Queen Pit Explosion, 1868

An explosion at the Queen Pit, part of the Haydock Collieries complex, killed around two dozen men and boys after a blown-out shot ignited accumulated firedamp in an area with damaged ventilation cloth.

Cause

Firedamp that had accumulated at John Marsh's working place was ignited by a shot Marsh himself fired; the bratticing (ventilation cloth) at his workplace had been pulled down, and the pit's fireman had not inspected the unused areas where gas built up.

What happened

On 30 December 1868, an explosion tore through the Queen Pit at Haydock, part of the wider Haydock Collieries complex then run by Richard Evans. Of around 26 men working in the affected area, only two escaped unhurt; rescue parties reached the scene within hours of the explosion being reported around noon, and worked through the night restoring ventilation — replacing stoppings, repairing air-doors and erecting new bratticing — before recovering the remaining bodies by the following morning. Several of a small number of men initially brought out alive later died of their injuries.

Investigation & inquiry

The coroner's inquest concluded that the firedamp had been ignited by a shot fired by John Marsh, a miner working in the affected area. HM Inspector of Mines Higson criticised the pit's fireman for failing to inspect unused working areas where gas could accumulate undetected, and condemned the practice of relying on brattice cloth alone for ventilating newly opened workings — the very cloth at Marsh's own workplace having been found pulled down.

Memorials & commemoration

No dedicated memorial to this specific accident has been identified; the men are likely among those commemorated at the general Haydock Colliery memorial at St James the Great church.

Recorded claims

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

• Firedamp accumulated at miner John Marsh's working place was ignited by a shot he fired himself; the bratticing at his workplace had been pulled down, and the pit's fireman had not inspected the unused areas where the gas built up. ¹
• Of around 26 men working in the affected area, only two escaped unhurt; sources give the confirmed death toll as either 26 or 23-24, with a small number of survivors later dying of their injuries. (disputed) ^2,1
• HM Inspector of Mines Higson criticised the pit's fireman for failing to inspect unused working areas and condemned reliance on brattice cloth alone to ventilate newly opened workings. ¹

Related terminology

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

• Brattice (contextual relationship)
  Named in this record’s investigation: “…accumulate undetected, and condemned the practice of relying on brattice cloth alone for ventilating newly opened workings — the very cloth…”
• Colliery (contextual relationship)
  Named in this record’s memorials: “…the men are likely among those commemorated at the general Haydock Colliery memorial at St James the Great church.”
• Firedamp (direct cause)
  The explosion was caused by firedamp ignited by a blown-out shot.
• Fireman (contextual relationship)
  Named twice in this record, first in the cause: “…cloth) at his workplace had been pulled down, and the pit's fireman had not inspected the unused areas where gas built up.”
• Shot-firing (contributing factor)
  The fatal shot was fired by the miner himself in a working place whose ventilation (bratticing) had been pulled down and not properly inspected beforehand.

Sources

1. (primary) Haydock Colliery Queen Pit Explosion — Haydock — 1868 — Northern Mine Research Society
2. (secondary) Haydock Collieries — Wikipedia — Wikipedia

Record created: 2 September 2026 · Last researched: 2 September 2026