Coal mining

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This is a collection of facts about coal-mining in this area which I have drawn together from a variety of sources and tried to summarise by reference to the particular pits involved.
Nevertheless, the 'story' is far from complete, and possibly confusing in places, so I welcome any corrections and additions in the interest of achieving historical
accuracy and completeness.

  Sources and  reference points

Contributions by ;

 

Extracts from Annibynwyr Gwaun-Cae-Gurwen

Extracts from The History of Pontardawe and District by John Henry Davies

Extracts from The History of Brynamman  by Enoch Rees   

Extracts from The Fed; a history of the South Wales Miners in the twentieth century. By Hywel Francis & David Smith

Extracts from  THE INDUSTRIALIZATION OF A GLAMORGAN PARISH (Llangiwg); By Hugh Thomas, National Library of Wales journal Winter, 1975, Vol XIX/2

 

Abernant Colliery

 

Betws (Deep) Mine  This link takes you to the Miner's Advice site

 

Cwmgors Pits

 

Cwmllynfell & Cwmtwrch

Brynderi Colliery, Cwmtwrch  (Contains large image files)

Garnant / Glanaman / Betws

 

GCG/Tairgwaith

Pontardawe

 

Ystalyfera / Gwrhyd

 

 

Nicknames from the mines of the Tairgwaith district

Wages and Miners' Agents and Society for the Protection of Anthracite Miners

Pay slip 1889

Condolence letter

South Wales Miners Federation (SWMF) Register of Deaths in the South Wales coalfield between 5 January 1934 and 17 January 1941.
This is a letter written by Dr Glen Jenkins to the Editor of the Glamorgan Family History Society's journal in March 2006
It relates  to an index of the above Register of Deaths compiled by him and  now held by the Library and Information Services, University of Wales Swansea

See also; Coal Mining, A Reader for Primary Schools and Evening Continuation Classes by Henry Davies; The Welsh Educational Publishing Co, Merthyr Tydfil, 1904. This is a substantial extract from the book, of general interest only.

See also the Welsh Coal Mines site -  this excellent site has details and photographs of many Collieries in South Wales. Also many with lists of miners killed in pit disasters

Holdings detailed on Archives Network Wales ;   

  • Llanelli Library Plans    "Maps and plans relating to ..............plans of Rhos Colliery, Pantyffynnon, 1890...........; plan of the Ammanford Colliery, Ammanford, undated (c1900-1950); plans of Blaina Colliery, Pantyffynnon, undated (c1850-1920); plans of Caer-Bryn Colliery, Llandybie, undated (c1850-1950); .........; plan of the Cawdor Colliery, Brynamman, undated (c1850-1950); ........; plan of Garnot Colliery (Garnant Colliery?, Brynamman), undated (c1850-1950); plans of Gelly Ceidrim Colliery, near Glanamman, 1900-1928; plan of the Park Colliery, Pantyffynnon, undated (c1890-1920);........... ; plan of Wernos Colliery, Pantyffynnon, undated (c1908-1965); map of Gellyceidrim ucha-issa 1876; geological surveys of Great Britain, vertical sections of coal seams, undated (c1800-1900)."
  • National Coal Board Plans of Colliery Pit-head Buildings;   Include  " ...Cwmgorse, 1951-1953; ........ Gwaun Cae Gurwen collieries, 1939-1955........Tirbach pit-head baths, 1939-1957, Treforgan, 1963-1964,........"

From Archives Network Wales ;   "The National Coal Board (NCB) was set up under the Coal Nationalisation Act 1946. From 1 January 1947 it had sole responsibility for managing the British coal industry. The collieries of the former county of West Glamorgan lay within the NCB's South Wales Area. The NCB became British Coal in 1986 and was dissolved in 1994"

 

 

 

 

Extracts from Annibynwyr Gwaun-Cae-Gurwen up

 

 

 

This is an extract on the coal mining aspect of life from "Annibynwyr Gwaun-Cae-Gurwen" [1942] the history of the Independent chapels in the two adjoining villages of Gwaun-cae-gurwen and Cwmgors situated in Llangiwg parish  in the north western corner of Glamorgan.

The complete  translation and index are available on http://www.genuki.org.uk/big/wal/GLA/Llangiwg/Gwauncaegurwen/AnnibynwyrTRANS.html

"The district , in an industrial region, expanded early in the nineteenth century, and the growth of the church in the century was to a degree linked through the growth of the coal business. There are traces of coal workings here from early in the seventeenth century.

We have the history of the old court of the Manor of Gwaun-Cae-Gurwen being held in 1610, adjudicating that the coal and seams below the ground in the possession of a tenant, were owned by the tenant and not by the landlord, and that the tenant could dig ,excavate and sell the coal without the permission of the owner of the land.

They worked the coal in those times in a very elementary way; only moving the earth that was on the seams that outcropped to the surface, and after digging the coal, throwing the earth back into the holes. By today, not bothering to throw anything back, but leaving ugly tips of rubble to spoil the look of the place; that's deterioration in one sense at least.

We have scores of these holes scarring the hills around the district.

Of late, they have excavated shallow pits, some fifteen or twenty yards deep, from some they carried the coal in wicker baskets after tying them to men's backs, and them climbing ladders fixed on the sides of the pits. The coal worker was assisted by some of his children, and sometimes by his wife as well, dragging a sort of small cart through the works. There were children of seven and eight years old working in these pits, and it was expected that a girl carried a ton of coal in a day for a wage of eight pence. We have pictures today of girls with ropes round their shoulders , pulling carts in some of the mines in this district in the early period referred to.

They carried the coal from these pits along rough tracks with horses and donkeys, with packs on their backs, until the main road was built in 1815-17, to connect the place with Pontardawe. The first pit, apart from the holes already referred to, was sunk about 1837, by a man called Charles Morgan, and in 1874 he sold the works to men from the county of Caerefrog, and they formed the Gwaun-Cae-Gurwen Coal Company.[* But see the History of Pontardawe and District by John Henry Daviesfor a different version]

The record book of the school gives us a glance at the occasional fact relating to the works. For example, here is a note about the price of coal;

"One load of coal brought to the school weighing 18cwt., the price of which was 5/3, and the carriage 10d." This was in 1868.

The schoolmaster complained that the children were leaving the school very young to work in the mine; very few were the boys who arrived in the higher class. The accidents were recorded as well; there were several notes like this; "Man killed at works". And the following week; "Man killed by the trucks".

There was an accident in the pit in the month of September, 1843 [ the worst accident in the history of the works] when the rope broke and six lives were lost.

That was a black day for the young Carmel church, because some if not all were members [of it].

In 1874, when the Gwaun-Cae-Gurwen Coal Company was formed, the total amount of coal raised was almost 70 tons a day. This was more than they could carry off in carts on the road, and they started to make a railway from the Old Pit down to Cwmtawe in order to discharge the coal onto boats on the canal, and then to be carried to Swansea to reach the ships.

It is easy to see the remains of this old way today coming past Pontbaraceirch, Cwmbach and Beiliglas to Cwmgors. As another company was building a railway from Llanelli to Garnant, they dropped the plan of taking the railway to Cwmtawe, and instead of that made a line to join the new railway in Cwmaman, and sent the coal over that one to Llanelli. It seems that that railway was one of the earliest in Wales.

In August, 1876, a strike broke out in the Waun works and it lasted longer than usual, and the old schoolmaster, George Edmunds gave a word of its story in the school book ;

" Commencement of third week of strike with the Waun colliers. Proprietors asking 12.5% reduction and the colliers refusing. The latter offered, Thursday last, 7.5%, but received no answer. On date, heard the ultimatum,---12.5%, nothing less.

Tuesday and Wednesday, colliers left for the hills [ the local term for the Rhondda and district], almost in a body, having withdrawn their offer of 7.5%. The whole loaf or nothing on both sides. The women of the place very depressed, but I do not believe it can last long as the coal trade is looking up, and a good demand."

The price of coal around this time was 8/- a ton according to the school book ."

Maerdy Pit up

 

 

 
The Maerdy Pit was the first major development by the GCG Colliery Company, owners of the Old Pit, who in c1883 had acquired the lease of a considerable additional acreage of coal.

The GCG Colliery Company were pioneers in the anthracite trade, and innovations they introduced , such as the mechanical breaking/sizing/washing processes[see below], were adopted by others subsequently.

The coal was the best quality anthracite and the "GCG" brand of anthracite became highly rated in the market place. Indeed it won laurels at the following exhibitions ; 1883-Amsterdam ; 1885-Antwerp; 1888-Barcelona ; 1889 - Paris etc.

