Fatal Accidents at The Neston Collieries: 1759-1927
This table lists all known fatal accidents at the Neston collieries during their two periods of working (1759-1855 and 1875-1927). A total of 42 men and children are listed. Recording of accidents at the collieries was not very systematic, especially in its early days, so it is quite possible that there were additional deaths where no records of the circumstances have survived. More formal recording of accidents was required in the later period but it seems this did not always include accidents on the surface although details of some such accidents have survived from other sources.
It is noticeable how the biggest risk in the early years was from explosion and fire; later, roof falls in tunnels were the most common problem. The explosions and fires probably reduced as a result of better ventilation, expelling the combustible gases; for roof falls, the characteristics of different coal seams worked at different times would have influenced how unstable the rock was.
The Early Collieries (1759-1855)
| Name (and if recorded, occupation/status and age) | Date of Death (or earliest record of it) | Cause of Death |
|---|---|---|
| John Manchester, collier | 26/4/1762 | ‘Killed in a coalpit’ |
| William Griffith | 17/2/1765 | ‘Accidentally killed in a coal pit’ |
| John Tatlock, collier | 9/7/1765 | ‘Killed in a coalpit’ |
| John Burroughs | 11/10/1769 | ‘A fall into a coalpit’ |
| Thomas Coterall Son of Thomas Coterall | 27/11/1769 | ‘By a sulphurous explosion in a cole pit’ |
| James Brundrett | 18/2/1771 | ‘A fall into a coal pit’ |
| George Smith | 7/1/1774 | ‘Accidentally killed in a coal pit’ |
| John Berry, collier age 27 | 17/1/1776 | ‘Burnt in the colliery’ |
| Robert Williams, collier | 31/3/1777 | ‘Accidentally killed by falling into a coal pit’ |
| John Rowlands (or Rollin), collier | 17/5/1777 | Killed in a sulphurous explosion in a coal pit’ |
| Thomas Roberts, collier | 17/5/1777 | ‘Killed in a sulphurous explosion in a coal pit’ |
| Edward Taylor, collier | 17/5/1777 | ‘Killed in a sulphurous explosion in a coal pit’ |
| William Prestwood, collier | 17/5/1777 | [Assumed related to three deaths above] |
| John Cottrell | 11/3/1779 | ‘Killed by a sulphurous explosion in a coal pit’ |
| James Glaves, pauper | 5/5/1790 | ‘Suffocated in the coal pit’ |
| Edward Davis, pauper | 5/5/1790 | ‘Suffocated in the coal pit’ |
| William Griffiths | 15/6/1794 | ‘Fell into a coalpit’ |
| Ellis Kendrick, engineer, age 65 | 22/1/1799 | ‘Falling to the bottom of the [fire] engine’ |
| Anne Jones, a child (probably age 10 | 16/4/1802 | Died from a scald in the water from the engine at the Coly’ |
| Thomas Bartley, age 9 | 18/2/1814 | Basket’s rope broke while descending, at Little Neston (see image below) |
| Thomas Davies, age 44 | 18/2/1814 | Basket’s rope broke while descending, at Little Neston (see image below) |
| William Cottrell, age 43 | 7/6/1815 | Smothered when supports gave way while digging underground. |
| William Armstrong, collier, age 50 | 6/7/1837 | ‘The candle of his colleague Hugh Messam ignited foul air and there was an explosion’ |
| James Lewis, collier, age 38 | 5/7/1838 (baby son baptised on same day as burial) | Fell from a basket while descending a shaft (see image below) |
| Joseph Taylor, age 10, son of Daniel Taylor | 5/7/1838 | Fell from a basket while descending a shaft (see image below) |
| Thomas Jones, age 37 | 18/3/1844 | Accidentally killed by a fall’ |
| Joseph Bartley, age 52, coal miner (brother of Thomas, above) | 1/5/1855 | ‘Accidentally killed by a fall’ |
The Later Collieries (1875-1927)
| Name (and if recorded, occupation/status and age) | Date of Death (or earliest record of it) | Cause of Death |
|---|---|---|
| Isaac Fisher, 62, foreman pit-sinker | 4/5/1876 | Killed when scaffolding in a new shaft gave way plunging him to his death |
| Joseph Hughes, 23, labourer | 4/5/1876 | As above |
| David Alexander, 24*, pit sinker | 25/4/1877 | Hit by an object falling to the bottom of the shaft |
| John Grimes, 38 | 20/12/1879 | Killed in a roof fall – carried to the Harp where he died. (see image below) |
| Edwin Hooson, 47, colliery foreman | 26/1/1882 | Crushed between two railway wagons |
| George Shone, 22 | 3/6/1882 | Buried in a roof fall (two brothers killed; third brother Thomas injured) |
| Edward Shone, 19 | 3/6/1882 | As above |
| John Henry Weaver, 16, wagoner | 24/2/1898 | Killed in a roof fall (see image below) |
| William Johnson, 36 | 21/01/1903 | Crushed to death in a series of roof falls |
| William Barnes, 49 | 06/02/1914 | Killed by a rock fall in an underground roadway. Left a widow and six children. (See image below) |
| Thomas Hughes, 40, drawer | 10/10/1914 | Killed after being hit in the face by a coal tub being moved underground |
| Richard ‘Dick’ Roberts, 18 | 09/03/1917 | Killed by falling under the wheels of a coal wagon in the colliery sidings. Witnessed by his mother |
| William Jones, 54 | 02/06/1924 | Killed in a rock fall |
| William Briscoe, 67 | 8/1925 | Thought to be the delayed result of a colliery accident in March 1821 |
| Frederick Able [Abel], 24, coal-getter | 22/01/1926 | ‘Killed by a rock fall’ |
*NPR says 44
The Injuries Record Book
The ‘Injuries Record Book’ exists for the period covering 13th June 1911 to 4th April 1927. Covering both fatal and non-fatal accidents, it has been scanned by the Burton & Neston History Society for online viewing and provides a fascinating insight into the operation of the mine. The book and various related enclosures and clippings can be found at:
Pages 1-40 Pages 41-70 Loose Inserts
Accident Records and Images
A small selection of records and images relating to accidents at Neston is given below. These will be added to over time.
Report of the death of John Grimes in 1879. Carnarvon & Denbigh Herald, 27 December 1879.
Report of the deaths of Thomas Bartley, 9, and Thomas Davies, 44, in 1814. Chester Courant, 22 February 1814.
Death Certificate for James Lewis, 38, in 1938. The Death Certificate for his colleague, 10-year old Joseph Taylor was identically worded. With thanks to Mandy Green.
Report on the death of John Henry Weaver, 16, from the Inspector of Mines Report for 1898.
Report on the death of William Barnes, 49, from the Inspector of Mines report from 1914
An explosion of ‘firedamp’ gas in a nineteenth-century mine.