Rothwell Haigh Colliery roof fall, 1905

On 31 May 1905 a large fall of roof without warning on an engine plane at Rothwell Haigh Colliery, near Leeds, killed two rope-boys, Robert Morrell, 17, and Thomas Rogerson, 15.

Cause

A large fall of roof on the engine plane, which broke down six bars and a crossing bar.

What happened

Rothwell Haigh Colliery, south-east of Leeds, belonged to J. and J. Charlesworth Ltd. On 31 May 1905 two rope-boys, Robert Morrell, 17, and Thomas Rogerson, 15, were working on an engine plane, taking off the empty tubs and fastening full ones to the endless rope. A large fall came down without any warning, displacing and breaking six bars and a crossing bar, and killed them both.

Recorded claims

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

• On 31 May 1905 a fall of roof at J. and J. Charlesworth's Rothwell Haigh Colliery killed two rope-boys, Robert Morrell (17) and Thomas Rogerson (15). ^1,2,3
• The boys were working on an engine plane, taking off empty tubs and fastening full ones to an endless rope. ^1,2,3
• A large fall came without any warning, displacing and breaking down six bars and a crossing bar. ^1,2

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: “…fall of roof without warning on an engine plane at Rothwell Haigh Colliery, near Leeds, killed two rope-boys, Robert Morrell, 17, and Thomas…”
• Endless Rope Haulage (contextual relationship)
  Named in this record’s narrative: “…plane, taking off the empty tubs and fastening full ones to the endless rope. A large fall came down without any warning, displacing and breaking…”
• Roof Fall (contextual relationship)
  Named twice in this record, first in the summary: “On 31 May 1905 a large fall of roof without warning on an engine plane at Rothwell Haigh Colliery, near…”
• Tub (contextual relationship)
  Named in this record’s narrative: “…Rogerson, 15, were working on an engine plane, taking off the empty tubs and fastening full ones to the endless rope. A large fall came down…”

Photographs & further reading

This page doesn't try to reproduce everything — these are the best original sources found for this disaster.

Sources

1. (primary) Colliery Disaster: Rothwell Haigh, 31 May 1905 — Durham Mining Museum
2. (secondary) Mining victims, 1900s, M (Morrell) — Healey Hero (Ian Winstanley's list of mining victims)
3. (secondary) Mining victims, 1900s, R (Rogerson) — Healey Hero (Ian Winstanley's list of mining victims)

Record created: 29 September 2026 · Last researched: 5 October 2026