Wharncliffe Carlton Colliery explosion, 1883

Just after midnight on 18 October 1883 gas exploded in the dip district of Wharncliffe Carlton Colliery, Barnsley, killing all 20 men on the night shift there. Fire followed, the pit was flooded to put it out, and only 17 bodies were recovered.

Cause

An explosion of gas whose ignition was never established; a fall of rock releasing gas onto a faulty lamp was suggested.

What happened

Wharncliffe Carlton, owned by R. Craik & Co., had been working for about five years beside the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire line at Smithies, a mile and a half from Barnsley. It was joined underground to Craik's East Gawber colliery, and the Barnsley seam, about nine feet thick, was worked longwall in rise and dip districts.

Twenty-five men were on the night shift; the twenty in the dip were all killed, among them James Flatney, 14, George Egley, 65, and William Mason and his son George, 16. Survivors in the rise had three lamps between them as they climbed over falls to the pit eye. Fire broke out, and it was decided to flood that part of the mine. A second explosion during the inquest badly injured two men, and the pumping shaft was out of use for weeks while water was put into the pit. Three bodies were left in the flooded workings.

Rescue & recovery

Survivors in the rise district made their way out with three lamps. The dip was flooded to quench the fire, so only 17 of the 20 bodies were recovered; Wharncliffe Carlton was sealed off from East Gawber.

Investigation & inquiry

The inquest on the 17 recovered bodies could not examine the seat of the explosion because the workings were flooded.

Legal & regulatory aftermath

The jury found that William Fisher and 16 others were killed by an explosion of gas, but that there was no evidence to show how it was caused.

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 colliery list gives the ignition as from a safety lamp. (uncertain) ³

Recorded claims

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

• All 20 men in the dip district were killed on 18 October 1883; 17 bodies were recovered. ^1,2
• The mine was flooded to put out the fire, which kept three bodies underground. ^1,2
• The jury found no evidence of how the explosion was caused. ¹
• The colliery list gives the ignition as from a safety lamp. (uncertain) 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: “…October 1883 gas exploded in the dip district of Wharncliffe Carlton Colliery, Barnsley, killing all 20 men on the night shift there. Fire…”
• Longwall (contextual relationship)
  Named in this record’s narrative: “…colliery, and the Barnsley seam, about nine feet thick, was worked longwall in rise and dip districts. Twenty-five men were on the night shift;…”
• Shaft (contextual relationship)
  Named in this record’s narrative: “…explosion during the inquest badly injured two men, and the pumping shaft was out of use for weeks while water was put into the pit. Three…”

Photographs & further reading

This page doesn't try to reproduce everything — these are the best original sources found for this disaster.

Sources

1. (secondary) Wharncliffe Carlton Colliery Explosion - Barnsley - 1883 — Northern Mine Research Society
2. (secondary) The Wharncliffe Carlton Colliery Explosion - 140 Years Later — AroundTown Magazine
3. (primary) Wharncliffe Carlton Colliery — Durham Mining Museum
4. (observational) Path on former railway (photograph) — Geograph

Record created: 3 October 2026 · Last researched: 3 October 2026