Vron Colliery shaft accident, 1853

Three men descending a shaft being sunk at Vron Colliery, near Wrexham, on 31 December 1853 were killed when the sinking carrier, which had stuck on its guides, came loose and fell on them.

Cause

The sinking carrier stuck on its guides, then fell on the men descending the shaft.

What happened

On 31 December 1853 three men at Maurice and Low's Vron Colliery, near Wrexham, were killed in a shaft that was being sunk. The carrier used in the sinking had stuck on its guides in the pit; it afterwards came free and fell on the men as they were going down the shaft. They are recorded only by their surnames, Barclay, Jones and Williams. Earlier the same month a man named Lloyd had been killed at the colliery by an explosion of gunpowder.

Recorded claims

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

• On 31 December 1853 three men were killed in a shaft accident at Vron Colliery. ^1,2,3
• They were killed by the carrier used in sinking, which stuck on its guides in the pit and afterwards fell on them as they were descending the shaft. ^1,4,3
• The dead are recorded by surname only: Barclay, Jones and Williams. ^4,3
• The colliery was owned by Maurice and Low. ^1,2,3
• On 3 December 1853 a man named Lloyd was killed at Vron by an explosion of gunpowder. ⁴

Related terminology

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

• Colliery (contextual relationship)
  Named 3 times in this record, first in the summary: “Three men descending a shaft being sunk at Vron Colliery, near Wrexham, on 31 December 1853 were killed when the sinking…”
• Shaft (contextual relationship)
  Named 4 times in this record, first in the summary: “Three men descending a shaft being sunk at Vron Colliery, near Wrexham, on 31 December 1853 were…”
• Shaft Sinking (contextual relationship)
  Named 3 times in this record, first in the summary: “…Colliery, near Wrexham, on 31 December 1853 were killed when the sinking carrier, which had stuck on its guides, came loose and fell on them.”

Sources

1. (secondary) 1850s B: Ian Winstanley's alphabetical list of mining victims — Healey Hero (Ian Winstanley's list of mining victims)
2. (secondary) 1850s W: Ian Winstanley's alphabetical list of mining victims — Healey Hero
3. (primary) Durham Mining Museum: Vron shaft accident, 31 December 1853 — Durham Mining Museum
4. (primary) Durham Mining Museum: Vron Colliery — Durham Mining Museum

Record created: 16 October 2026 · Last researched: 16 October 2026