Bent Grange Colliery Explosion – Oldham – 1850

BENT GRANGE. Oldham, Lancashire. 9th. October, 1850.

The explosion took place in the Riley Mine, owned by Mr. Butterworth, which had a bratticed shaft when about twenty-five colliers were at work. A fall of roof occurred and broke the wire gauze of a Davy lamp with which the miners were provided. This caused the explosion and according to the report, Mr. Blackewell said seventeen lost their lives, the Mining Almanac for 1851 said ten others were injured and Galloway gives the death toll as sixteen.

• BAMBLING Bartholomew 12 Drawer
• BRAMWELL 21 Drawer
• BUTTERWORTH Edmund 40 left wife and five children
• BUTTERWORTH 21 Married
• DUNKERLEY Daniel 31 left wife and two children
• FIDIHAM Robert 25 Left wife and two children
• FOX Benjamin 34 Married Brother of Jonas
• FOX Jonas 17 Drawer brother of Benjamin
• GEARY Edward 32 Left wife and three children
• JACKSON James 54 Married. No children
• LEES William 32 Left wife and two children
• MYTTON from Wigan been in Oldham a month
• NEWTON George 19 Drawer
• NEWTON John 19 Drawer
• PARKIN John 13 Drawer
• STOTT John 14 Left wife and six children.

After the accident, an air shaft was sunk and the colliery ventilated by a fan.

REFERENCES
Annals of Coal Mining. Galloway. Vol. 2. p.88.
Mining Journal Vol.xx, p.486.
Mining Almanac 1851.

Information supplied by Ian Winstanley and the Coal Mining History Resource Centre.