Winstanley Colliery explosion, 1843

On Monday 20 November 1843 Winstanley Colliery, near Wigan, exploded as work resumed after the pit had stood over the weekend, killing five and injuring others.

Cause

Firedamp accumulated while the pit stood idle over the weekend.

What happened

Gas had gathered while the pit stood idle over the weekend, and it fired on the Monday morning. Five died; one of them, a man named Miller, is recorded as killed by an explosion of firedamp. Galloway's Annals and the Mining Journal note the explosion. The colliery's Orrell Five Feet seam exploded again in August 1860, killing thirteen.

Recorded claims

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

• The pit exploded on a Monday morning after being left over the weekend, killing and injuring several. ¹
• Five lives were lost in the explosion on 20 November 1843. ^1,2
• Miller was killed by an explosion of firedamp. ²

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 Monday 20 November 1843 Winstanley Colliery, near Wigan, exploded as work resumed after the pit had stood over…”
• Firedamp (contextual relationship)
  Named twice in this record, first in the cause: “Firedamp accumulated while the pit stood idle over the weekend.”

Photographs & further reading

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

Sources

1. (secondary) Winstanley Colliery Explosion - Wigan - 1843 — Northern Mine Research Society
2. (primary) Colliery Disaster: Winstanley, 20 November 1843 — Durham Mining Museum

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