Whitwood Colliery roof fall, 1911

Two men driving an untimbered road through the goaf at the Whitwood Silkstone pit on 31 March 1911 were killed when the roof fell; the inspector called it gross carelessness.

Cause

A fall of roof in an untimbered road being driven through the goaf.

What happened

On 31 March 1911 William Moat, 48, a contractor's labourer, and Oliver Jinks, 18, a dataller, were driving a road through the goaf at Henry Briggs, Son and Company's Whitwood Colliery, in the Silkstone seam. They had scoured out the goaf five feet in from the side of an old road, making the place seven feet wide, and had set no timber. The roof fell suddenly, killing Moat at once and fatally injuring Jinks. The inspector's verdict was gross carelessness.

Investigation & inquiry

Recorded by H.M. Inspector as a case of gross carelessness, no timber having been set.

Recorded claims

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

• On 31 March 1911 a fall of roof killed two men at Whitwood Colliery. ^1,2,3
• The dead were William Moat, 48, and Oliver Jinks, 18. ^1,2,3
• They were driving a road through the goaf, seven feet wide, with no timber set. ^1,2
• The colliery was owned by Henry Briggs, Son and Co. Ltd. ^1,2

Related terminology

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

• Colliery (contextual relationship)
  Named in this record’s narrative: “…a road through the goaf at Henry Briggs, Son and Company's Whitwood Colliery, in the Silkstone seam. They had scoured out the goaf five feet in…”
• Dataller (contextual relationship)
  Named in this record’s narrative: “…William Moat, 48, a contractor's labourer, and Oliver Jinks, 18, a dataller, were driving a road through the goaf at Henry Briggs, Son and…”
• Goaf (contextual relationship)
  Named 4 times in this record, first in the summary: “Two men driving an untimbered road through the goaf at the Whitwood Silkstone pit on 31 March 1911 were killed when the…”
• Roof Fall (contextual relationship)
  Named in this record’s cause: “A fall of roof in an untimbered road being driven through the goaf.”

Sources

1. (primary) Durham Mining Museum: Whitwood Silkstone, 31 March 1911 — Durham Mining Museum
2. (primary) NMRS Coal Mining Accidents and Deaths: Oliver Jinks, Whitwood, 1911 — Northern Mine Research Society
3. (primary) NMRS Coal Mining Accidents and Deaths: William Moat, Whitwood, 1911 — Northern Mine Research Society
4. (primary) Whitwood Colliery — Durham Mining Museum

Record created: 18 October 2026 · Last researched: 18 October 2026