MineArchiveWallsend Colliery explosion, 1838
On the evening of 19 December 1838 the G or Church Pit of Wallsend Colliery fired while eleven shifters were repairing and propping the roads after the hewers had gone. All eleven were killed, three years after an explosion at the same colliery had killed more than a hundred.
| Date | 1838 |
|---|---|
| Mine | Wallsend Colliery |
| Region | Tyne and Wear |
| Type | Explosion |
| Fatalities | 11 (Eleven shifters, every man in the pit.) |
| Injuries | 0 |
| Context | During active mining |
Cause
An explosion of gas.
Contributing factors
Unknown.
What happened
The G Pit, William Russell's, had its ventilating furnace at the A Pit about a mile away. On the Wednesday evening only eleven shifters were below, propping the roads and clearing stones after the pitmen had left. At about 6.30 the furnaceman saw foul air coming out and raised the alarm. Everyone in the pit was dead, though the blast had not reached the shaft. Thomas Rutherford, found near the pit eye, had been bringing props down; the others were found burnt and mutilated. Robert Bones, who had kept a public house at Throckley and gone down the pit to support his wife and nine children, had worked there three days. The others were Thomas Dinning, Matthew Towns, Jacob Maddison, Joseph Roseby, William Smith, Hugh Row, William Ellerington, T. Wilkinson and John Leighton.
Rescue & recovery
The furnace was put out and a party went down to recover the bodies.
Investigation & inquiry
An inquest before Stephen Reed returned a verdict of accidental death.
Legal & regulatory aftermath
Accidental death.
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 has the alarm raised at about 6.30; the Durham Mining Museum gives the time as 9 p.m. (disputed) 2,1
Recorded claims
Individual factual claims, each attached to the source(s) that support it below. Where sources disagree, both are kept.
- On 19 December 1838 an explosion at the Wallsend G or Church Pit killed all eleven shifters in the pit; verdict accidental death. 1
- Eleven named as killed in the 1838 explosion at 9 p.m. on 19 December. 2
- NMRS has the alarm raised at about 6.30; the Durham Mining Museum gives the time as 9 p.m. (disputed) 2,1
Related terminology
Mining terms this disaster is structurally linked to, with the nature of the relationship.
- Bad Air (contextual relationship)
Named in this record’s narrative: “…stones after the pitmen had left. At about 6.30 the furnaceman saw foul air coming out and raised the alarm. Everyone in the pit was dead,…” - Colliery (contextual relationship)
Named twice in this record, first in the summary: “On the evening of 19 December 1838 the G or Church Pit of Wallsend Colliery fired while eleven shifters were repairing and propping the roads…” - Firedamp (direct cause)
The pit fired. - Hewer (contextual relationship)
Named in this record’s summary: “…eleven shifters were repairing and propping the roads after the hewers had gone. All eleven were killed, three years after an explosion at…”
Sources
- (secondary) Wallsend Colliery Explosion - Gateshead - 1838 — Northern Mine Research Society
- (secondary) Wallsend Colliery — Durham Mining Museum
Record created: 21 September 2026 · Last researched: 21 September 2026