Starlaw Shale Pit fire, 1870

Shortly after the furnace was fired at about half past eleven on 9 April 1870, soot on the timber lining of the upcast at Starlaw shale pit near Bathgate caught fire. A first attempt to douse it seemed to succeed, but the fire broke out again; eight miners were killed and several others badly burned.

Cause

The ventilating furnace, about thirty feet from the foot of the upcast, was fired late in the morning so that its smoke would clear at meal times; a spark is supposed to have lit the soot on the timber lining of the upcast, which with the plank partition carried the fire up the single shaft.

Contributing factors

The pit had only one shaft, divided into upcast and downcast by planks and lined with timber, so a fire in it cut off both air and escape.

What happened

The fireman, Robert Moffat, saw the soot burning and with Archibald McNicol went up the shaft for water and put it out, as they thought. About ten minutes later he heard something fall in the shaft and found the fire had broken out again; he called the roadsman, John Pate, who had charge of the furnace under the manager, Robert Watt.

Rescue & recovery

Crowds came from Bathgate and the surrounding country. Mr Birnie of the Uphall works and then the partner George Simpson took charge; the colliery surgeon, Dr Kirk, and two Bathgate doctors tended the injured, and police kept order. The dead were buried at Bathgate, Polmont and Airdrie on the following Tuesday.

Recorded claims

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

• A fire in the shaft of Starlaw shale pit near Bathgate on 9 April 1870 killed eight miners. ^1,2
• The soot on the wooden lining of the upcast caught fire, probably from a spark from the furnace. ^1,2
• A similar fire had been put out about three months before. ¹
• All but one of the dead lived at Starlaw Rows. ^2,3

Related terminology

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

• Colliery (contextual relationship)
  Named in this record’s rescue and recovery: “…Uphall works and then the partner George Simpson took charge; the colliery surgeon, Dr Kirk, and two Bathgate doctors tended the injured, and…”
• Downcast Shaft and Upcast Shaft (contextual relationship)
  Named 5 times in this record, first in the summary: “…half past eleven on 9 April 1870, soot on the timber lining of the upcast at Starlaw shale pit near Bathgate caught fire. A first attempt to…”
• Fireman (contextual relationship)
  Named in this record’s narrative: “The fireman, Robert Moffat, saw the soot burning and with Archibald McNicol went…”
• Roadman (contextual relationship)
  Named in this record’s narrative: “…in the shaft and found the fire had broken out again; he called the roadsman, John Pate, who had charge of the furnace under the manager, Robert…”
• Shaft (contextual relationship)
  Named 4 times in this record, first in the cause: “…which with the plank partition carried the fire up the single shaft.”

Sources

1. (secondary) Scottish Mining Website: Starlaw Shale Pit, Bathgate, 1870 — Scottish Mining Website
2. (secondary) Scottish Shale: Fearful accident at a shale pit near Bathgate, 1870 — Scottish Shale (Museum of the Scottish Shale Oil Industry)
3. (secondary) Scottish Shale: Starlaw Rows — Scottish Shale (Museum of the Scottish Shale Oil Industry)

Record created: 11 October 2026 · Last researched: 11 October 2026