooded pit broke into the Quarrelton workings by Johnstone. 1,2
- Five miners died. 3,1,2
- Two men were found alive after ten days, having lived on pit water and three pieces of oatcake from their comrades' pockets. 3,1,2
- A rescue mine about four feet by three was driven from 5 to 12 May to reach them. 1
Related terminology
Mining terms this disaster is structurally linked to, with the nature of the relationship.
- Bad Air (contextual relationship)
Named in this record’s narrative: “…light lasted only two hours, and they spent ten days in darkness and foul air.” - Chokedamp (contextual relationship)
Named in this record’s rescue and recovery: “…out alive. The other five were in a part of the workings full of chokedamp; it was expected to be weeks before the water could be drawn off.” - Coal (contextual relationship)
Named 3 times in this record, first in the summary: “…May 1818 miners at Mr Houston's Quarrelton pit by Johnstone took the coal too close to an old pit full of water, and it broke in. Of those cut…”
Sources
- (secondary) Scottish Mining Website: Quarrelton 1818 — Scottish Mining Website
- (secondary) Johnstone History Society: Johnstone Coal Miners Memorial Cairn — Johnstone History Society
- (secondary) Nitshill Memories: Coal Mining and the Victoria Pit Disaster — Nitshill Memories
Record created: 11 October 2026 · Last researched: 11 October 2026