MineArchiveWilliam Pit underground fire, 1826
| Date | 3 Jan 1826 |
|---|---|
| Mine | William Pit |
| Region | Cumbria |
| Type | Fire |
| Fatalities | 9 (Thomas Flood, 13; John Hanlon, 69; Alexander Harras, 40; John Lewthwaite, 64; James Moore, 78; Edward Murray, 18; Thomas Richardson, 29; Annas Robinson, 24; John Thompson, 64.) |
| Context | During active mining (William Pit on the shore at Whitehaven, three years after its explosion of 1823, with steam engines at work underground.) |
On 3 January 1826 fire broke out in an underground engine room at William Pit, Whitehaven, and its smoke spread through the workings, suffocating nine. The dead ranged from a boy of thirteen to a man of seventy-eight, and three were in their sixties. It was the third disaster at the pit in five years.
Cause
Smoke from a fire that began in an underground engine room.
What happened
The fire started in an engine room underground, and it was the smoke rather than the flames that killed: nine people in the workings were suffocated.
Recorded claims
Individual factual claims, each attached to the source(s) that support it below. Where sources disagree, both are kept.
- In 1826 nine men were suffocated in William Pit by the smoke from a fire that had started in an underground engine room. 1
- The Durham Mining Museum lists nine killed by an underground fire on 3 January 1826: Thomas Flood, 13; John Hanlon, 69; Alexander Harras, 40; John Lewthwaite, 64; James Moore, 78; Edward Murray, 18; Thomas Richardson, 29; Annas Robinson, 24; and John Thompson, 64. 2
Sources
- (primary) William Pit Whitehaven — a history of the Whitehaven Collieries — Cumbria Amenity Trust Mining History Society (CATMHS)
- (primary) William Colliery, Whitehaven — Durham Mining Museum — Durham Mining Museum
Record created: 2 September 2026 · Last researched: 13 September 2026