Unity Brook Colliery explosion

Gas escaping from a roof fall exploded in the lower Cannel mine at Unity Brook Colliery, Kearsley, killing forty-three men and boys — the worst day in the town’s history. Nineteen were buried at the parish church. The jury returned accidental death, praised the management, and refused to recommend safety lamps in place of the naked candles the pit worked by.

Cause

Gas escaping from a fall of the roof in Partington’s place, ignited by the naked lights in use — the finding of Joseph Dickinson, HM Chief Inspector of Mines, at the inquest.

Contributing factors

Open lights were used to work both the Trencherbone and the Cannel mines, safety lamps being kept for examinations only. The explosion occurred in the lower Cannel, at about 360 yards, after a roof fall released gas.

What happened

On 12 March 1878 the lower Cannel mine at Unity Brook Colliery exploded. The cage had just reached the pit bank when the blast came up the shaft and blew it into fragments, some of which fell back down. Forty-three men and boys were killed. Nineteen of them were buried at the parish church, and the day remains the darkest in Kearsley’s history.

Investigation & inquiry

The inquest concluded on 25 March 1878 before the coroner, Mr Edge. Joseph Dickinson, HM Chief Inspector of Mines, said he had no doubt the explosion was caused by gas escaping from a fall of the roof in Partington’s place. Asked about lamps, he told the coroner there were more fatalities in mines worked by lamps than with naked candles, because with candles miners could better see falls of roof and coal. The jury found a verdict of accidental death, spoke highly of the management of the colliery, and would not recommend the use of lamps instead of candles.

Legal & regulatory aftermath

None followed from the inquest. The verdict was accidental death, the management was commended, and the jury explicitly declined to recommend the change of practice — safety lamps for working, not merely for examination — that the accident might have been thought to argue for.

Recorded claims

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

• Forty-three miners were killed at Unity Brook Colliery, Kearsley, near Bolton, on 12 March 1878; the explosion took place in the lower Cannel mine after a roof fall, and the cage, which had just reached the pit bank, was blown to fragments. ¹
• Joseph Dickinson, HM Chief Inspector of Mines, told the inquest he had no doubt the explosion was caused by gas escaping from a fall of the roof in Partington’s place. ²
• The jury found a verdict of accidental death, spoke highly of the management of the colliery, and would not recommend the use of lamps instead of candles. ²
• Nineteen of the dead were buried at the parish church, and the explosion remains the darkest day in Kearsley’s history. ³
• Memorial services for the forty-three have been held in recent years near the site of the disaster, which is marked by a memorial in the form of a replica coal truck. ³

Related terminology

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

• Cage (contextual relationship)
  Named in this record’s narrative: “…1878 the lower Cannel mine at Unity Brook Colliery exploded. The cage had just reached the pit bank when the blast came up the shaft and…”
• Cannel Coal (hazard involved)
  The explosion was in the Cannel mine, the gas-rich seam worked at about 360 yards, after a roof fall released gas into workings lit by open lights.
• Colliery (contextual relationship)
  Named 3 times in this record, first in the summary: “…from a roof fall exploded in the lower Cannel mine at Unity Brook Colliery, Kearsley, killing forty-three men and boys — the worst day in the…”
• Naked Light (contextual relationship)
  Named twice in this record, first in the cause: “…from a fall of the roof in Partington’s place, ignited by the naked lights in use — the finding of Joseph Dickinson, HM Chief Inspector of…”
• Roof Fall (contextual relationship)
  Named 3 times in this record, first in the summary: “Gas escaping from a roof fall exploded in the lower Cannel mine at Unity Brook Colliery, Kearsley,…”
• Safety Lamp (contextual relationship)
  Named 3 times in this record, first in the summary: “…accidental death, praised the management, and refused to recommend safety lamps in place of the naked candles the pit worked by.”

Photographs & further reading

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

Sources

1. (secondary) Bolton Encyclopedia: 1870–1879 — Bolton Encyclopedia
2. (primary) The Kearsley colliery disaster — newspaper report of the inquest, 26 March 1878 — Durham Mining Museum
3. (observational) Kearsley community remembers Unity Brook mining disaster — Mining Connection

Record created: 6 September 2026 · Last researched: 6 September 2026