Dedicated to those who lost their lives mining coal at Darfield Main

Mining was always a dangerous occupation, but back in the day the loss of life was unforgivable. Explosions often resulted in a significant loss of life

For example : In 1866 the Oaks Explosions took the lives of amost 400 men and boys.

Darfield Main had 93 fatal accidents recorded over the time the pit was open

No explosions are listed, and the worst loss of life occured on the 15th June 1869 when a Charles Needham aged 32 and Edward Dyson 28 Alias Lockwood were both killed by a Fall of coal.

07-02-1860 George Taylor 33 Fell down the shaft.
16-04-1861 Joseph Taylor 11 Overwind (Son of George Taylor)
27-09-1861 Edward Frost 29 Fall of coal.
10-06-1862 William Nettleton 20 Fall of coal.
28-01-1864 James White 37 Wire Rope Broke
12-09-1864 Alfred Gawthorpe 34 Fall of coal
25-11-1864 William Lumb ?? Fall of coal (death recorded as 26 th)
26-02-1866 William Brook 29 Knocked down the shaft.
04-08-1866 Joseph Jinks 42 Fall of roof died on 14-08-1866
05-06-1867 William Fletcher 16 Fall of coal.
12-09-1867 J Lindley ?? Fall of Stone while drawing timber.
15-06-1869 Charles Needham 32 Fall of coal.
15-06-1869 Edward Dyson 28 Alias Lockwood Fall of coal.
19-11-1869 Thomas Hayes 32 Fall of coal.
14-03-1870 Thomas B Roberts 15 Fall of coal
25-03-1870 James Tott 24 Fall of roof
06-04-1870 William John Thomas 40 Fall of roof
07-01-1871 Joseph Cooper 18 Crushed by wagons on the surface
23-01-1872 W Fairhurst 30 Hit by dislodged prop
12-03-1872 George Slater 56 Crushed by wagons on the surface
18-01-1873 W Rainey 30 Fell down the shaft
02-03-1875 Joseph Nickling 22 Fall of coal
10-04-1875 W Firth 14 Fall of roof
04-10-1875 Thomas Stanton 20 Fall of coal
16-10-1875 William Crossland 43 Fall of roof
12-12-1881 F Dewhurst ?? Crushed by the cage
12-06-1882 William Duffy 13 Fall of roof
26-07-1882 John Duffy 26 Fall of coal
24-07-1882 25-09-1882 G Turton 25 Fall of coal
31-01-1883 Samuel Rowbottom 15 Crushed by tubs
02-09-1885 T Brierley 44 Fall of coal
21-01-1887 H Lewis 40 Fall of side
31-03-1887 B Foster 28 Fall of coal
10-08-1887 R Crossland 67 Run over by a loco surface
08-08-1887 04-09-1888 T Swift 36 Fall of roof
11-03-1889 H T Peace 16 Crushed by tubs
28-10-1889 S Leeson 45 Fall of roof
14-11-1889 E Dyson 17 Crushed by wagons on the surface
04-04-1890 E Boyce 35 Fall of roof
25-04-1890 William Farrar 27 (Ambery) Fall of roof
20-08-1890 T Wood 45 Fall of coal
19-08-1890 08-01-1891 W Belham 53 Fall of side
04-04-1891 A Stenton 18 Tub buffer fell down the shaft.
28-02-1894 A Taylor 63 Crushed by wagons on the surface.
20-09-1895 A Atlass 18 Run over by tubs
05-10-1895 J Pearce 29 Fall of side
20-11-1895 G Greterick 16 Crushed by wagons on the surface.
23-04-1896 Thomas Corcoran 45 Crushed between a corf and a bar.
01-12-1896 Joseph Newsome 36 Crushed by Coal.
30-11-1896 05-01-1897 J Crew 16 Crushed by tubs.
28-02-1898 H. Anderson 38 Hit by a train of corves.
01-03-1898 E Hodgson 44 Died in Beckettsfrom un specified injuries.
24-11-1898 William-Williams 15 Fall of Roof.
19-10-1899 J Ellis 15 Run over by a corf containing 1/2 ton of coal.
09-09-1901 Emanuel Bradley 42 Fall of Roof.
14-02-1902 Henry-Parkin (Parker) 34 Buried under slack, head injury
26-07-1902 James Conal 22 Fall of Roof.
30-04-1903 Alfred Ward 16 Crushed by tubs.
11-09-1906 Frank Moore 21 Fall of Coal crushed against a tub.
27-09-1910 Henry Brook 48 Fall of Roof in the Barnsley Seam No 31 Bank
03-11-1910 George Wilkinson 39 Fall of Coal
04-11-1910 Arthur Bestall 17 Fall of Coal
25-08-1913 George Beard 54 Fall in a roadway.
21-10-1914 Michael Dacey 36 Fall in a roadway.
29-03-1915 Robert Frankland 33 Shot firing accident.
21-03-1919 John Harrison 45 Fall of Coal Died in Becketts 25/03/1919
11-07-1922 George Henry Moore 33 Fall of roof
07-11-1922 Leonard Hariman 15 Injured head 19-07-1922
19-09-1925 Leonard Siddall 18 Crushed by tubs
13-10-1927 David Wilson 35 Crushed by a coal cutter
27-10-1928 Arthur Cottam 52 Fall of roof 22-10-1928.
06-01-1930 John Staniforth 42 Fall of roof.
24-07-1933 George Handley 29 Fall of roof
26-09-1933 William Henry Angus 41 Barnsley, Yorkshire, England
16-02-1935 Fred Greaves 34 Caught in a coal cutter 05-02-1935
05-10-1935 Theodore Littlewood 64 Crushed by wagons surface 03-10-1935
28-12-1935 Jacob Fairhurst 58 Run over by tubs
03-10-1938 Ronald Firth 34 Fall of roof
24-10-1938 Samuel Turner 64 Run over by tubs
03-01-1939 Thomas H Watson 34 Fall of roof accident 15/12/1938
15-12-1938 02/05/1941 John Willie Clafton 33 Shot firing accident
11-08-1942 Jacky Hawkins 32 Fall of roof
22-11-1942 George Fowler 63 Hand injury in a conveyor 23-10-1942
28-10-1945 Dennis Long 21 Fell down the shaft from top of the cage
02-05-1947 George W Jackson 22 Run over by tubs
06-05-1948 Thomas Woodcock 44 Fall of roof 05-05-1948
04-02-1951 Jack Beeley 51 Unknown Internal injuries
14-06-1955 Frank Fisher 41 Unknown, Crushed chest.
28-01-1958 Edward A Koepnik 28 Broke every bone in his body after being pulled from inset by the cage as it passed them by.
28-02-1963 Thomas Bradshaw 25 Pulmonary Embolism.
31-03-1963 Samuel Horner 63 Multiple injuries.
08-03-1964 John Shaw 60 Fractured pelvis 04–03–1964.
29-11-1976 Douglas Taylor Lee 34 Died in an accident on the paddy train.