Trimdon Colliery explosion, 1852

A deputy-overman took a naked candle up a foul drift at Trimdon Colliery early on 26 January 1852 and fired the gas; three young putters with him died, and the inquest censured him.

Cause

A naked candle carried into a drift known to be foul with firedamp after its ventilation had been interrupted.

Contributing factors

Part of the brick partition that ventilated the drift had been removed the day before.

What happened

Six weeks earlier a drift had been driven from Trimdon's Main Coal up to the Five Quarter seam: a self-acting incline about 130 yards long, with a brick partition up its middle to carry the air. On the Sunday a few yards of the partition were taken out to make the plane work better, which stopped the ventilation, and no one was to go up until it was restored at one in the morning.

At about two the deputy-overman, John Farrow, came down and was told by the overman, Benjamin Hardy, that the drift was foul and would take an hour to clear. Farrow nonetheless went up the plane with a naked candle and three lads. He had just set the candle in some clay when the gas fired. George Dixon, 18, and Nicholas Hindmarsh, 17, were killed on the spot; William Dunn, 19, and Farrow were badly burned, and Dunn died on the Wednesday. George Dobson, at the foot of the plane, had both arms broken.

At the resumed inquest on 20 February the jury found accidental death but called Farrow highly censurable for going up the drift with a naked candle, and recommended that the owners enforce the Davy lamp more strictly. A warrant for his committal for manslaughter was made out, but the coroner told the police not to execute it at once because of his condition.

Investigation & inquiry

Inquest opened on 29 January 1852 and resumed on 20 February, with Matthias Dunn, the government inspector of mines, present.

Legal & regulatory aftermath

The jury censured Farrow; a warrant for his committal for manslaughter was made out but not immediately executed.

Recorded claims

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

• At about 2 a.m. on 26 January 1852 an explosion of gas in a drift at Trimdon Colliery killed three young putters: George Dixon, 18, Nicholas Hindmarsh, 17, and William Dunn, 19, who died of his burns two days later. ^1,2
• The deputy-overman John Farrow, told by the overman that the drift was foul and no one was to go up it, went up the incline with a naked candle and three lads; the gas fired as he set the candle in some clay. ¹
• The drift was a self-acting inclined plane about 130 yards long from the Main Coal to the Five Quarter seam, ventilated by a brick partition up its middle that had been partly taken out the day before. ¹
• The inquest jury returned accidental death but found Farrow highly censurable for going up the drift with a naked candle, and recommended that the owners enforce the Davy lamp more strictly. ¹
• The Durham Chronicle reported the deaths on 30 January 1852. ^3,2

Related terminology

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

• Drift (contextual relationship)
  Named 6 times in this record, first in the summary: “A deputy-overman took a naked candle up a foul drift at Trimdon Colliery early on 26 January 1852 and fired the gas;…”
• HM Chief Inspector of Mines (contextual relationship)
  Named in this record’s investigation: “…1852 and resumed on 20 February, with Matthias Dunn, the government inspector of mines, present.”
• Incline (contextual relationship)
  Named in this record’s narrative: “…been driven from Trimdon's Main Coal up to the Five Quarter seam: a self-acting incline about 130 yards long, with a brick partition up its middle to carry…”
• Overman (contextual relationship)
  Named in this record’s narrative: “…two the deputy-overman, John Farrow, came down and was told by the overman, Benjamin Hardy, that the drift was foul and would take an hour to…”
• Putter (contextual relationship)
  Named in this record’s summary: “…Colliery early on 26 January 1852 and fired the gas; three young putters with him died, and the inquest censured him.”

Sources

1. (primary) Colliery accident, Trimdon, 26 January 1852 — Durham Mining Museum
2. (secondary) Mining deaths 1850-1859, surnames D (Ian Winstanley) — Healey Hero (Ian Winstanley's mining deaths lists)
3. (primary) Trimdon Colliery — Durham Mining Museum

Record created: 6 October 2026 · Last researched: 8 October 2026