The Bardsley Colliery Co was situated on the west side of Oldham Road (now Ashton Road), Ashton-under-Lyne (Oldham since 1954). It was comprised of two pits, namely, Victoria Pit to the north and Diamond Pit to the south.

The cause of the disaster in Diamonf Pit on the 2 Feb 1858 was an explosion of firedamp ignited by shot firing. The explosion, which affected both pits, was emitted from Diamond Pit and it occurred in the Two-foot and Peacock Mines both of which were known to be fiery. The Two-foot Mine was about 18 to 27 inches thick while the Peacock Mine was about 28 inches thick and about 7 yards below the Two-foot Mine. At this time the proprietor of Bardsley Colliery Co was Jonah Harrop of Bardsley House, Bardsley.

The number of miners who lost their lives was 53 and each name in the roll is followed by age and death register references at Tameside Register Office, Dukinfield, (KNO = Knott Lanes & AST = Ashton Town).

A Primitive Methodist Sunday School was opened on nearby Keb Ln in Oct 1832 and a chapel was added in 1864. This chapel was mainly attended by mining families and a monument to the miners who were lost in the disaster was erected inside it. This major disaster persuaded Samuel Oldham to gift the sum of £10,000 to found Ashton Infirmary (now Tameside Hospital) in 1861.

In 1844 Jonah Harrop partly financed the construction of Holy Trinity Church on behalf of the Church Commissioners and its site was a short distance to the north of Bardsley Colliery. The church was consecrated on the 10 Oct 1844 by the Bishop of Chester. On the 21 Sep 1852 the Lord Lieutenant of Lancashire commissioned Jonah Harrop as a Deputy Lieutenant.

Following Jonah Harrop’s death in 1866, Bardsley Colliery Co was sold to the Fairbottom Colliery Co who owned Woodpark Colliery a short distance to the north of Holy Trinity Church. Up to 20 Jul 1869 the proprietors of the Fairbottom Colliery Co (aka Messrs Leeses & Booth) were John Lees, James Lees, Joseph Lees and George Edward Booth but on this day George Edward Booth stepped down as a proprietor. Members of the Lees family were also the principal proprietors/shareholders of the Chamber Colliery Co as well as being the owners of the nearby Park Bridge Iron Works.

Roll of other fatalities

• 17 Mar 1853: Peter HOOTON, 13 years. Struck by falling wood in Diamond Pit.(Knott Lanes, KNO/5/51)
• 14 Jul 1853: Samuel ASHTON, 35 years. Roof fall.(Knott Lanes, KNO/5/66)
• 8 May 1862: Edward MORRIS, 68 years. Rock fall in Victoria Pit shaft.(Knott Lanes, KNO/8/77)
• 1 Jul 1862: Samuel JONES, 50 years. Caught between cage and frame when descending Diamond Pit.(Ashton Town, AST/44/60)
• 4 Oct 1864: John JONES, 44 years. Roof fall in Foxholes Mine.(Knott Lanes, KNO/9/45)
• 9 Jan 1866: William JACQUES, 10 years. Waggoner. Crushed by a waggon.(Knott Lanes, KNO/9/82)
• 26 Jun 1868: Joseph APPLETON, 18 years. Waggoner. Fall of shale from roof.(Knott Lanes, KNO/10/76)
• 30 Jul 1872: John HULME, 65 years. Roof and coal fall in Old Mine.(Knott Lanes, KNO/12/22)
• 20 Mar 1873: Joseph TAYLOR, 47 years. Roof fall.(Knott Lanes, KNO/12/45?)
• 30 Mar 1873: Andrew MATLEY, 31 years. Firedamp explosion in Old Mine.(Knott Lanes, KNO/12/52)
• 1 Apr 1873: Silas MARLAND, 63 years. Carter. Fell off a gangway on pit bank.(Knott Lanes, KNO/12/50)
• 16 May 1873: Nathan SPENCER, 51 years. Shaftsman. Coupling chain snapped while he was descending shaft.(Knott Lanes, KNO/12/55)
• 4 Jan 1876: William SLATER, 8 years. Pushed over a tub while playing on pit bank.(Knott Lanes, KNO/13/49)