Dykehead Colliery

Overview

A coal pit forty fathoms deep on the Dykehead estate about three miles east of Hamilton, also called Summerlee Colliery, worked by the Summerlee Iron Company. On 7 August 1861 the wooden lining of its shaft caught fire above some forty-five men; volunteers brought most out by night, but thirteen died.

History

Dykehead Colliery, also called Summerlee Colliery, lay on the Dykehead estate about three miles east of Hamilton, within sight of Motherwell. In 1861 it belonged to the Summerlee Iron Company, named in one newspaper report as Messrs Wilson and Co. The pit was about forty fathoms deep, its shaft lined with wooden boxing, and it was ventilated by a furnace near the shaft bottom.

About midday on 7 August 1861 the woodwork at the bottom of the shaft, thought to be too close to the furnace, caught fire. Smoke and then flames two storeys high rose from the shaft, and some forty-five men and boys were trapped below. Fire engines from Hamilton and Hamilton Palace put out the blaze, and volunteers led by the ironstone miner Andrew Hunter went down to bring the men out; by the next morning everyone was up, but thirteen had died of chokedamp (see Disasters, below). The bodies were reached through a mine driven from Dundas Simpson and Co.'s neighbouring pit, and the shaft was sealed to put the fire out.

Geology

Unknown.

Workings

A shaft about forty fathoms deep with wooden lining, and a ventilating furnace near the shaft bottom.

Closure

Unknown.

What remains

Unknown.

Redevelopment

Unknown.

Disasters & major incidents

• Dykehead Colliery fire, 1861
  7 August 1861 · Fire · 13 fatalities
  Around midday on 7 August 1861 the wooden lining at the bottom of the shaft of Dykehead (Summerlee) Colliery, east of Hamilton, caught fire with some forty-five men and boys below. Fire engines quenched the flames and volunteers were lowered to bring the men out, but twelve died of chokedamp underground and one more a fortnight later.

What's uncertain

Points where sources disagree or the record could not be settled; both accounts are kept. All open questions in the archive.

• In 1861 the colliery belonged to the Summerlee Iron Company. (disputed) ¹
• In 1861 the colliery belonged to Wilsons and Company. (disputed) ^1,2

Recorded claims

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

• In 1861 the colliery belonged to the Summerlee Iron Company. (disputed) ¹
• In 1861 the colliery belonged to Wilsons and Company. (disputed) ^1,2
• It was also known as Summerlee Colliery and lay on the Dykehead estate about three miles from Hamilton. ^1,2
• The pit was about forty fathoms deep. ^1,2
• A shaft fire on 7 August 1861 killed thirteen men. ^1,2

Photographs & further reading

Sources

1. (secondary) Scottish Mining Website: Dykehead 1861 — Scottish Mining Website
2. (secondary) NMRS: Dykehead Colliery Fire, Hamilton, 1861 — Northern Mine Research Society

Record created: 11 October 2026 · Last researched: 11 October 2026