MineArchiveWestern Colliery sinking explosion, 1874
A gas explosion during the sinking of Western Colliery, at what later became the Wyndham Western complex at Nantymoel, killed five sinkers on 7 December 1874.
| Date | 7 December 1874 |
|---|---|
| Mine | Wyndham Western Colliery |
| Region | Bridgend |
| Type | Explosion |
| Fatalities | 5 (The five sinkers killed were Thomas Morris (28, unmarried), Rowland H. Pugh (25), Lewis Davies (43, married with five children), Thomas Watkins (27, married nine months) and Thomas Davies (27, Lewis Davies's brother, married with three children).) |
| Context | During active mining |
Cause
An explosion of gas occurred while the shaft was being sunk, before the colliery had been brought into full production.
What happened
The Western Merthyr Coal and Fuel Company was sinking its new pit at Nantymoel between 1873 and 1875, a colliery first known as Edward's Pit and renamed Western in 1877; the Wyndham pit beside it, opened by John Brogden and Sons in 1868, was already at work. On 7 December 1874, with the shaft still going down, gas exploded in the sinking and killed five of the sinkers. Welsh Coal Mines names them: Thomas Morris, 28, unmarried; Rowland H. Pugh, 25, single; Lewis Davies, 43, married with five children; Thomas Watkins, 27, married nine months; and Thomas Davies, 27, Lewis Davies's brother, married with three children. How the gas was fired, and what inquest followed, is not recorded. The pit was finished, passed soon afterwards to the Ocean Coal Company, and was worked alongside Wyndham until 1984.
Recorded claims
Individual factual claims, each attached to the source(s) that support it below. Where sources disagree, both are kept.
- A gas explosion occurred while Western Colliery's shaft was being sunk, before the pit had been brought into full production. 1
- Five sinkers died: Thomas Morris, Rowland H. Pugh, Lewis Davies, Thomas Watkins and Thomas Davies (Lewis Davies's brother). 1
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: “A gas explosion during the sinking of Western Colliery, at what later became the Wyndham Western complex at Nantymoel,…” - Shaft (contextual relationship)
Named in this record’s cause: “An explosion of gas occurred while the shaft was being sunk, before the colliery had been brought into full…” - Shaft Sinking (contextual relationship)
Named in this record’s summary: “A gas explosion during the sinking of Western Colliery, at what later became the Wyndham Western…”
Sources
- (secondary) Wyndham Western Colliery — welshcoalmines.co.uk
- (secondary) 1874 fatalities — welshcoalmines.co.uk
Record created: 27 August 2026 · Last researched: 16 September 2026