Qualla: Cymmer Colliery Explosion

Cymmer Colliery Explosion: Introduction

Sat, 14 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT

In the early morning darkness of 15 July 1856, the men and boys of Cymmer Colliery descended into the Old Pit as they did every working day. Many were fathers and sons working the same seam. By the time the gas ignited, 160 men and boys were underground, and 114 of them did not come back alive. The Mines Inspector called it 'a sacrifice of human life to an extent unparalleled in the history of coal mining of this country.' It was, at that moment, the worst mining disaster Britain had ever known. It would not remain so for long, because the lessons of Cymmer went unlearned for decades.

Cymmer Colliery Explosion: Profits Over Safety

Sat, 14 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT

George Insole and his son James Harvey Insole purchased the Cymmer Colliery in 1844, sinking the No. 1 Pit three years later. Between 1852 and 1855, HM Inspector of Mines Herbert Francis Mackworth inspected the colliery twice and wrote letters to Insole recommending safety improv...

Cymmer Colliery Explosion: The Morning of 15 July

Sat, 14 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT

The explosion tore through the Old Pit shortly after the morning shift began. Defective ventilation had allowed firedamp to accumulate, and the naked flames that miners carried for light provided the spark. The blast killed 114 men and boys instantly or trapped them beyond rescue...

Cymmer Colliery Explosion: Justice Denied

Sat, 14 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT

At the coroner's inquest, Mines Inspector Mackworth testified that the explosion arose from 'the persons in charge of the pit neglecting the commonest precautions for the safety of the men.' The jury charged the mine manager Jabez Thomas and four officials with manslaughter. But ...

Cymmer Colliery Explosion: The Long Aftermath

Sat, 14 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Insole contributed 500 pounds to the Cymer Widows' and Orphans' Fund and paid for thirty graves. The gesture was modest against the scale of the suffering. But the disaster did force changes. The single-shaft Old Pit and New Pit were eventually linked to create a safer two-shaft ...