The GCG Colliery Co's mines at GCG were well served by links to the Great Western Railway on the west side and the Midland Railway on the east side.These gave the company easy access to the ports of Swansea, Llanelly, Briton Ferry and Port Talbot.

At the Maerdy Pit the 13 ft diameter shaft was sunk in 1884/5 to work the Big Vein seam at a depth of 240 yards, coal was first brought out of it in 1886.

Brief technical details;

The surface winding engines were a pair of horizontal engines coupled direct to a 10ft by 6ft drum.

It had 5 bar screens with the large coal delivered into trucks, cobble screens sent cobbles to a conveyor band/elevator and on to a breaking and screening plant. Culm was sent to trucks and on to the Culm Screen and Washing Plant.

The Maerdy was the first place that saw anthracite broken by mechanical means, there was a succession of different  machines used for this purpose until c1890 when the  German 'Humboldt' machine was installed. This plant dealt with up to 250 tons a day making up to 6 different sizes of coals from 4" cubes down to broken duff. The coal was conveyed to the plant across a bridge  by endless chain haulage.

Water was pumped from the pit bottom to the surface  by a combination of electric pumps with further pumps relaying water from the Districts to the main pit bottom sump.

There were various electrically driven  haulage sets with a sub-station on the pit bottom, this also powered electric lighting.

The surface Electric Power Station comprised an engine house, boiler house and coal house.
The engine house contained 3 generating sets, two of which were always in use with the third being on standby for renewals and repairs.  
The boiler house contained 4 water tube boilers  fitted with furnaces burning washed anthracite beans brought direct from the washing plant  to the coal house in railway trucks; feed water came from a small mountain stream.

Men employed;

  • 1895 ; 658
  • 1918 ; 777
  • 1935 ; 782
  • 1945 ; 308

The Maerdy was closed down in 1948.

See also the Welsh Coal Mines site

From the Peak District Welsh Mines in 1896 site
Gwaun-cae-Gurwen, "No. 2 or New Pit"     Gwaun-cae-Gurwen Colliery Co. Ltd., Parkgate, Rotherham            Manager; Joseph Hargreaves    Undermanager; Wm Evans          Workers;  485 Underground   130  Surface     Anthracite

New Pit, GCG    Gwaun cae Gurwen Colliery Co Ltd, Swansea       Manager; Jos Hargreaves, U/manager Ed Powell            Workers; U/ground 526, Surface 153   Coal Mining History Resource Centre (List of mines 1908)

In 1896 Gwaun-Cae-Gurwen Collieries, comprised the No 1 or Old Pit and the No 2 Maerdy (or New) Pit.   Xerox copies, [20th century], of schedule of prices (original 1896), containing rates of pay for specific jobs of work in the colliery are held at Carmarthenshire Archives Services."  [From Archives Network Wales]

See also on this site Schedule of Prices at Gwancaegurwen Collieries & Memorandum of Agreement dated 12th Sept 1896

Steer Pit up

 

 

 

In 1922/4, the   Steer Pit  was sunk by the GCG Colliery Co Ltd, being the third major development by that company in GCG after the Maerdy and East Pits.

It was 354 yards deep to the Lower Vein Seam.

It was closed down in 1959.

There is an extant  photograph showing Field Marshall Montgomery chatting to workmen and their families at this pit during his South Wales visit in 1947.

See also the Welsh Coal Mines site

Cwmgors Pits up

 

 

 

See Extracts from Annibynwyr Gwaun-Cae-Gurwen   and  Extracts from The History of Pontardawe and District by John Henry Davies for a random selection of historic facts about mining in Cwmgors as seen in these source books. Some of these are repeated below in an [unsuccessful] attempt to portray a coherent picture.

The Red Vein, 4 feet 3 inches thick, outcropping at Cwmgors, was worked by Jeffreys in 1833.

Quite close to the above  Jeffreys site, in about 1884 a mine was started at Llwynrhydie,Cwmgors, known as Joseph's Works, as it was owned by Joseph Thomas, shopkeeper from Garnant. At that time , the "Truck Act System" was in vogue, through this the workers had to buy goods in the works company shop.

Is the above the same mine that Ifor Davies in his book says was sunk in 1887 and closed in 1964 ? Presumably New Cwmgors Colliery ?

In an account book of Highway Rate of the Hamlet of Gwauncaegurwen in 1859, Joseph Thomas's rateable value of Llwynrhydiau Colliery was £24, and the rate was one shilling in the pound.   New Cwmgors Colliery's rateable value in 1914 was £1,845, with a special expenses of rate of 2/6 in the £. At the beginning of the nineteenth century, Cwmgors Red Vein coal was sold at 6/8 a ton.

Mr. Miers agreed on July 27, 1900, to lease for fifty years to the late Samuel Jenkins, of Cwmgors Farm, the Red Vein, with the fire-clay associated with it, underlying Llwynhen Farm and part of Penlle'rfedwen Common to the west of a line of the Pencaedu Fault, containing 377 acres, at a Dead Rent of £400 per annum, merging into Royalties of 5d. per statute ton of coal, 4d. per statute ton of fireclay, and a Wayleave of 1d. per statute ton.

A boy, when he left Standard 6 in the school, started as a haulier, taking his father's horse and cart, to convey coal from Llwynrhydiau colliery, afterwards named New Cwmgors Colliery, was paid 9d a load for horse, cart and boy. He took one ton to 25 cwts. every load seven times a day, from 9 a.m. to 5.0 p.m. One day the black mare jibbed on the gradient at the Gwauncaegurwen siding, so he whipped the mare, which jumped up and was hanging from the shafts, and coal had to be tipped over the tail-board.

A piece of land was demised to the New Cwmgors Colliery Co., Ltd., for the purpose of forming a branch railway and sidings from Cwmgors Colliery and Brickworks to join the branch railway from the Gwauncaegurwen Colliery at a Dead Rent of £5 per annum, merging into Wayleave of 1d. per statute ton on all articles, minerals, merchandize and materials.[* 18]  The railway which served the Cwmgors Colliery was opened in August 1901,and before the construction of the railway, coal was conveyed by horse-drawn carts along the main road to a siding near the Level Crossing at Gwauncaegurwen, where the coal was loaded into railway wagons.

I have seen a note somewhere that Cwmgors Colliery 'was working' in 1923. .

The Cwmgors Pit was closed in 1964.

See the book History of Coal Mining in the Amman Valley by Ifor Davies 2001 for a reference to Buckland Pit in Cwmgors, in particular the detailed plan dated 1927, it was abandoned before being completed.

See also the Welsh Coal Mines site

From the Peak District Welsh Mines in 1896 site
Cwmgors Pit     Cwmgorse Colliery Co. Ltd., Gwaun-cae-Gurwen                 Workers;  12 Underground,   4 Surface .        Anthracite

From the  Coal Mining History Resource Centre (List of mines 1908)
New Cwmgorse     New Cwmgorse Colliery Co Ltd       Manager; John Davies    Workers; U/ground 216  , Surface  48

Details of extant records on Archives Network Wales for the following;

  • Abraham Evans (Cwmgorse)   1928-1985   "Lecture notes of courses at Neath Intermediate School and Swansea Municipal Technical College 1928-1935; note-books of assorted jottings and technical notes on coal workings, mining equipment, etc., 1969 and undated (c1935); material concerning Cwmgorse Colliery 1956-1963; National Coal Board publication on seam namings 1956; correspondence from Llanguicke Parish Council 1957; list of books, undated (c1975)."

Personal impressions/memories;

The main 20th century Cwmgors Colliery was a drift mine, the works were sited behind, but just south of, the New Star Inn in the centre of the village, presumably on Llwynrhydiau land . It went down in a south westerly direction.

I have vague childhood memories of a ventilation shaft  further down the valley near one of the farms, Nantricket I think.

See also the mining notes in Tommy Vaughan's piece Impressions of Gwauncaegurwen and District in the 1870s

East Pit up

 

 

 

The East Pit was sunk in 1910 and was  the GCG Colliery Co's second development, after the Maerdy.

It was sunk to a depth of 355 yards, down through the Big Vein into the Peacock Vein. The original Big Pit shaft was then converted into an up-cast for ventilation at both Maerdy and East pits.

Brief technical details;

All the machinery here was operated  via a sub-station by electricity generated by the Main Power Station at the Maerdy Pit.

