On 6 December 1875, an underground explosion occurred at the Swaithe Main Colliery. 239 men and boys were working underground at the time and of those, 143 died.[1]
It is the most disastrous mining incident in Barnsley since the Oaks Colliery disaster in 1866.
On 29 November 2025, an event was held in St Thomas' Church in Worsbrough to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the event.[2][3][4]
References
edit- ↑ "Swaithe Main Disaster 6th December 1875". Friends of Hemingfield Colliery. 6 December 2025. Retrieved 12 June 2026.
- ↑ Josh Timlin; Charlotte Oldroyd. "Pit disaster tragedy remembered 150 years on..." Barnsley Chronicle. Retrieved 12 June 2026.
- ↑ "Swaithe Main Disaster". Retrieved 12 June 2026.
- ↑ "Swaithe Main Colliery Explosion – Barnsley – 1875". Northern Mine Research Society. Retrieved 12 June 2026.