Silverdale Colliery Sheriff Pit explosion, 1876

At about 3 p.m. on 6 April 1876 a shot fired in the Seven Feet seam of Stanier's Sheriff Pit at Silverdale ignited a little gas and a quantity of coal dust in the dry workings, killing five colliers, among them the fireman Thomas Wright.

Cause

A shot, probably in James Whitmore's place, fired a small amount of gas and coal dust.

Contributing factors

Dry and dusty workings; the practice of blasting; air pipes in use against the inspectors' recommendations.

What happened

The mine was worked with lamps and gas had never been reported in its dips. The fireman Green had fired shots that morning and found no gas; later Whitmore called for a cartridge. At about 3 p.m. the explosion came from Whitmore's and Samuel Simister's places. The dead were Simister, Whitmore, the fireman Wright, Josiah Wheelock and James Bithell, who before he died told his father that a shot had been fired in Simister's place with Wright's permission. John Wooley, leaving the pit, was overcome in the dark but got out with help.

Rescue & recovery

Men nearby brought John Wooley out after he was overcome.

Investigation & inquiry

At the inquest before Mr Booth the overman thought a shot hole overcharged and the explosion one of dust; the assistant inspector S. B. Gilroy placed its seat at Whitmore's place. The inspector Thomas Wynne renewed his call for less use of powder.

Legal & regulatory aftermath

The jury found death by accident from firing a shot, igniting a small portion of gas and coal dust, blamed no one, and recommended a responsible person be appointed to supervise the No. 6 Pit daily.

Changes to practice & legislation

Unknown.

Memorials & commemoration

Unknown.

Recorded claims

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

• Five colliers died on 6 April 1876: Simister, Whitmore, Wright, Wheelock and Bithell. ^1,2
• The Durham Mining Museum gives the cause as an explosion of firedamp caused by gunpowder; the jury found a shot ignited a little gas and coal dust. ^1,2

Related terminology

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

• Coal (contextual relationship)
  Named 3 times in this record, first in the summary: “…Sheriff Pit at Silverdale ignited a little gas and a quantity of coal dust in the dry workings, killing five colliers, among them the…”
• Firedamp (direct cause)
  A small quantity of gas.
• Fireman (contextual relationship)
  Named 3 times in this record, first in the summary: “…coal dust in the dry workings, killing five colliers, among them the fireman Thomas Wright.”
• Overman (contextual relationship)
  Named in this record’s investigation: “At the inquest before Mr Booth the overman thought a shot hole overcharged and the explosion one of dust; the…”
• Shot-firing (direct cause)
  A shot fired the gas and dust.

Sources

1. (secondary) Durham Mining Museum - Silverdale Colliery — Durham Mining Museum
2. (secondary) Silverdale Colliery Sheriff Pit Explosion - Newcastle-under-Lyme - 1876 — Northern Mine Research Society

Record created: 21 September 2026 · Last researched: 21 September 2026