There were 4 main screens with electrically driven tippers. Large coal was delivered into trucks via shutes and lowering arms, cobbles on a conveying band to the coal-breaking /sizing plant, and culm to a hopper bunker above wagon level for onward movement to the culm screen and washery.

The electric winder here was capable of winding 3 tons of coal every 45 seconds.

Water was  pumped to the surface by pumps in the shaft and near the pit bottom.

There was a variety of haulage sets; an electrical sub-station near the pit bottom; the pit bottom and approaches were lit by electricity.

When East Pit was sunk they also installed a new and enlarged washing plant.

East Pit was closed  down in 1962.

See also the Welsh Coal Mines site

Old Pit up

 

 

 

In 1837  what became known as the ' Old Pit' in Gwauncaegurwen was sunk by Richard Hopkin [see separate  History of Pontardawe and District extract]
This might be said to be when the process of industrialisation started in the GCG area, before that, there were only a few cottages on the slopes and the edges of the Waun.

On 1 September 1847 there was an accident in the Old Pit, the worst in the history of the works, when the rope broke and six lives were lost.

In 1859 the colliery was owned by Kirkham, who sold it to Charles Morgan and Ildebrand.[ History of Pontardawe and District]

In 1874, Richard Morgan, who had succeeded his late father, sold the Old Pit works  to several  [mostly] Yorkshiremen who then formed the Gwaun-cae-gurwen Colliery Company. These men were Fred Cleaves, Joseph Hargreaves, Richard L. Sails, Thomas Bartholomew and Frank Sellers. Joseph Hargreaves acted as general manager, and T. Bartholomew as mechanical engineer and the others looked after the business side.

Until 1886, the Old Pit used a winding plant system for raising coal to the surface from the bottom at 175 yards which was based on a vertical beam engine coupled to flat rope drums. This was driven by  two coal burning steam-producing boilers. This particular winding plant was replaced in 1886 by a modern engine and boilers, still using coal to produce steam but with greater output. Also in 1886 a new pump was installed at the bottom to pump the water out of the pit sump. This was replaced in 1913 by an electrically driven pump.

The shaft at the Old Pit was of an oval shape and measured 16ft by 8ft.
After coal extraction finished there the shaft was used as the up-cast for the East Pit with a ventilating fan installed.

The output of the GCG Colliery Co prior to the Maerdy starting to produce in 1886 was some 250 tons a day.

From the Peak District Welsh Mines in 1896 site
Gwaun-cae-Gurwen, "No. 1 or Old Pit"           Gwaun-cae-Gurwen Colliery Co. Ltd., Parkgate, Rotherham            Manager; Joseph Hargreaves    Under Manager; Ed. Powell       Workers; 330 Underground    110 Surface        Anthracite

Old Pit, GCG       Gwaun cae gurwen Colliery Co Ltd, Swansea              Manager; Jos Hargreaves, U/manager  Wm Evans            Workers; U/ground 286 , Surface  90   Coal Mining History Resource Centre (List of mines 1908)

In 1896 Gwaun-Cae-Gurwen Collieries, comprised the No 1 or Old Pit and the No 2 Maerdy (or New) Pit.   Xerox copies, [20th century], of schedule of prices (original 1896), containing rates of pay for specific jobs of work in the colliery are held at Carmarthenshire Archives Services."  [From Archives Network Wales]

See also on this site Schedule of Prices at Gwancaegurwen Collieries & Memorandum of Agreement dated 12th Sept 1896

Extracts from The History of Pontardawe and District by John Henry Davies up

 

 

 
This first section is extracted as written.

Coal Mining at Gwauncaegurwen

Anthracite coal was worked at Caegurwen over 360 years ago. Records in the " Survey of Gower " states that the Baron Court of Gwauncaegurwen was held in the eighth year of the reign of King James I, on April 19, 1610. The Court decided that

" all sea coal and stone coal with all the mines and veins thereof in or under the land in possession of the customary tenant belongs to the tenant and not to the lord. He can dig, cut, sell and convert into their respective uses all such coal, mines or veins without the lord's licence ".

No coal was, apparently, sold at that period, but was dug from the outcrop and used for household purposes.

In Cromwell's Survey of Gower in 1610, it was stated that

" all royalties, if any be within the said Lordship, as haultres, mynes, strayes, felons goods, the goods of them who destroy themselves and belong unto the Lord of the soyle, but they notwithstanding, that all sea coal and stone coal, with all veins and mines thereof, and all sorts and kinds of stones and stone quarrys and stone mines not having any kind of metall in them, the said stone mines which may be found, in, upon or under any of the said tenants customary tenements, belong and appertain to the tenants themselves and not to the Lord, and that every customary holder of customary land of inheritance parcel of this Lo may at his will and pleasure, without licence or allowance of the Lord of the said Manor, digg, cut, sell, and convert unto his the said customary tenants own use commodity and behoofs, all such sea coal, stone coal, with all veins and mines and stone quarrys, and that by force and according to ancient and approved lawful and allowed custom that is and time out of mind hath been within the said Lo without contradiction or question, until now."

The conditions mentioned above referred to Caegurwen which included Brynamman, Cwmllynfell and Gwauncaegurwen. No coal seams outcrop at Godre'rwaun, and that was why Brynamman and Cwmgors, where valuable coal seams crop out, developed earlier than Gwauncaegurwen.

The Red Vein, 4 feet 3 inches thick, outcropping at Cwmgors, was worked by Jeffreys in 1833 and, quite close to it, Joseph Thomas opened a small mine, known as Llwynrhydiau colliery.

Jeffreys employed four colliers and, in 1835, Joseph Thomas had two colliers and four boys.

The Cawdor Colliery on Mynydd-y-Betws worked the Red Vein at the same time.

In 1842, these small mines were not mentioned by the Rating Authority. In an account book of Highway Rate of the Hamlet of Gwauncaegurwen in 1859, Joseph Thomas's rateable value of Llwynrhydiau Colliery was £24, and the rate was one shilling in the pound. New Cwmgors Colliery's rateable value in 1914 was £1,845, with a special expenses of rate of 2/6 in the £. At the beginning of the nineteenth century, Cwmgors Red Vein coal was sold at 6/8 a ton, and in 1876 the price of the best Gwauncaegurwen coal was 8/- a ton and ten pence for haulage.

As workable coal seams at Gwauncaegurwen were at some depth from the surface, it was necessary to sink shafts to reach the coal. In 1832, Roger Hopkin sank a pit near Caeglas Terrace, and at the same time constructed a tramway to take the coal down to the Swansea Canal at Pontardawe. Cuttings and embankments can still be traced through Derwydd, Beiliglas Farm, and by the Cwmgors Primary School. No railway had come to Garnant at this period. The shaft failed, because when the sinkers reached a pervious bed of sandstone, the water was too much for the pumps. The tramway was never completed.

Roger Hopkin, at his second attempt in 1837, succeeded in sinking a shaft to a depth of 173 yards one foot to the Big Vein. The pit-bottom was at exactly the same depth as sea-level. This pit, afterwards known as the Old Pit, was oval in cross-section with a major axis 16 feet long and a minor axis 8 feet long. No wall was built to protect the sides. At the Quarter Sessions held on February 23, 1842, before James Ebenezer Bicheno, J.P., and Lewis Dillwyn, J.P., the overseer of Caegurwen, Hopkin William Hopkin, reported that Hopkins and Co. were rated at £55 a year and the output was 30 to 40 tons a day.[* 104]

[* 104  Report of Quarter Sessions,1842.]

In 1840, the Company announced that the " Great Wauncaegurwen stone coal or anthracite had been reached at 87 fathoms, the vein being six feet thick. In March 1839, the Big or Milford Vein was reached, and the company announced the issue of shares at a premium of £5 each." [* 105]

[* 105   The Cambrian, January 21, 1840.]

When the " Old Pit " was sunk, it was the only means of ingress and egress to the underground workings. A wooden partition separated the fresh air going down from the foul air coming up. A fire placed at the bottom of a chimney on the surface on return air side produced an air current. One day the pump rods broke and smashed the wooden partition and an explosion took place in the workings. The eighty men underground at the time ran to the pit-bottom, and as fresh air was limited, they decided to put out their candles. All the workmen at the bottom of the slope were in utter darkness, without means of escape, but, fortunately, the partition was repaired and all came up alive.

In 1847, another shaft was sunk to the Big Vein and used as an upcast, at the bottom of which a large furnace created a strong air current. The hot air in No. 2 shaft ascended, while the cool fresh air in the Old Pit descended.

