Washington Colliery accident, 1798

On 27 February 1798 seven men and boys were killed at Washington Colliery, County Durham, two years after an explosion had killed six there.

What happened

Washington Colliery, worked by William Russell and Partners from pits lettered A to I, lost six people in an explosion in February 1796. Two years later, on 27 February 1798, seven more were killed. How they died is not recorded.

Four of the seven are known by name: Thomas Holmes, 18, son of John and Jane Holmes; Thomas Morrowlee, 30; John Ward, 37; and Joseph Wilson, 13, son of the pitman Thomas Wilson and his wife Anne. All were pitmen living at New Washington, and all four were buried in Holy Trinity churchyard, Washington, on 2 March.

Memorials & commemoration

The four named dead were buried in Holy Trinity churchyard, Washington, on 2 March 1798.

Recorded claims

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

• On 27 February 1798 seven were killed at Washington Colliery. ^1,2,3
• Four of the dead are known: Thomas Holmes, 18, Thomas Morrowlee, 30, John Ward, 37, and Joseph Wilson, 13, all pitmen of New Washington. ^1,3
• The four named men were buried in Holy Trinity churchyard, Washington, on 2 March 1798. ^1,3

Related terminology

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

• Colliery (contextual relationship)
  Named twice in this record, first in the summary: “On 27 February 1798 seven men and boys were killed at Washington Colliery, County Durham, two years after an explosion had killed six there.”

Sources

1. (primary) Washington Colliery — Durham Mining Museum
2. (secondary) Collieries — Washington History Society
3. (primary) Colliery Disaster 1798: Washington, 27 February 1798 — Durham Mining Museum

Record created: 5 October 2026 · Last researched: 6 October 2026