MineArchiveRockingham Colliery roof fall, 1898
A filler of 22, E. Hawkins, and a collier of 62, C. Smallwood, were killed by a fall of roof at Rockingham Colliery, Birdwell, on 12 January 1898.
| Date | 12 January 1898 |
|---|---|
| Mine | Rockingham Colliery |
| Region | South Yorkshire |
| Type | Collapse / Roof Fall |
| Fatalities | 2 (Two: E. Hawkins, 22, filler, and C. Smallwood, 62, collier.) |
| Context | During active mining |
Cause
A fall of roof.
What happened
On 12 January 1898 a fall of roof at Rockingham Colliery, worked by Newton, Chambers and Co., killed two men: E. Hawkins, a filler aged 22, and C. Smallwood, a collier aged 62. Frank N. Wardell, inspector for the York and Lincoln district, entered the deaths in his report for 1898.
Investigation & inquiry
The accident is recorded in the Mines Inspector's report for 1898 (C 9264), York and Lincoln district, by Frank N. Wardell.
Recorded claims
Individual factual claims, each attached to the source(s) that support it below. Where sources disagree, both are kept.
- A fall of roof on 12 January 1898 killed E. Hawkins and C. Smallwood. 1,2,3,4
- Hawkins, 22, was a filler and Smallwood, 62, a collier. 1,3,4
- The colliery was worked by Newton, Chambers and Co. 2,3,4
Related terminology
Mining terms this disaster is structurally linked to, with the nature of the relationship.
- Colliery (contextual relationship)
Named twice in this record, first in the summary: “…of 62, C. Smallwood, were killed by a fall of roof at Rockingham Colliery, Birdwell, on 12 January 1898.” - Filler (contextual relationship)
Named twice in this record, first in the summary: “A filler of 22, E. Hawkins, and a collier of 62, C. Smallwood, were killed by…” - Roof Fall (contextual relationship)
Named 3 times in this record, first in the summary: “…22, E. Hawkins, and a collier of 62, C. Smallwood, were killed by a fall of roof at Rockingham Colliery, Birdwell, on 12 January 1898.”
Sources
- (primary) Rockingham Colliery — Durham Mining Museum
- (primary) Durham Mining Museum: E. Hawkins, Rockingham, 1898 — Durham Mining Museum
- (secondary) 1890s H3: Ian Winstanley's alphabetical list of mining victims — Healey Hero
- (secondary) 1890s S3: Ian Winstanley's alphabetical list of mining victims — Healey Hero
Record created: 2 October 2026 · Last researched: 6 October 2026