This next section in the book appears under History of Gwauncaegurwen. It has been extracted as written, these paragraphs follow on without any indication of a change of subject and are a little confusing in parts.

Mr. Miers agreed on July 27, 1900, to lease for fifty years to the late Samuel Jenkins, of Cwmgors Farm, the Red Vein, with the fire-clay associated with it, underlying Llwynhen Farm and part of Penlle'rfedwen Common to the west of a line of the Pencaedu Fault, containing 377 acres, at a Dead Rent of £400 per annum, merging into Royalties of 5d. per statute ton of coal, 4d. per statute ton of fireclay, and a Wayleave of 1d. per statute ton.

A piece of land was demised to the New Cwmgors Colliery Co., Ltd., for the purpose of forming a branch railway and sidings from Cwmgors Colliery and Brickworks to join the branch railway from the Gwauncaegurwen Colliery at a Dead Rent of £5 per annum, merging into Wayleave of 1d. per statute ton on all articles, minerals, merchandize and materials.[* 18]  The railway which served the Cwmgors Colliery was opened in August 1901,and before the construction of the railway, coal was conveyed by horse-drawn carts along the main road to a siding near the Level Crossing at Gwauncaegurwen, where the coal was loaded into railway wagons.

[* 18. Miers (1914): The Miers Mineral and Surface Estates.]

A boy, when he left Standard 6 in the school, started as a haulier, taking his father's horse and cart, to convey coal from Llwynrhydiau colliery, afterwards named New Cwmgors Colliery, was paid 9d a load for horse, cart and boy. He took one ton to 25 cwts. every load seven times a day, from 9 a.m. to 5.0 p.m. One day the black mare jibbed on the gradient at the Gwauncaegurwen siding, so he whipped the mare, which jumped up and was hanging from the shafts, and coal had to be tipped over the tail-board.[* 19]

[* 19 Morgan, Daniel (1944): In conversation.]

During a period of low atmospheric pressure, fire-damp expanded from the gobs, oozed from the coal faces, entered the return airway, passed through the furnace and sometimes produced long flames. Workmen descending in a cage wore sacks around their clothes to prevent being burnt by the flames and hot gases.

Flat ropes were used for raising men, coal and rubbish from the pit. On September 1, 1847, the rope broke when the engineman lifted the cage too high, and the six men in it dropped to the pit-bottom, where they were instantaneously killed. In 1848, the Company used a flat iron rope and a safety cage. On the whole, the area has been fairly free from large explosions and serious accidents.
At Garnant Colliery on Wednesday, January 16, 1884, an accident occurred when ten lives were lost. At 5 o'clock in the morning, colliers descended the pit, and after forty had been lowered, the rope which had been examined that morning showed no flaw. Not more than eight men were allowed to descend in the cage at one time, but on this morning, ten men crowded into the cage on its fatal trip. They had gone down many yards when the ordinary steel rope suddenly snapped, precipitating the men and the cage to the bottom, a depth of 150 yards. The colliery at the time was worked by David Pugh, M.P. for Cardiganshire, who was mainly instrumental in passing the Employers' Act. He employed 150 men in getting coal at the colliery.[* 20]

[* 20 The Cambrian, Swansea, January 18, 1864.]

The shaft when it was sunk to the Trigloyn Vein, proved some coal seams above the Big Vein.[* 21]

[* 21 Cantril, T. C. (1907): Geology of the Country around Ammanford.Memoir of the Geological Survey.]

Owners sold the colliery in 1886. A ton of coal cost 6/-, supplied to Miss Jones, Garth, Pontardawe, on October 20, 1881.[* 22]
On July 31, 1882, she bought anthracite coal from Morgan and Thomas of Mountain Colliery ( Gwaith y Focsen), Cwmgors, at various prices, from 2/6 to a ton.[* 23]

[* 22/23  Jones, Miss (1882): Receipt from Letricheux and David.]

Women did not work underground at Gwauncaegurwen although the law prohibiting them did not come before the Mines Regulation Act of 1842, but women worked on the surface at Mountain Colliery, Cwmgors. The employment of boys under ten years of age was forbidden by the same Act. After 1842, the day's work was supposed to be twelve hours a day, but often the colliers, accompanied by boys, prepared the " arms" and notched the " collars " of the timber on top of the Incline until 10.0p.m. For this extra work the men paid for cakes for the boys in a Braint, which was a special kind of wedding reception known as Taithin in Carmarthenshire, and Neithior at Alltwen and Clydach. This was an important function, held when a pair got married. Here they sold beer, mead, tea and cakes, but they paid only for the cakes to avoid tax and licence. The ceremony lasted a week or a fortnight, and sometimes a month or two. The proceeds, which often amounted to £20 to £40, went to the married couple and this gave them a good start to their married life.

With the passing of the 1864 Act, the number of working hours underground was reduced from twelve to ten, but this Act was often broken, especially in Levels and Drifts where underground workmen seldom saw sunlight, except on Sundays. Eight hours a day was the aim at the end of the nineteenth century, as shown in the Jingle-

Wyth awr o weithio;

Wyth awr yn rhydd;

Wyth awr o gysgu

A wyth swllt y dydd.

(Eight hours work; Eight hours play; Eight hours sleep; And eight bob a day.)

At the Old Pit, miners won the coal from narrow single stalls, and conveyed the coal in home-made wicker carts, fixed on skids. Coal carted down to levels was filled into home-made trams with flat wheels without a projection on the side of the rails, which consisted of iron plates on wood. The manager prohibited the colliers from filling more than 15 cwts. on a tram, otherwise the rails would be bent and broken. Very little timber was used to support the roof, so pillars about four yards wide were left between the stalls, which might be six yards wide with a good roof, or three yards wide with a bad roof.

William Meredith (grandfather of Mr. D. Glyn Meredith, B.A., solicitor, Clerk to the Pontardawe Rural District Council) came from Mountain Ash as manager to Gwauncaegurwen Colliery, introduced the " longwall " method of working and discarded the single and double-road stalls. He also introduced a fan at No.2 Pit instead of the dangerous furnace. This shaft was afterwards called Fan Pit ( Pwll-y-Ffan). In 1859, the colliery was owned by Kirkham, who sold it to Charles Morgan and Ildebrand. They were succeeded by Richard L. Morgan, who sold the colliery in July 1874 to a number of Yorkshire men, who formed the original Gwauncaegurwen Colliery Company. The original company consisted of Fred Cleaves, Joseph Hargreaves, Richard L. Sails, Thomas Bartholomew and Frank Sellers. Joseph Hargreaves acted as general manager, and T. Bartholomew as mechanical engineer and the others looked after the business side.[* 24]

[* 24  Buckland, Lord (1927): Booklet on laying foundation stone of Buckland Pit, and official opening of Steer Pit, Gwauncaegurwen, by Sir David R. Llewellyn.

In 1883, the first serious attempt to widen the market for anthracite coal and to getting it adopted as a domestic fuel for closed stoves was made. The first consignments were small parcels of " nuts" with a range of   3/4 inch to 1 3/4 inch broken by hammer and chisel, hand screened and packed in sacks. These were sent to Berlin, Hamburg and Cologne, free in order to demonstrate the great heating power and slow combustion of the coal. In the same year a cargo was sent to Stockholm, Sweden, where it proved to be an immediate success, and a rapid demand followed. The total shipped to Continental ports was far from large, being in 1883 only 509 tons. In 1907, the total export was nearly two million tons.[* 25]

[* 25  Sails, R. L. (December 5, 1908): Daily Mail.]

Every fortnight, R. L. Sails brought the workmen's pay from Swansea by train to Brynamman Station, and then walked to Park Street, turned up Park Lane and over the Common along a path specially made and maintained for workmen to go to the colliery. Sails usually wore a navy-blue suit and a peaked cap. Joseph Hargreaves, the general manager of the Gwauncaegurwen Collieries, was a tall, square-shouldered big man with a powerful personality, and he walked over the Common daily. Many workmen spoke English with difficulty and Hargreaves did not understand Welsh. This gave "Big", as Hargreaves was known, some power over workmen. In those days, Welshmen more readily obeyed English -speaking officials than Welsh-speaking officials.

