MineArchiveWallsend Colliery 'Dark Wall' explosion, 1786
In 1786 six men were killed by an explosion in the B Pit at Wallsend while cutting a communication with the A Pit through firedamp. The drive, 95 yards long, was afterwards known as the 'Dark Wall', because men chose to cut it in total darkness rather than by the light of a steel mill.
| Date | 1786 |
|---|---|
| Mine | Wallsend Colliery |
| Region | Tyne and Wear |
| Type | Explosion |
| Fatalities | 6 (Six.) |
| Context | During active mining |
Cause
An explosion of firedamp in the B Pit while a communication was being driven between the A and B pits.
Contributing factors
The men were working in firedamp with no safe light: the only choices were the steel mill, which had fired the A Pit earlier that year, or darkness.
What happened
On 9 June 1786, by the NMRS account, an explosion at the bottom of the A Pit had been set off by a man turning a steel mill; it did little damage, but work stopped until July. Repairs were still going on at the B Pit when the fatal explosion came. The dead were Charles and Joseph Dodds, James Patterson, Ralph Dixon, Matthew Elliott and Mark Maddison. Having learned from the steel mill, the men cut the rest of the communication with no light of any kind.
Rescue & recovery
Unknown.
Investigation & inquiry
Unknown.
Legal & regulatory aftermath
Unknown.
Changes to practice & legislation
Unknown.
Memorials & commemoration
Unknown.
What's uncertain
Points where sources disagree or the record could not be settled; both accounts are kept. All open questions in the archive.
- NMRS dates the explosion 3 November 1786; the Durham Mining Museum lists the same six names under 9 April 1786. (disputed) 1,2
Recorded claims
Individual factual claims, each attached to the source(s) that support it below. Where sources disagree, both are kept.
- NMRS dates the explosion 3 November 1786; the Durham Mining Museum lists the same six names under 9 April 1786. (disputed) 1,2
- Six were killed: Charles Dodds, Joseph Dodds, James Patterson, Ralph Dixon, Matthew Elliott and Mark Maddison. 1,2
- The men chose to work with no light rather than a steel mill, and the communication was known ever after as the 'Dark Wall'. 2
Related terminology
Mining terms this disaster is structurally linked to, with the nature of the relationship.
- Firedamp (direct cause)
An explosion of gas.
Sources
- (secondary) Wallsend Colliery — Durham Mining Museum
- (secondary) Wallsend Colliery Explosion - Gateshead - Nov 1786 — Northern Mine Research Society
Record created: 22 September 2026 · Last researched: 22 September 2026