Davy lamp first tested underground at Hebburn Colliery
- When
- 1815–1816
- Where
- Hebburn Hall; Hebburn Colliery; Hebburn mine
- Episodes
- 3
Humphry Davy's safety lamp was first tested underground at Hebburn Colliery in January 1816. Following the 1812 Felling disaster, Davy gathered gas samples from Hebburn in 1815. The lamp's wire gauze successfully absorbed fire damp during the trial, marking a key development in mine safety.
Episodes
- Gas Sampling at Hebburn
Davy collected methane gas samples from Hebburn Colliery in 1815 for safety lamp experiments.
- Gauze Performance
The lamp's gauze absorbed fire damp, allowing effective illumination during the trial.
- First Underground Trial
The Davy lamp was first tested underground at Hebburn Colliery on January 9, 1816.
Background and detail
Background. Hebburn Colliery played a crucial role in mine safety investigations after the 1812 Felling disaster. In 1815, Humphry Davy stayed at Hebburn Hall and collected methane gas samples from the mine. These samples were transported to London for experiments, leading to the development of a safety lamp designed to prevent explosions in flammable atmospheres.
Trial. The first successful real-world mining test occurred on January 9, 1816, at Hebburn Colliery. The trial demonstrated that the protective gauze could absorb fire damp, allowing the lamp to shine more effectively. This event marked the transition from theoretical invention to practical application in the coal mining industry.
People involved
- Humphry Davy · Inventor
- Cuthbert Ellison · Lodging host during Davy's 1815 visit
Sources
- Davy lamp Wikipedia, revision of 2026-09-02
- Hebburn Wikipedia, revision of 2026-09-19
- Humphry Davy Wikipedia, revision of 2026-09-27
Machine-drafted from the cited Wikipedia passages and checked by a reviewing model, not by a human editor. Every passage cites the revision it was written from; dates and places follow those passages.