This next section is also as written;

Valuations of Collieries at Llangiwg vestry

In the account of the Llangiwg Vestry, held on August 6, 1802, the following valuation was laid upon the collieries within the parish:[* 106]

  • R. Gough Aubrey, Esq., Cwmtwrch Level                  £20. 0s.
  • Williarn Arthur, Esq., and Co.                                      £6. 0s.
  • Thomas and Sheasby and Co., Brin Morgan Level      £10. 0s.
  • John Jones, Gwaincaegurwen Level                           £1. 0s.
  • William Morgan, Plass Mount Level                                    5s.
  • Evan Watkin, Mynydd Bach Level                                      2s.
  • John Harry, Coed y falde Level                                           2s.
  • Richard Parsons, Mines Work                                    £20. 0s.

The spelling as in the Vestry Account was retained.

Relative values of the mines in 1802 may be inferred from the above figures. Parsons and R. G. Aubrey were on a larger scale. Arthur worked collieries at Clydach. He sold " Lambskin " coal, i.e. very fine small coal found near large faults in the Graigola Vein. It felt like velvet and, until quite recently, it was specially kept at Hill's Colliery, Clydach, and sold to farmers in Cardiganshire for making pele or for keeping the fire in all night.

[* 106  Penderel, E. A, H. (1965), allowed me to see theVestry Accounts.]

[Gareth Hicks April 2001]

Abernant Colliery up

 

 

 

Abernant Colliery , situated north of Pontardawe and a bit more than a mile south of the Cwmgors villlage boundary, had the deepest shafts in the anthracite area.

In the past there were a large number of small mines, 46 in this district in 1913, replaced by collieries such as Brynlliw and Abernant which were able to raise more coal than all those in 1913 put together.

Two shafts  were sunk at Abernant, 24 feet in diameter and half a mile deep. The Upcast North Shaft was sunk between 1955 and 1958 to 2513 ft depth, and the Downcast South Shaft between 1954 and 1958 to 2961 ft depth. During the sinking, two insets were driven - No 3 at a depth of 2076 feet and No 4 at 2376 feet.

At first coal was worked in the Peacock Vein from No 4 horizon but great difficulties were encountered by the damage near the pit bottom and large roadways caused by pressure on the plastic nature of the shales, which distorted strong supports. In 1962 a new inset was made to the Red Vein and in 1963 production was suspended in the lower seams and concentrated in the Red Vein. At a later stage the NCB drove insets at a much higher level into the Red Vein.

The source book , History of Pontardawe and District by John Henry Davies, has further technical description of this mine's equipment. At the the time of writing  [1967] he says that there " are now four faces working with modern power loading equipment ; one Plough, two Disc Shearers, one Trepanner Cutter and Panzer Conveyors".

To further demonstrate how 'modern mining' has changed conditions for the miners, the on-site welfare block was designed to accomodate 2000 men, comprised of lamp room, showers, locker rooms, canteen, boiler house, first aid room and offices with a covered walkway connecting this block to the North Tower.

The  Abernant mine closed down in March 1988, some of the buildings have since been adapted for use as small business units for letting.

See also the Welsh Coal Mines site

Details of extant records on Archives Network Wales for the following;

"Abernant Colliery, near Pontardawe in the Swansea Valley, was one of two new 'super pits' sunk by the National Coal Board in the 1950s in respond to the demand for Welsh Anthracite following the Clean Air Act and the rise in the installation of central heating. The sinking at Abernant was completed in 1958 to a depth of 897 yards, the deepest pits in South Wales Coalfield. The main seam worked was the Red Vein. However, one coalface was lost during the 1984-5 Miners' Strike and with geographical faults on other two coalfaces, production rarely rose above 50% of what was expected. The colliery closed in 1988"
Records;- "Plan of the Red Seam in 2 zones, with table of coal reserves (1969), Development and ventilation plan of the Red Vein [1969-70], Abernant Colliery transport capacities (1970)."

Wages and Miners' Agents up

 

 

 

Another 'as written' extract from the History of Pontardawe and District by John Henry Davies.

Collieries were on a small scale, and wages based on a system of individual bargaining. Employers and workmen had little corporate organization, and minor local disputes often occurred.

Before the days of the Sliding Scale of 1875, wages fluctuated, with sometimes a rise and other times a fall. Before 1848, a rise from 2 1/2 per cent. to 10 per cent. was granted, but in 1840 and 1850 there were falls of 10 per cent. Two years later, wages were lowered by 5 per cent. Another slumptook place in 1868, when the anthracite collieries worked only three days a week. During the Franco-Prussian War in 1871-1872 demand for anthracite increased and 10 per cent. was added to the wages.

However, after the coming of the Sliding Scale in 1875, even when the price of coal was at its lowest, the collieries worked more regularly, and thus benefited the community. The Sliding Scale in the Anthracite District really began in 1862. Five collieries in the Pontardawe district signed the agreement, namely (1) Gwauncaegurwen(2) Brynmorgan, (3) Cawdor, (4) Collieries of Amman Iron Works, and (5) Mountain Colliery (Gwaith y Focsen), Cwmgors. The other collieries who did not sign also followed the Sliding Scale.

Miners combined before the Sliding Scale; and the Anthracite collieries were divided into three districts, and Enoch Rees, Brynamman, acted as secretary. They advocated improvements in safety, ventilation, lighting and reduction of working hours in mines, as well as the removal of the Truck System, which was the paying of wages of workmen in goods from the company shop instead of money.

Female labour underground was prohibited by the 1842 Act, and in the same Act the employment of boys under ten years of age was prohibited. Evidently this part of the Act was not enforced, as many boys under ten years continued to work underground at Brynamman, Gwauncaegurwen, Cwmgors, Cwmllynfell and Ystalyfera until 1856.

In 1860, checkweighers were allowed, and in the 1887 Act, miners' pay depended on the amount of coal gotten by them. The amount of coal was ascertained by placing a weighing machine near the pit mouth. Checkweighers, paid for by the miners, checked the weights, but they were not allowed to interfere with the working of the mine. In the 1864 Act, the number of hours underground was reduced from twelve hours to ten hours a day. This Act was not vigorously enforced.

Owners looked askance at the formation of unions or any interference with management. On the back of the pay sheet [* 117] of P. Budd's works at Ystalyfera was printed:

"Rule 9-Any workman combining with others to stop the Works, or attempting to interfere with the management of any department, or threatening to do so, in order to obtain dismissal of any person employed therein, or in order to compel any such person to join any union or society; and any workman who shall threaten or molest any person employed in the Works for the purpose of compelling such person to join such union or society shall be dismissed, without notice."

[* 117  Budd, J. P. (1880): Paysheet.]

Many miners who took a prominent part in the welfare of their fellow workmen were victimised, and often these were employed as check-weighers by the workmen.

When a workman was injured in the mine, the owner was not obliged to pay any compensation, but often such a person had light work. In 1897 the Workmen's Compensation Act was passed. Later, when the insurance companies contested almost every case in the courts, a nasty feeling often arose between the workers and the management. The representatives of the workmen took up the fight on behalf of the men. The different Unions joined the Miners' Federation of Great Britain on January 1, 1899. The Sliding Scale System continued until 1903, when it was replaced by the Conciliation Board System. This worked well until its control over wages practically came to an end when the Government took over the control of the mines in December 1916, and the power of the Coal Controller increased.

Miners' leaders felt that their work could not be really influential unless they had members to represent them in the House of Commons.
Mabon started as a Liberal M.P., Mr. D. R. Grenfell, a miners' agent in the Swansea District, became an M.P.; William Jenkins, a miners' agent, represented Neath as M.P., and, on his death, Mr. David James Williams succeeded him. Jim Griffiths, in the upper part of the Tawe and Dulais valleys, became miners' agent and was elected for the Llanelly area as M.P. An account of the Miners' Agents of the district is of historical value.

William Abraham, popularly known as Mabon(1842-1922), was born at Cwmavan in 1842, but worked as a collier at Caergynnydd Pit, Waunarlwydd, Swansea. He was a natural miners' leader and the Loughor District appointed him as miners' agent of the Amalgamated Association of Miners in 1872. Mabon left the Loughor District to become miners' agent to the Cambrian Miners Association in 1877. He negotiated and settled disputes, and the miners chose Mabon for the chairmanship of their side of the Sliding Scale Agreement. He became the Liberal M.P. for Rhondda in 1885.[* 118] Largely under the influence of Mabon, the seven independent miners' associations formed a loose federation in 1893, and this was afterwards known as the South Wales Miners' Federation. In 1898, it was registered as a trade union, and in 1899 it joined the Miners Federation of Great Britain.[* 119] Later the National Union of Miners or N.U.M. was formed.

[* 118 Lewis, E. D. (1959): The Rhondda Valleys.]

