'Davy' miner's oil safety lamp made by J.H. Naylor, Wigan, 1860s.

This lamp features a rare octagonal fuel vessel. James Henry Naylor set up in business in Wigan in 1860 as a wire worker and safety lamp maker.

The gauze on a Davy lamp was disigned to disperse the flame, reducing the risk of the hot flame causing an explosion when firedamp (methane and oxygen) was present. Essential ventilation currents in the mine could impinge on the correct functioning of the gause, causing explosions. In the 1830s, it became widely recognised that the Davy had to been protected from air currents. Inicially, shields were introduced surrounding two thirds of the flame as on this example.