Tillicoultry Colliery roof fall, 1862

Early in March 1862 a mass of rock weighing about two tons fell from the roof of the west pit at Devonside, near Tillicoultry, on two colliers clearing debris there. William Allan and John Cook, both of Coalsnaughton, were killed; men working close by narrowly escaped.

Cause

A fall of roof, about two tons of rock, while the men were redding.

What happened

The pit, at Devonside on the edge of Tillicoultry, was worked by James Snowdowne. William Allan and John Cook were redding, clearing stone from the working, when a mass of rock of about two tons came down from the roof on top of them. Some of their fellow workmen were so close when it fell that their escape was thought miraculous.

Both men were killed, their bodies so crushed as to be almost unrecognisable. Both came from the village of Coalsnaughton, and both left widows and young children.

What's uncertain

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

• The fall is dated 7 March 1862 in the inspector's list, while the local newspaper report places it on a Tuesday afternoon early that month. (disputed) ^1,2

Recorded claims

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

• In March 1862 a fall of roof killed two colliers, William Allan and John Cook, at James Snowdowne's pit at Devonside, Tillicoultry. ^1,2,3
• A mass of rock weighing about two tons fell from the roof of the working on the two men, and others working close by narrowly escaped. ¹
• The two men were redding, clearing stone and debris from the working, when the roof fell. ^2,3
• The fall is dated 7 March 1862 in the inspector's list, while the local newspaper report places it on a Tuesday afternoon early that month. (disputed) ^1,2

Related terminology

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

• Roof Fall (contextual relationship)
  Named in this record’s cause: “A fall of roof, about two tons of rock, while the men were redding.”

Photographs & further reading

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

Sources

1. (secondary) Clackmannanshire's Mines — Clackmannanshire.scot
2. (primary) Colliery Accident: Tillicoultry, 7 March 1862 — Durham Mining Museum
3. (secondary) 1860s A: Ian Winstanley's alphabetical list of mining victims — Healey Hero (Ian Winstanley's list of mining victims)

Record created: 4 October 2026 · Last researched: 4 October 2026