Science in the pits: Michael Faraday, Charles Lyell and the home office enquiry into the explosion at Haswell Colliery, country Durham, in 1844*

Abstract

The explosion at Haswell colliery in September 1844 in which ninety five men and boys were killed has attracted considerable historical attention. This is in some measure due to Michael Faraday and Charles Lyell taking part in the inquest and writing a subsequent report on the cause of the explosion and how to prevent such explosions in the future. Using evidence not used before, this paper examines the context in which the explosion occurred, the inquest process, the political pressure which led to the involvement of Faraday and Lyell, their role at the inquest, their subsequent report and the way in which it was dealt with by the Government of Robert Peel.