[* 119 Jevons, H. S. (1915): The British Coal Trade.]

Mabon signed, on behalf of the anthracite miners, the Agreement of the Sliding Scale on August 24, 1882. The Sliding Scale, based on the average net selling price of coal per ton free on board, decided the percentage to be added to the standard wage. Mabon was a great. man for settling disputes---a lay-preacher, a singer and a Member of Parliament. On the first Monday of every month, the miners took a holiday, and this was known as Mabon's Day. William Abraham, an M.P. for the Rhondda, made the usual return in 1886 relating to the Parliamentary election expenses; his personal expenses were seven pence, and £25 as fee paid to the Returning Officer. This must have been the smallest ever.

When Mabon spoke on Saturday evenings at political meetings in favour of John Williams, the first Labour M.P. for Gower, he stayed over Sunday and preached and sang at Tabernacle Chapel, Cwmgors. He passed through three stages as M.P., namely Liberal, Lib-Lab and Labour.

The Society for the Protection of Anthracite Miners

Here is a copy of certificate relating to this Society which was formed in 1891 with Mabon as its President. It met at the Tregib Arms, Brynamman.

In answer to a query the following response has been received from the South Wales Miners Library University of Wales, Swansea

"We have discovered that the 'Cymdeithas Amddiffynol Mwynwyr y Glo Carreg' (Anthracite Miners' Defence Union - I think it is the same society as on your document) was in operation until it became the Anthracite District of the South Wales Miners' Federation in 1899. Until that time it was independent of any central control. Apparently when it became part of the SWMF, it wanted to defend and assert the working rights and customs of the area and so it had pangs of being a 'closed society': it's activities were not divulged to outsiders (as of course many of the working customs were unique to the Anthracite miners). More information can be found in Ioan Matthews article 'The world of the Anthracite miner', which appeared in Llafur vol.6 (1), 1992.

Regarding the slogan 'Unity is strength' - this actually appears on a number of NUM Lodge banners dating from the 1950s. It was felt that so much had been achieved through the unity of the miners and major problems conquered.

The anthracite miners certainly regarded themselves as a distinct workforce and as Ioan Matthews says, they had 'a sense of collective identity'. I'm sure the Lodges who had the banners made in the 1950s 'borrowed' the image and the slogan from the anthracite miners.

We do hold a copy of the rule book of the Anthracite Miners' Protection Society, 1899 in our University Archives. I think it is all in Welsh. If you would like to view it, you would need to make an appointment with Mrs Elisabeth Bennett, Archivist - tel- 01792 295021 e-mail: e.a.bennett@swan.ac.uk "

[Bernard Garland  Dec 2001]

Pay slip 1889 up

 

 

 

Although not completely clear from this scanned copy, this is a pay slip for the 5 weeks ending 28 December 1889 relating to my great grandfather, John Davies, who lived in Cwmgors from c1881 until he died and as far as I knew always worked at the Cwmgors Colliery which was very near his home and where he became an overman. However, I now have it on good authority that North's Navigation  Collieries Ltd didn't operate in Cwmgors, the nearest point probably Maesteg. I therefore have to assume he was working away temporarily, although the charge for coal/rent is odd if he was simply lodging with someone, he was certainly in Cwmgors for the 1891 census. I assume the number (1)795 is his work's  number, I don't know what REP means. I would be interested in having an informed explanation of the 'By Work 'calculation.

 

John Davies pay slip

 

Condolence letter up

 

 

 

My grandfather William Davies died [from illness] in 1930 at the age of 50, his death certificate describes him as a colliery underground examiner and I am sure he worked at Cwmgors Pit all his life. This is the letter his widow received from the Amalgamated Anthracite Collieries Ltd who operated the Cwmgors and Cawdor Collieries.

(Here is also a photograph of him in a group of men involved in  the Ammanford mining strike in August 1925.)

As it isn't very clear the list of Directors of the company is;

William Davies letter

 

The Fed

up

 

 

 

 

The Fed; a history of the South Wales Miners in the twentieth century.
Francis, Hywel & David Smith. Published by Lawrence and Wishart, 1980.

Here are some extracts relating to this general area;

Pages 54/5    '1926'

These indications of a shift in political outlook reflected what can best be described as a change towards an 'alternative culture', where social, political and cultural norms were being increasingly rejected. Aspects of this new behavioural pattern had already been evident in the 1925 Anthracite strike. Indeed the events of 1926 were for a generation of Anthracite miners overshadowed by their localised strike of the previous summer. For them, 1925 was their sobering experience in which new attitudes and new forms of action emerged. There was an unusual aggressive willingness; to escalate their strike; use mass mobile picket lines, a network of spies (which penetrated the police), riots and disturbances. It led to the control of the town of Ammanford for nearly a week. There was a remarkable and widespread acceptance of prison sentences and gaoled leaders were feted as folk heroes.

The nine days of the General Strike and more especially the seven month lock-out revealed an alternative cultural pattern which had no comparable equivalent in the other British coalfields. The totality of commitment to the miners' cause was a form of class consciousness which translated itself into a community consciousness, so overwhelming were the miners in numbers and influence. It was a collectivist conception which burnt into the collective memory of the whole region and was most succinctly described by the poet, Idris Davies, in what he called ' The Angry Summer':

We shall remember 1926, until our blood is dry.

Pages 438/40 (The dawn of a New Era ?)

...........................The most harrowing problem of the time related to pneumoconiosis, known more familiarly in the mining villages as 'pneumo', 'the dust' or 'diffug-anal' (short of breath). It appeared to be more extensive in South Wales, especially in parts of the Anthracite coalfield, than elsewhere in Britain and partly accounts for the decline in manpower during this period. From 1931 to the middle of 1948, over 22,000 British miners were required to leave their work because they had pneumoconiosis and 85 per cent of them lived in South Wales. After a prolonged campaign by the MFGB, silicosis had become compensatable in 1929. Parliament restricted the applicability of the Order, although this was partly removed in 1931. Obtaining compensation remained difficult until the 1934 Silicosis Orders provided compensation for any workman who was certified as suffering from silicosis and had been working underground within three years of certification. The struggle for compensation continued to be a problem, owing to the legalistic resistance by coalowners (notably that of Tirbach Colliery in the Swansea Valley, a case which the SWMF lost in the House of Lords in 1934).

To highlight this a `Silicosis Pageant' was organised by the SWMF in the Amman Valley on May Day 1939. In 1942, the Industrial Pulmonary Disease Committee of the Medical Research Council concluded that the disease commonly found in coalminers could be caused by coal-dust and rock-dust and suggested calling both 'coalworkers' pneumoconiosis'. From 1943, all miners certified with pneumoconiosis were suspended from employment within the industry and as compensation they received a lump sum or a weekly payment (the latter was reduced if alternative work was obtained).

The effect on individuals, families and communities was devastating. With little or no alternative work, particularly in such Anthracite mining villages as Brynamman, Gwaun-cae-Gurwen and Tumble, life became a nightmare for the disabled pneumoconiotic miner. The situation became even more desperate after the war with the rundown of Royal Ordinance Factories. Plans to alleviate the problem with 'Grenfell' factories (named after the miners' Labour MP for Gower whose Board of Trade Report established them) at Brynamman, Ystradgynlais, Tonypandy, Treorchy, Merthyr, Hengoed and Blackwood proved ineffective, with 30 per cent (about 5,000) still unemployed in 1949. Virtually all pneumoconiotic miners were financially worse off after their suspension from 1943 onwards One Brynamman pneumoconiotic miner was certified in 1945 when he was thirty-five years old. (About 240 other miners were forced to finish within four months at Gwaun-cae-Gurwen. Such were the employment difficulties, unemployed committees were set up in every village in the area.) He only had work from time to time as a casual labourer and was forced to finish when he was fifty years old. He recalled his plight and that of the locality:

"In the ten houses here and across the road about twenty of us had to leave Gwaun-cae-Gurwen collieries in 1945 ... and only five of us are left [in 1974] .... Eventually, it came now, you couldn't get work.... As you had no trade, it was difficult you see. And then around about 1950, I was getting browned off. There was a scheme came out now where you could go before a Board and settle off and go back to the colliery. I know boys who went before these Boards and they were certified as being 10 per cent disabled, given £1,000 and went back to the colliery. Well, I went back to that Board ... but because ... my father died of TB and my brother had died of TB I wasn't considered at all. I wouldn't be allowed to be employed in or about the colliery ever. So I had to make the best of it."

