from the deputation who had complained about the presence of gas to the management two weeks before the explosions, no definite conclusion could be reached. The district mines' inspector, Charles Morton, resigned during the inquest with ill health and his place was taken by Joseph Dickinson from Lancashire. William Gibson gave evidence that the night before the meeting of the men and the management, gas had fired at his master, Andrew Barker's lamp and he was "knocked up" after three and a half hours work. Gibson left his job at the colliery the Sunday before the explosion after four or five years employment. Hague, a night deputy, told the inquest of finding 16 bodies between and : "They were not burnt or scorched in the least, but appeared as if asleep." James Marsh, a miner from Worsbro'dale tried to push on past Hague, but had to turn back "as the air was so bad". The inquest could not conclusively ascertain what had caused the explosion or what was the source of the first ignition. Some survivors mentioned an exceptionally violent blast just before the main explosion. This may have been caused by blasting the drift near the Barnsley seam which ignited pockets of firedamp. The initial blast may have caused a chain reaction triggering a firedamp and coal dust explosion that devastated the rest of the pit. Although the cause was never properly discovered, 17 explosions were recorded at the Oaks Colliery. After the inconclusive verdict was delivered the reactions in the press included a barrage of condemnation and criticism. On behalf of the Mines Inspectorate, Joseph Dickinson submitted his report to parliament at the end of April 1867. Petitions were sent to the Home Office asking for an official inquiry into the disaster and the unsafe state of coal mines generally. Dickinson and a representative of the colliery owners were interviewed by a select committee of the House of Commons but the government responded with no urgency and twelve more explosions had occurred before the 1872 Coal Mines Act was operational. Legacy A monument to those killed in the disaster was erected at Christ Church, Ardsley in Barnsley in 1879. A second monument was erected in 1913 to Parkin Jeffcock and the volunteer rescuers who were killed. Parliament considered the subject of colliery accidents in 1868. During 1865–6 the deaths of 2,468 workers led to calls for more to