MineArchiveWernffraith Colliery explosion, 1758
On Wednesday 24 May 1758 an explosion of firedamp at Wernffraith Colliery, on the hillside behind Court Herbert at Neath Abbey, killed its owner and manager William Shepley and many of his men; seventeen were buried together at Cadoxton that Saturday.
| Date | 1758 |
|---|---|
| Mine | Wernffraith Colliery |
| Region | Neath Port Talbot |
| Type | Explosion |
| Fatalities | 10 (Ten according to Ian Winstanley's list from old chapel records; seventeen according to the Cadoxton burial register as given by Welsh Coal Mines, which names all seventeen. The owner-manager William Shepley was among the dead.) |
| Context | During active mining |
Cause
An explosion of firedamp underground.
What happened
Wernffraith was a small eighteenth-century colliery near Bryncoch, opened probably by William Shepley, who both owned and managed it. The firedamp exploded underground on 24 May 1758, and Shepley was among the dead.
On the following Saturday seventeen were buried at St Catwg's Church, Cadoxton, their bodies laid out in rows. The register names them as John Capel Edward; William, son of William David; John and Morgan, sons of Rosser Evan; Thomas, son of Thomas Harry, and Thomas Harry; Thomas James; Thomas Jenkin; Harry Loughr; John Morgan; Richard Morgan; John Rosser Morgan; Thomas, son of Rees Rees; Lewes Lewis Rees; Morgan Rosser; Rees Tyler Thomas; and William, son of Morgan William Morgan. Several were fathers and sons or brothers. No headstone or memorial is known.
What's uncertain
Points where sources disagree or the record could not be settled; both accounts are kept. All open questions in the archive.
- An explosion of firedamp at Wernffraith Colliery on Wednesday 24 May 1758 killed seventeen, buried at Cadoxton the following Saturday. (disputed) 1
- The explosion killed ten. (disputed) 2
Recorded claims
Individual factual claims, each attached to the source(s) that support it below. Where sources disagree, both are kept.
- An explosion of firedamp at Wernffraith Colliery on Wednesday 24 May 1758 killed seventeen, buried at Cadoxton the following Saturday. (disputed) 1
- The explosion killed ten. (disputed) 2
- The dead included the owner and manager, William Shepley. 1,2
- The dead were buried at St Catwg's Church, Cadoxton, laid out in rows; no memorial to them is known. 1
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 Wednesday 24 May 1758 an explosion of firedamp at Wernffraith Colliery, on the hillside behind Court Herbert at Neath Abbey, killed its…” - Firedamp (contextual relationship)
Named 3 times in this record, first in the summary: “On Wednesday 24 May 1758 an explosion of firedamp at Wernffraith Colliery, on the hillside behind Court Herbert at…”
Photographs & further reading
This page doesn't try to reproduce everything — these are the best original sources found for this disaster.
Martyn Griffiths's account of the 1758 explosion and the seventeen names in the Cadoxton register.
View sourceIan Winstanley's entry from old chapel records, giving ten dead.
View sourceSources
- (secondary) Cilfrew Colliery — Welsh Coal Mines
- (secondary) Wernfraith Colliery Explosion - Neath - 1758 (Northern Mine Research Society) — Northern Mine Research Society
Record created: 10 October 2026 · Last researched: 10 October 2026