Pages 445/6

Although 1951-2 saw the high-water mark of this movement, a form of unofficial action continued to be a serious problem into the mid 1950s and related particularly to minority action by groups of pieceworkers. Elected leadership, according to Paynter, was ignored and the unifying philosophy of industrial unionism undermined by 'the selfish interests of the few being regarded as paramount'.

The most serious of these local problems occurred in 1956 at Gwauncae-Gurwen in the heart of the Anthracite coalfield where the changeover to nationalisation had probably proved most difficult. The responses of the Anthracite miner at this time were also much sharper, indeed more confident, even brazen, partly because he had not suffered the same deprivations as his brothers in the rest of the South Wales coalfield. 'Hidden' customs and agreements between management and men, outside printed price lists, had to come to light after 1947. The coming of mechanisation to the coalfield was also very largely a post-nationalisation phenomenon with all its accompanying difficulties precipitated, from time to time, by conflict between independent minded, dry-humoured, 'custom-conscious' Welsh-speaking colliers and the abrasive, alien 'PD trained managers and agents'.

The dispute was national news. One old miner, John 'Saer' Davies, recalled that the BBC programme Panorama angered the locality by referring to it as a 'straggling village' and as being 'as safe on the streets of Nicosia as it is in Gwaun-cae-Gurwen' (there was an emergency in Cyprus at the time). The commentator, Christopher Chataway, had been unusually snubbed because the lodge committee, meeting in its office known locally as 'The Kremlin', had ensured that the whole community did not speak to him. It was not the first time, nor the last, for the outside world to fail to understand the Anthracite miner.

The NCB gave notices on 11 May to all workmen at East and Steer pits, Gwaun-cae-Gurwen, with the intention of closing both pits from 26 May onwards. It was claimed by the Board that there had been a 'long history of trouble', with 238 unofficial stoppages since nationalisation. In 1948, both pits were closed for a time because of 'restrictive practices' and in 1949-50 Steer was closed for eighteen months. An unofficial strike began on 24-25 April 1956 because two shacklers at the bottom of Steer pit had been discharged for a 'go-slow'. It was alleged that the miners at the pits had not honoured agreements made on their behalf and did not make use of the conciliation machinery. Eight other neighbouring pits struck in sympathy. The whole dispute had been precipitated by the implementation of the new Day Wage Structure Agreement in place of a 'very anarchic' local system: the NCB maintained that the shacklers were not task-workers but day wagemen and such a difference meant a fall in earnings. After complicated, even confusing, negotiations lasting nearly a year the GCG men were still dissatisfied and therefore struck in April. Similar 'go-slow' allegations by the NCB had been made against the neighbouring collieries of Pwllbach, Cwmllynfell and Brynhenllys. Will Haydn Thomas, the GCG lodge chairman, claimed that the situation had been worsened because of the actions of one of the NCB colliery agents. Repairs had been allowed to deteriorate and for these inconvenienees men were paid extra allowances which were often conceded behind the back of the lodge committee. The two pits were eventually reopened, but only a proportion of the men were taken back and only on the NCB terms of ending sectional action including 'go slow', improving production and the acceptance of demotion to day-wage grades if unofficial action were taken.

 

Pages 455/6

Perhaps the harshest social effect was the considerable distance many miners now had to travel to work. This meant less time at home and less time for recreational pursuits. Family and community life inevitably suffered. This was not new: it had been a feature of the interwar period when mass unemployment had existed in the steam coalfield. But in the western part of the Anthracite coalfield, this was a relatively new phenomenon, which had other repercussions as one social survey of the Amman Valley revealed:

"... the bus for the Cynheidre day shift leaves Garnant at 5.00 a.m. and does not return until after 4.00 p.m. extending what might have been little more than an eight hour day for a man working in a local colliery to one of over 11 hours; the strain which this sort of travelling produces has been suggested as part of the explanation for high absenteeism in the area, in that a man is said to need a longer rest at times."

The Fed; a history of the South Wales Miners in the twentieth century. Francis, Hywel & David Smith. Published by Lawrence and Wishart, 1980. Here is a contents listing, some appendices, name listing & place/subject listing

Brynamman

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These notes were contributed by John Miles (Nov 2004) and compiled by him during research at West Glamorgan Record Office 29/3/04

Pant-y-celyn was on the south side of the Aman roughly where the yard with the lorries now is if you go east up the lane from the Rugby club instead of over the bridge and up past where the stations were.

Cwmteg was further east up the same valley and the site can still be accessed by public footpath.

Cwmteg Colliery

This appears to have been developed by mineral leases under 2 farms, Cwmteg and Blaen Cwmteg both of which were on the south side of the Aman river and backed onto GCG.
The Amman Ironworks originally held the mineral leases for these farms. They appear to have initiated the development of Cwmteg but fairly soon in the process they passed the mine onto new owners.
The Amman Ironworks worked Pant-y-Celyn  colliery (which seems to have worked under lands belonging to Cwmamman and Gorsto Farms (and possibly part of GCG) but not to the west (?) under the Cwmteg farms.
There is some discussion about a Gorsto fault and possibly this would have made working across the fault expensive.

The first agreement for Cwmteg is dated 30th Nov 1899 and is between Christopher Jones the landowner of 19 Lincolns Inn London (a barrister who appears to have originated in the area) and Henry Strick of Pall Mall, George Henry Strick of Swansea - the latter 2 being the Amman Iron Co (see below for some other names).
The agreement describes the opening of the colliery and the laying down of a railway to connect it to the Midland but the connection is to be made through the Furnace Top branch which belongs to Jones and he is going to get a wayleave of 1d per ton for very ton over 6000 tons mined in a 6 month period.
The document confirms that the mine is a slant with the entrance being on the south side of the river.

There is then another lease also dated 30/11/99 which is between Jones and the Cwmteg Anthracite Colliery Co (registered office Cwmteg Colliery) which gives them a lease for 21 years and states the same wayleave terms over the Furnace Top branch. They also have to pay a rent of £50/ annum.

There is then a second lease with Jones dated 30/3/1900 for 21 years just for the minerals under Blaen Cwmteg farm. This names the proprietors of Cwmteg colliery as George Harris Meager, William Gibson Morris and David William Meager and allows them to work the middle and lower veins of coal, fireclay, ironstone under the farm and part of GCG.
Blaen Cwmteg farm is about 300 yards south of the railway and it is only 3 acres of land.

There is a letterhead dated 12/7/1899 which gives the address of the Cwmteg Coll. Co. as 1 Somerset Place Swansea. Later letter heads give it as Cwmteg and also some include the Garnant pit but this only appears for a few years and so was possibly short lived.
There is correspondence showing that Jones had some trouble getting his money out of Cwmteg and there are letters from the latter (dated 1906) asking for a reduction in the wayleave to 1/2d per ton as they were finding it expensive working the mine. Jones didn't give the reduction.
There are some hints (in letters dated 1907) that they were having problems with water leaking in from Pant-y-Celyn and this was making the mine expensive to work.
There is then a voluntary liquidation dated 20th May 1915 and the 'blood sucking' Jones is only worried about not getting his money.

Also the Cwmteg Colliery Co were responsible for the maintenance of the Furnace Top branch.

The GWR

There is a letter dated 14th Nov 1889 about sorting out terms between Owen Morgan, Jonah Owen Jones and the Amman Iron Co regarding the compulsory purchase of some land by the GWR for ''its station''.
It would appear that the GWR bought an extra strip of land alongside the Amman Iron Co's tips on the south side of the track. This land was leased as a part of a farm called Eskyn-y-gelyn (spelling as in lease, lease started 1839) to the Amman Co by Morgan and Jones and the document deals with how to split up the £500 the GWR paid for the land in 1885 when it purchased the land.
Amman Iron Co (named as George Burden Strick and William Harris Francis of Swansea) got £100. The cinder tip is mentioned as being on the land purchased.

Amman Iron Co.

Map showing land they owned or had mineral leases for. The farms are Cwmamman (where Pant-y-Celyn Coll. was), Gorsto (just to east of Cwmamman), Cwmteg (just to east of Gorsto), Ynis Dawela, Bryn Isha, Bryn Ycha (all spellings as on the document), Gwaun Yr Esgurn, Gwter Fawr (just to south of Old Farmers Arms), Goss Goch and Neyadd (this is at Garnant). They also have a lease under part of GCG.

