Scott's Pit explosion, 1788

Thirteen men died of afterdamp after an explosion caused by naked lights at a Llansamlet colliery on 14 March 1788. Welsh Coal Mines places it at Scott's Pit, begun by Captain John Scott in the 1770s; the Durham Mining Museum records the same date, cause, toll and the same thirteen names under the name Llansamlet. Three of the dead were a father and his two sons.

Date	14 March 1788
Mine	Scott's Pit
Region	Swansea
Primary type	Explosion
Associated types	Gas / Asphyxiation
Fatalities	13 (Thirteen, all named identically by Welsh Coal Mines and the Durham Mining Museum. Both records give the same date and the same cause, and the museum's roll matches the Welsh Coal Mines list name for name.)
Injuries	None recorded.
Context	During active mining

Cause

An explosion caused by naked lights; the thirteen died of the effects of afterdamp.

Contributing factors

Naked lights underground in 1788, a generation before any safety lamp. Nothing is recorded of the colliery's ventilation.

What happened

Captain John Scott began the pit at Llansamlet in the 1770s; it was abandoned because of water and left idle for years before being restarted with the help of a Cornish beam pump, whose engine house still stands. There is evidence that a locomotive steam engine designed by George Stephenson was used for pumping during the sinking, later replaced by a Stephenson winding engine. Scott sold the colliery to his friend Charles Henry Smith in 1818. The explosion of 14 March 1788 killed thirteen. The roll, identical in both sources, is: J. Jones senior, J. Jones junior, and T. Jones, who was father to the other two; William Johns; A. Morris; H. Trevethan; P. Phillips; J. Phillips; M. Eastman; T. Morgan; William Roberts; William Owen; and H. Ellis.

Rescue & recovery

Unknown.

Investigation & inquiry

Unknown.

Legal & regulatory aftermath

Unknown.

Changes to practice & legislation

Unknown.

Memorials & commemoration

The Durham Mining Museum records the 1788 Llansamlet disaster among those with a memorial entry.

What's uncertain

Points where sources disagree or the record could not be settled; both accounts are kept. All open questions in the archive.

Welsh Coal Mines attributes the explosion to Scott's Pit; the Durham Mining Museum records it under the colliery name Llansamlet, without naming a pit. (disputed) ^1,2
Coflein dates the sinking of the surviving Scott's Pit to 1817-19, so whether the pit that exploded in 1788 was the one later known by that name is unresolved. Welsh Coal Mines dates the beginning of Scott's workings to the 1770s, with a break for water before the Cornish engine was installed. (uncertain) ^1,3

Recorded claims

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

Thirteen men died of the effects of afterdamp after an explosion caused by naked lights on 14 March 1788; the same thirteen names appear in both records. ^1,2
Welsh Coal Mines attributes the explosion to Scott's Pit; the Durham Mining Museum records it under the colliery name Llansamlet, without naming a pit. (disputed) ^1,2
Coflein dates the sinking of the surviving Scott's Pit to 1817-19, so whether the pit that exploded in 1788 was the one later known by that name is unresolved. Welsh Coal Mines dates the beginning of Scott's workings to the 1770s, with a break for water before the Cornish engine was installed. (uncertain) ^1,3

Related terminology

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

Afterdamp (contextual relationship)
Named twice in this record, first in the summary: “Thirteen men died of afterdamp after an explosion caused by naked lights at a Llansamlet colliery…”
Captain (contextual relationship)
Named twice in this record, first in the summary: “…14 March 1788. Welsh Coal Mines places it at Scott's Pit, begun by Captain John Scott in the 1770s; the Durham Mining Museum records the same…”
Engine House (contextual relationship)
Named in this record’s narrative: “…before being restarted with the help of a Cornish beam pump, whose engine house still stands. There is evidence that a locomotive steam engine…”
Naked Light (contextual relationship)
Named 3 times in this record, first in the summary: “Thirteen men died of afterdamp after an explosion caused by naked lights at a Llansamlet colliery on 14 March 1788. Welsh Coal Mines places…”
Safety Lamp (contextual relationship)
Named in this record’s contributing factors: “Naked lights underground in 1788, a generation before any safety lamp. Nothing is recorded of the colliery's ventilation.”

Sources

(secondary) Scot's pit and Charles pit — Welsh Coal Mines
(secondary) Colliery Disaster: Llansamlet, 14th March 1788 — explosion caused by naked lights, 13 lives lost — Durham Mining Museum
(secondary) Scott's Pit, Llansamlet, Swansea (NPRN 33527) — Coflein (RCAHMW)

Record created: 19 September 2026 · Last researched: 20 September 2026