Woodpark Colliery roof fall, 1859

A collier and a drawer were killed on 11 July 1859 by a fall of roof in the Black Mine at the Woodpark pits near Ashton-under-Lyne, where the ground was creeping.

Cause

A fall of roof where the workings were creeping.

What happened

On 11 July 1859 George Andrew, a collier, and Matthew Andrew, a drawer, were killed by a fall of roof in the Black Mine at the Woodpark pits, where there was a creep in the workings. The pits belonged to Leeses and Booth, whose collieries were returned under the name Fairbottom; the Woodpark name was coming into use for the old Deep Pit at about this time. The deaths were recorded in Joseph Dickinson's report for the Manchester district for 1859. In February 1861 three colliers died at the same owners' Wood Park pit when the winding rope broke.

Recorded claims

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

• On 11 July 1859 George Andrew, collier, and Matthew Andrew, drawer, were killed by a fall of roof. ^1,2,3
• The fall was in the Black Mine at the Woodpark pits, where there was a creep. ^1,3
• The colliery is returned as Fairbottom, owned by Leeses and Booth. ^1,2,3
• The deaths are recorded in the 1859 Mines Inspector's report for the Manchester district, by Joseph Dickinson. 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: “…creep in the workings. The pits belonged to Leeses and Booth, whose collieries were returned under the name Fairbottom; the Woodpark name was…”
• Putter (contextual relationship)
  Named twice in this record, first in the summary: “A collier and a drawer were killed on 11 July 1859 by a fall of roof in the Black Mine at…”
• Roof Fall (contextual relationship)
  Named 3 times in this record, first in the summary: “A collier and a drawer were killed on 11 July 1859 by a fall of roof in the Black Mine at the Woodpark pits near Ashton-under-Lyne, where…”
• Winding Rope (contextual relationship)
  Named in this record’s narrative: “…1861 three colliers died at the same owners' Wood Park pit when the winding rope broke.”

Sources

1. (secondary) 1850s A: Ian Winstanley's alphabetical list of mining victims — Healey Hero (Ian Winstanley's list of mining victims)
2. (primary) Fairbottom Colliery — Durham Mining Museum
3. (primary) Durham Mining Museum: Fairbottom fall of roof, 11 July 1859 — Durham Mining Museum

Record created: 16 October 2026 · Last researched: 16 October 2026