Sheriff Hill Colliery explosion, 1815

Date	27 June 1815
Mine	Sheriff Hill Colliery
Region	Tyne and Wear
Type	Explosion
Fatalities	11 (Named by the Durham Mining Museum: William Foggett, 60, viewer; George Foggett, 70; Robert Foggett, 45; Hugh Barker, 17; James Jamerson, 18; Scott, overman; George Wind, 20; William Wind, 50; James Young, 23. Two of the eleven are unnamed.)
Context	During active mining (Four in the morning at Sheriff Hill or Ellison Main Colliery on Gateshead Fell, with the viewer and his two brothers underground.)

At four in the morning of 27 June 1815 Sheriff Hill Colliery near Gateshead fired while its viewer, William Foggett, and his brothers George and Robert were down the pit. The blast killed all three, and eight workmen died of the afterdamp, among them the overman Scott, a father and son named Wind and youths of seventeen and eighteen.

An engraving of the Isabella Pit at Ellison Main on Gateshead Fell: headgear, engine house and chimney with working figures, a horse and a woman at a cottage door — The Isabella Pit, Ellison Main, by Thomas Harrison Hair, 1842 Thomas Harrison Hair, 1842, British Museum, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Cause

An explosion of firedamp; the three Foggetts were killed by the blast and eight workmen suffocated by afterdamp.

What happened

The Local Historian's Table Book recorded that the colliery fired during the time the viewer and his two brothers were down, all of whom were killed by the blast, and eight of the workmen were suffocated by what is termed the after-damp.

Recorded claims

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

An explosion on 27 June 1815 killed eleven. ^1,2,3
The colliery fired while the viewer William Foggett and his two brothers were down; all three were killed by the blast and eight workmen were suffocated by the afterdamp. ^2,4

Related terminology

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

Afterdamp (hazard involved)
Eight workmen were suffocated by afterdamp.
Colliery (contextual relationship)
Named twice in this record, first in the summary: “At four in the morning of 27 June 1815 Sheriff Hill Colliery near Gateshead fired while its viewer, William Foggett, and his…”
Firedamp (direct cause)
The colliery fired.
Overman (contextual relationship)
The overman Scott was killed.
Viewer (contextual relationship)
The viewer was among the dead.

Sources

(secondary) Sheriff Hill Colliery — Wikipedia
(secondary) Durham Mining Museum: Sheriff Hill Colliery — Durham Mining Museum
(primary) Tyne and Wear HER 3844: Sheriff Hill Colliery (Ellison Main) — Tyne and Wear Historic Environment Record (Sitelines)
(secondary) Durham Mining Museum - Colliery Disaster 1815 (Sheriff Hill, 27 June) — Durham Mining Museum

Record created: 9 September 2026 · Last researched: 13 September 2026