Tawd Vale Colliery fire, 1872

On 12 November 1872 Tawd Vale Colliery, near Skelmersdale, took fire at a flue, and four men underground were killed: the drawers James Baybal and Thomas Bumpson and the colliers Edward Robinson and John Wilson.

Cause

The mine took fire at a flue.

What happened

Tawd Vale Colliery, north-east of Skelmersdale, was worked in 1872 by the Tawd Vale Coal Company of Ormskirk. On 12 November the mine took fire at a flue. Four men died: two drawers, James Baybal, aged 25, and Thomas Bumpson, aged 20, and two colliers, Edward Robinson, aged 31, and John Wilson, aged 34.

Recorded claims

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

• On 12 November 1872 four men were killed when the Tawd Vale Coal Company's colliery near Skelmersdale took fire at a flue. ^1,2,3
• The dead were two drawers, James Baybal (25) and Thomas Bumpson (20), and two colliers, Edward Robinson (31) and John Wilson (34). ^2,3,4,5,6
• The colliery was then worked by the Tawd Vale Coal Company, of Ormskirk. ^2,4

Related terminology

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

• Coal (contextual relationship)
  Named in this record’s narrative: “…north-east of Skelmersdale, was worked in 1872 by the Tawd Vale Coal Company of Ormskirk. On 12 November the mine took fire at a flue.…”
• Colliery (contextual relationship)
  Named twice in this record, first in the summary: “On 12 November 1872 Tawd Vale Colliery, near Skelmersdale, took fire at a flue, and four men underground…”
• Putter (contextual relationship)
  Named twice in this record, first in the summary: “…took fire at a flue, and four men underground were killed: the drawers James Baybal and Thomas Bumpson and the colliers Edward Robinson and…”

Photographs & further reading

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

Sources

1. (primary) Tawd Vale Colliery — Durham Mining Museum
2. (primary) Colliery Disaster: Tawd Vale, 12 November 1872 — Durham Mining Museum
3. (secondary) 1870s B (2): Ian Winstanley's alphabetical list of mining victims — Healey Hero (Ian Winstanley's list of mining victims)
4. (secondary) 1870s B (5): Ian Winstanley's alphabetical list of mining victims — Healey Hero (Ian Winstanley's list of mining victims)
5. (secondary) 1870s R (2): Ian Winstanley's alphabetical list of mining victims — Healey Hero (Ian Winstanley's list of mining victims)
6. (secondary) 1870s W (3): Ian Winstanley's alphabetical list of mining victims — Healey Hero (Ian Winstanley's list of mining victims)

Record created: 2 October 2026 · Last researched: 5 October 2026