In the period between 1806-1924 there were a number of mining disasters in the North Wales Coalfield resulting in the deaths of 3,677 miners in Denbighshire and 1,093 in Flintshire.  This loss of life is staggering as well as tragic.  Each death left behind grieving wives, mothers, brothers and sisters.  Oft as not those very people had relied on the miner’s wages and faced extreme hardship.  The following list summarises the various disasters but fails to describe the tragedies that followed.

MOSTYN COLLIERY. Mostyn, Denbighshire. 1806.
There are two explosions reported at Mostyn in 1806, the first cost a total of 36 men and the second about 30 lives.

ROSCOE’S COLLIERY. Bagillt, Flint. 1816 or 1817.
There is a vague reference to an explosion at the colliery during this period of time but there are no particulars.

FLINT COLLIERY. Flint, Flintshire. 20th May 1828.
It was reported that an explosion claimed 9 lives and injured 11 others.

ARGOED COLLIERY. Mold, Flintshire. 10th May 1837.
The colliery was inundated with the loss of twenty lives. Ten others were rescued after being in the pit for three days.

MOSTYN COLLIERY. Mostyn, Flintshire. July 1840.
Eleven lost their lives and five others were seriously injured.

MINERA COLLIERY. Wrexham, Denbighshire. December 1844.
5 lost their lives in an explosion and two others were badly burnt.

MINERA COLLIERY. Wrexham, Denbighshire. 20th July 1849.
9 men lost their lives and another was reported to have been dreadfully injured. A horse was also killed and the colliery was damaged to a considerable extent.

COED POETH COLLIERY. Coedpoeth, Denbighshire. 5th October 1850.
3 were killed and 2 others were in a hopeless state from suffocation. The mine was ventilated in the usual way but the miners preferred to use naked lights instead of lamps.

FROOD COLLIERY. Wrexham, Denbighshire. 19th October 1854.
7 men met their deaths.

BRYN-YR-OWEN COLLIERY. Wrexham, Denbighshire. 11th January 1855.
7 persons were killed.

BRYNMALLY COLLIERY. Wrexham, Denbighshire. 30th September 1856.
An inundation of water, supposed to have come from old workings, claimed the lives of 12 men and 1 of the rescuers also lost his life.

SOUTH MOSTYN COLLIERY. Mostyn, Flintshire. 26th September 1861.
6 (or probably 10) colliers lost their lives in an explosion of gas.

WYNNSTAY COLLIERY. Ruabon, Flintshire. 9th December 1863.
The resulting explosion caused the deaths of 13 men and boys and injury to 6 others.

LEESWOOD COLLIERY. Mold, Flintshire. 15th December 1864.
8 deaths

WYNNSTAY COLLIERY. Ruabon, Flintshire. 30th September 1868.
10 killed and 13 injured in the explosion.

WYNNSTAY COLLIERY. Ruabon, Flintshire. 24th April 1873.
An explosion occurred in the workings which dipped at one in three and was worked with locked lamps causing the deaths of seven persons.

HAFOD-Y-BWCH COLLIERY. Ruabon, Flintshire. 11th December 1873.
An explosion resulted in the deaths of five men and another was seriously injured.

BERSHAM COLLIERY. Wrexham, Denbighshire. 3rd August 1880.
The manager was killed along with seven others and a workman named Valentine was so seriously injured that he died a few days later.

BRYNMALLY COLLIERY. Wrexham, Denbighshire. 13th March 1889.
20 deaths

LLAY MAIN COLLIERY. Wrexham, Denbighshire. 5th December 1924
The flames travelled only a short distance and killed 9 men and boys.