MineArchiveVictoria Colliery 'Deep Drop' explosion, 1879
Soon after ten on the night of 4 March 1879 firedamp exploded in the west bord of the Silkstone or 'Deep Drop' pit, 475 yards deep, at Robert Hudson and Co.'s Victoria Colliery, Stanley, near Wakefield. Twenty-one died; the jury found the gas fired at a naked light.
| Date | 4 March 1879 |
|---|---|
| Mine | Victoria Colliery, Stanley |
| Region | West Yorkshire |
| Type | Explosion |
| Fatalities | 21 (Twenty-one named, men and boys aged twelve to fifty-six; the jury viewed twenty-two bodies, and the first newspaper reports gave twenty.) |
| Injuries | David Noble was brought out alive but is listed among the dead. |
| Context | During active mining |
Cause
Firedamp in the west bord extensions fired at a naked light.
Contributing factors
A fiery seam; a lamp burning open in the workings; some laxity in carrying out the colliery rules.
What happened
The Silkstone Pit had been sunk in 1840 to the Haigh Moor and later deepened to the Silkstone, its two shafts 11 feet across and 475 yards deep. It was counted a fiery pit: safety lamps were enforced and blasting was forbidden. Usually about 230 men worked there, but trade was slack, and on the Tuesday night only fifty-five men and boys went down at nine o'clock, twenty-one of them to the west bord.
At about five past ten a policeman near the pit heard a report like heavy ordnance underground, and a shower of coal and debris and dense smoke burst from the upcast. Six men and boys came up in the cage, bringing the body of the driver William Musgrave, who had been greasing corves in No. 1 Drift. Explorers led by the underviewer, Thomas Arundel, and Ezra Hampshire found the west bord roads blocked by falls, corves smashed and the dead lying where they had run from the workings, some with their safety lamps set down beside them. The deputy William Hartley, the datallers James Leek and Luke Walker, the horsekeeper William Colley and the drivers James and John Dolan, aged twelve and fourteen, were among the dead. David Noble was found alive and taken to the Clayton Hospital at Wakefield; he is named among the twenty-one dead. Ten or twelve of the forty-eight ponies were killed.
The searchers believed a boy had taken in an open lamp against the rules; a lamp with no oil was found at Leek's feet. Others suggested a sudden outburst of gas, pointing to a fresh rent in the floor, or a damaged lamp.
Rescue & recovery
Explorers under Thomas Arundel and Ezra Hampshire, with John Sugden and Matthew Hall of the Lofthouse Station Collieries, cleared falls along the west bord to recover the bodies.
Investigation & inquiry
The inquest before the coroner Thomas Taylor at Wakefield Court House found an accidental explosion of firedamp at a naked light, with some degree of laxity in carrying out the Rules. H.M. Inspector Wardell judged that no breach of the Act by the manager could be proved and did not advise a prosecution.
What's uncertain
Points where sources disagree or the record could not be settled; both accounts are kept. All open questions in the archive.
- Early reports gave twenty lives lost: nineteen of the twenty in the west board and a boy in No. 1 Drift. (disputed) 3
Recorded claims
Individual factual claims, each attached to the source(s) that support it below. Where sources disagree, both are kept.
- On the night of 4 March 1879 an explosion of firedamp in the west bord of the Silkstone or 'Deep Drop' pit of Robert Hudson and Co. at Stanley killed twenty-one. 1,2
- Early reports gave twenty lives lost: nineteen of the twenty in the west board and a boy in No. 1 Drift. (disputed) 3
- The inquest jury found that the firedamp was fired at a naked light in the west bord extensions. 1,2
- The jury found 'some degree of laxity in carrying out the Rules', but the inspector did not advise a prosecution. 1
- Few were at work because of a slump in trade: between fifty and sixty men were below, twenty-one of them on the west side. 1
Related terminology
Mining terms this disaster is structurally linked to, with the nature of the relationship.
- Dataller (contextual relationship)
Named in this record’s narrative: “…safety lamps set down beside them. The deputy William Hartley, the datallers James Leek and Luke Walker, the horsekeeper William Colley and the…” - Horsekeeper (contextual relationship)
Named in this record’s narrative: “…William Hartley, the datallers James Leek and Luke Walker, the horsekeeper William Colley and the drivers James and John Dolan, aged twelve and…” - Naked Light (contextual relationship)
Named 3 times in this record, first in the summary: “…near Wakefield. Twenty-one died; the jury found the gas fired at a naked light.” - Outburst (contextual relationship)
Named in this record’s narrative: “…lamp with no oil was found at Leek's feet. Others suggested a sudden outburst of gas, pointing to a fresh rent in the floor, or a damaged lamp.” - Safety Lamp (contextual relationship)
Named twice in this record, first in the narrative: “…11 feet across and 475 yards deep. It was counted a fiery pit: safety lamps were enforced and blasting was forbidden. Usually about 230 men…”
Photographs & further reading
This page doesn't try to reproduce everything — these are the best original sources found for this disaster.
The pit, the explorers' evidence, the inquest and the inspector's view.
View sourceThe twenty-one dead, with ages and occupations.
View sourceA transcribed local newspaper account of the night and the recovery.
View sourceSources
- (secondary) Victoria Colliery Stanley Pit Explosion - Wakefield - 1879 — Northern Mine Research Society
- (primary) Colliery Disaster: Stanley Pit, 4 March 1879 — Durham Mining Museum
- (secondary) Explosion at Stanley Colliery (Deep Drop) — Outwood Community Video
Record created: 4 October 2026 · Last researched: 4 October 2026