Warren Vale Colliery explosion, 1851

Warren Vale Colliery near Rawmarsh had been in production barely a year when it exploded on the morning of Saturday 20 December 1851. Fifty-one or fifty-two men and boys were killed, twenty-four of them aged sixteen or under, some of them fathers and sons working side by side. The blast threw two loaded corves up the shaft and wrecked the headgear, so that rescuers could not get down until half past nine. The coroner returned a verdict of accidental death and used his summing up to complain that the country had only four mines inspectors.

Cause

An explosion of firedamp. The Durham Mining Museum records the ignition as caused by a naked light; Wikipedia's account, following the contemporary Annals of Yorkshire, attributes the build-up of gas to a roof fall that blocked the air and forced foul air into workings where the men worked by candle.

What happened

Warren Vale, also known as Piccadilly Colliery, stood beside Warren Vale Road between Rawmarsh and Swinton. Sinking had begun in the late 1840s and production started towards the end of 1850; the colliery belonged to Earl Fitzwilliam and was worked by J. and J. Charlesworth of Wakefield. It had been working less than a year when, on Saturday 20 December 1851, the underground steward went in to inspect the workings before the day shift at about six in the morning. About an hour later the explosion came, in the northern end of the nine-foot seam, and astounded not only those at the pit but the whole neighbourhood: two corves, one holding sixteen hundredweight of coal and one empty, were thrown up the shaft.

Rescue & recovery

The headgear had to be repaired before anyone could go down. By half past nine that was done and fourteen injured men and boys were lifted out; by the middle of the afternoon another twenty-four had been brought up alive, with the first of the dead.

Investigation & inquiry

The coroner recorded a verdict of accidental death. In summing up he remarked on the lack of inspectors of coal mines, there being only four in the whole country, and suggested that the government should increase the number as soon as possible.

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.

• The Durham Mining Museum records 52 lives lost in the explosion of 20 December 1851; Wikipedia's account gives 51 killed in total, twenty-four of them aged sixteen or under, in some cases fathers and sons working together. (disputed) ^1,2

Recorded claims

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

• The Durham Mining Museum records 52 lives lost in the explosion of 20 December 1851; Wikipedia's account gives 51 killed in total, twenty-four of them aged sixteen or under, in some cases fathers and sons working together. (disputed) ^1,2
• The museum gives the cause as firedamp ignited by a naked light; Wikipedia's account attributes the build-up to a roof fall that blocked the air flow and forced foul air into workings where the men were using candles. ^1,2
• The explosion came about an hour after the underground steward went in to inspect the workings before the day shift at about six in the morning; two corves, one loaded with sixteen hundredweight of coal, were thrown up the shaft, and repairs to the headgear were needed before anyone could get down. ¹
• By half past nine the headgear had been repaired enough to reach the mine, and fourteen injured men and boys were lifted out; by mid-afternoon a further twenty-four were brought out alive, with the first of the dead. ¹
• The coroner recorded a verdict of accidental death and, in summing up, remarked on the lack of inspectors of coal mines -- there being only four in the country -- and suggested the government increase the number as soon as possible. ¹

Sources

1. (secondary) Warren Vale Colliery — Wikipedia
2. (secondary) Warren Vale Colliery — Durham Mining Museum

Record created: 17 September 2026 · Last researched: 20 September 2026