On July 4th, 1838, a tremendous storm caused a ditch near the village of Silkstone to flood, sending a torrent of water into the Huskar pit mine. Twenty-six children between the ages of 7-17 who were working in the mine were trapped and drowned by the sudden inrush of water. Most of the victims lived in Silkstone and nearby villages. The disaster shocked the nation and led to new laws prohibiting the employment of women and children under 10 in coal mines.

1. PIT: MOOR END COLLIERY
(HUSKAR)
Location: Silkstone Common, Barnsley
Type: Inrush of water
Fatalities: 26 (7 – 17 years)
Date: Wednesday 4th July 1838
A book I bought
during my day in
South Yorkshire
(to help with my
research)

2.  One of the most saddest but significant
mining disasters in Britain.
 Occurred near the village of Silkstone.
 A tremendous storm brew during the
afternoon of 4th July 1838.
 What is normally a dry ditch was turned into a
raging torrent of water, inundating the Huskar
pit (a day-hole/drift linked underground to
Moor End Colliery).
 TWENTY-SIX children were trapped and
drowned (between the ages of 7 – 17 years
old).

3.  Robert Couldwell Clarke, who was the local
squire and resided at Noblethrorpe Hall,
owned the property of both mines.
This photograph
was taken by the
author of the
memorial to the
children who died
in the Huskar Pit
flood in Nabs
Wood, Silkstone
Common.
The Huskar
monument,
erected by the
people of
Silkstone parish in
1988 to mark the
150th anniversary
of the disaster.

4.  In an outbuilding of Throstle Nest (or Hall), the bodies were placed after
retrieval.
 Their faces were washed and then taken to their respective homes.
- 3 of the children were from Dodworth,
- 3 from Thurgoland,
- and 20 from Silkstone.

5. Few photos I took during my visit at the Barnsley Town Hall (museum); about
the experience of the children working hard underground in 1840 (months after the
mining disaster).

6. WHAT HAPPENED DOWN THERE?
 The banksman, who was above the pit, raised
the alarm as soon as storm water began running
down the Moor End Calliery.
 He shouted at those below to come out of the pit
as quickly as possible.
 The children made their way to the pit bottom,
waiting with anticipation of being drawn up the
shaft.
 There was pandemonium below; due to the
amount of water that had unexpectedly entered
its building, the engine was unable to raise
steam.

7. WHAT HAPPENED DOWN THERE?
 After some puzzlement, groups made their
way towards the day-hole through unfamiliar
roadways in darkness.
 14 of the older children managed to find
shelter in a ‘slit’ (a narrow short-cut between
passages).
 However, water was building up at an
alarming rate near the entrance to the drift
above ground (ready to start pouring through
the mouth of the pit).
 2 children, washed into smaller pits, escaped.

8. WHAT HAPPENED DOWN THERE?
 Four others were hauled to safety after
rushing back to the Moor End pit bottom
(the engine now working again).
 BUT, 26 children were swept downwards
by an inescapable inrush of water after
they opened the folding trap-doors near
the entrance/exit of Huskar (hurling them
against ventilation door number 2).
 They drowned within a minute...

9. MY PHOTOS (FROM THE
HUSKAR DISASTER
MEMORIAL IN SILKSTONE
CHURCHYARD)

10. Looking towards All Saints’
Church, Silkstone from the
Huskar disaster monument

12. All the boys who died during the disaster
(7 – 16 years old)

13. The Huskar disaster memorial:
These photos of all three sides of the
memorial show the detail portraying the
names and ages of the girls and boys who
died from the mining disaster (one side
conveying only the girls’ names, and the
other side showing the names of the
boys).
• The average age of the children who
died was only 10.8 years.
• News of the tragedy shocked young
Queen Victoria, and was the subject to
discussion in both the London press and
parliament.
• Lord Ashley soon introduced a Bill
prohibiting the employment of women, and
children under the age of 10, from working
underground in coal mines (after this
tragedy had taken place).
All the girls who died during the disaster
(8 – 17 years old)