Amman Anthracite Coll Co

There is an indenture dated 1915 between David John Thomas, John Isaac and William Watkin Williams of Brynaman (the Amman Anthracite Coll Co Ltd) and William Cann of Swansea (described as a coal merchant) and Henry Roberts of Brynaman. This refers to Christopher Jones (the 'blood sucker' of Lincolns Inn) being appointed a receiver in 1912 on behalf of the Lessor (so was this the bankruptcy of the Amman Iron Co??), refers to a lease dated 1904 and says they can mine west of the Gorsto fault and under Cwmamman farm and part of GCG. I didn't really understand all of this document.

Brynamman 2

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Collieries in Brynamman (Lower) mentioned in (20Mem)

Brynaman / Aman Pit

The diagram/map in (20Mem) shows 2 collieries in the general Lower Brynamman area, south of the old GWR line.
The first colliery is called Brynaman, and is shown near the Aman Tinplate Works and to the south west the second is Ynys 
My current theory is that Brynaman colliery in (20Mem)  is in fact the Aman Pit which is shown on (old-maps) south of the Farmers Arms at  (271174,213637)   (SN711136)   
Appears to by linked by a tramway to the Aman Tin Plate Works to the north east.   

Amman Pit      Amman Anthracite Collieries Ltd     Manager; D J Thomas, U/Manager  W R Williams              Workers;  U/ground 65, Surface 22             Coal Mining History Resource Centre (List of mines 1908)
Pengraig Drift        Same management as Amman           Workers 6 & 2       Coal Mining History Resource Centre (List of mines 1908) 

 

Is Pwll y Gwter another name for the Aman/Brynaman Pit ?
"In 1802 John Jones of Brynbrain, who pioneered industrial growth in the Brynaman district, became the proprietor of the *Blaengurwen colliery. He was successful and extended the scope of his activities by opening 'Lefel yr Office' and the Gwter Fawr colliery in 1819."   (IGP)  

In (AVDist) there is a photograph taken from Pwll y Gwter which shows the tip of "Brynamman (Ynys) Colliery clearly visible" - with Ebenezer and Siloam chapels also in shot.

*Footnote; Known as Blaencaegurwen in other sources

 

Pantycelyn Colliery

See also  under Brynamman 1 above where it is stated; -  
"Pant-y-celyn was on the south side of the Aman roughly where the yard with the lorries now is if you go east up the lane from the Rugby club instead of over the bridge and up past where the stations were."

Pantycelin            John L. Thomas and Son, Brynamman, R.S.O.     Workers;  21 Underground,   9 Surface    Anthracite         From the Peak District Welsh Mines in 1896 site

The source book has a photograph of the entrance to Pantycelyn Colliery drift.
First opened in 1888 by John Thomas, and 30 employees worked the Big Vein seam, abandoned in 1932     (AVDist)

 

Ynys

The (old-maps) site shows a 'Colliery' at the spot I take to be the Ynys colliery (270411,213597), (OS grid SN704135) - not far off the end of the modern Glyn Rd.

There is reference to a fatality (undated) at Ynys-fach colliery, Brynaman, also mention of an adjacent Ynys-uchaf colliery
This colliery was closed in 1935 by its then owners, Amalgamated Anthracite.  (20Mem)

Ynys Dawella, Brynaman             W R Rees, Brynaman             Workers; U/ground 2, Surface 1          Anthracite                Peak District Welsh Mines in 1896 site

In (AVDist) there is a photograph taken from Pwll y Gwter which shows the tip of "Brynamman (Ynys) Colliery clearly visible" - with Ebenezer and Siloam chapels also in shot.
This photograph seems to support my theory  that Ynys colliery is in fact the one at the grid ref indicated and named "Colliery" on (old-maps)

Brynamman 3   

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The diagram/map in (20Mem) shows two collieries; - Blaunwaun colliery south of Cwmgarw Bridge, say between Gorsto and Cwmteg/Blaen Cwmteg; and also Rhosaman colliery

Rhosaman

The remains are shown on (Get-a-map), grid ref SN 732141 and the mine is on (old-maps) (273188,214014)

The colliery, across the road from the Rose & Crown, was known locally as Pwll Starch, seven men were killed there in a surface explosion in 1924.  (20Mem)

In  (AVDist) is a photograph of a Memorial Card published after the 1924 explosion, and a separate list of the men who died

In  (20Mem) there is a photograph showing Rhosaman Colliery with Blaenwaun in the background and a snow covered Gwrhyd Mountain behind that.

 Index entry for Pwll Starch, Rhosaman  in (HEC)

 

Blaenwaun (Blaengurwen/Blaencaegurwen)

Blaenwaun colliery was the other side of the railway line behind the Rose & Crown (Rhosaman). Shown as linked to the LMS line by a tramway (20Mem)
On (old-maps) Cwmteg Farm appears to be more or less where the Colliery is according to the photograph mentioned below, but no sign of a mine there
That spot is due south of the Rose & Crown - about (SN732138) on (Get-a-Map)

 In  (20Mem) there is a photograph showing Rhosaman Colliery with Blaenwaun Colliery in the quite near background and a snow covered Gwrhyd Mountain well behind that.

This colliery appears to be alternatively named Blaengurwen, Rhosaman as in the book (AVLA) where there is a photograph of a group of miners of that colliery.
The book also has a photograph captioned  "Blaengurwen Colliery rescue team, 1913/14"
On a specialised coalfields' map it is called Blaencaegurwen which explains the Blaenwaun version perhaps

From (HPD)
The Blaencaegurwen Colliery Company (one of the Amman Collieries) had a lease on November 24, 1846
" All coal, culm, ironstone, iron ore, fireclay, clay, sand, sandstone and building stone lying within the or under Noyadd Farm  [see Noyadd below] and Gwauncaegurwen, a total of over 470 acres for a term of 991 years from September 29, 1846."
The Dead Rent was £300 per annum, merging into Royalties of 7d. per ton of 2,520 lbs. for coal, culm, ironstone and iron ore, and 4d. per ton for fireclay, etc., and a Wayleave or right of passage over or under the land at 1d. per ton of 2,520 lbs.

From the Peak District Welsh Mines in 1896 site  
Blaen-cae-garwen (sic)          Blaencaegarwen Colliery Co. Ltd., Brynamman, R.S.O.   Manager; Owen Powell   Under Manager ; Dd. John Thomas      Workers; 73 underground & 16 surface    Anthracite

Blaengurwen     Blaengurwen Colliery Co     Manager; Owen Powell  U/manager  David J Thomas     Workers; U/ground 243,  Surface 53            Coal Mining History Resource Centre (List of mines 1908)

"In 1802 John Jones of Brynbrain, who pioneered industrial growth in the Brynaman district, became the proprietor of the Blaengurwen colliery. He was successful and extended the scope of his activities by opening 'Lefel yr Office' and the Gwter Fawr colliery in 1819."   (IGP)  

The source book has a photograph of a group of colliers at Blaengurwen Colliery, Rhosaman, undated     (AVLA)

 

Noyadd, Brynaman ?

Noyadd         Glangarnant & Noyadd Collieries Co Ltd          Manager; D C Rees    U/manager Isaac Morgan        Workers; U/ground 111, Surface 28                Coal Mining History Resource Centre (List of mines 1908)

Sister mine to Glangarnant, this mine was presumably somewhere between Garnant and Lower Brynaman, but not spotted on (old-maps)  see Blaencaegurwen above

 

Cwmteg

See John Miles' notes on Cwmteg Colliery under  Brynamman 1

On (old-maps) Cwmteg farm, but not a mine,  is shown  just north east of Gorsto and south of the R Aman at (272323,213869) or (SN723138) on (Get-a-map) although Cwmteg farm not shown on latter

Cwmteg Anthracite Colliery Co Ltd     Manager; P T Jenkins   U/Manager Isaac Morgan       Workers;   U/ground 231, Surface 49      Coal Mining History Resource Centre (List of mines 1908)

 

Helyg

The Helyg  mine was close to the mineral railway that crossed Waun Common behind the Rose & Crown, Rhosaman  (20Mem)

There is an Engine House/Drift shown close to that tramway on (old maps) (273109,213505) and this approximates to where Helyg is shown on (20Mem)
This site is just west of the Blaenywaun drift mine mentioned above

Nothing shown on modern maps but it would be somewhere around grid ref (SN736131)

 

Brynamman 4

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Other named coal mines shown on (old-maps) or other sources - not an exhaustive list and doesn't include those which aren't named as such -  i.e   there are several  un-named  'pits' and 'coal levels' shown on Waun Common and elsewhere on (old-maps)

Blaenywaun Drift

On (old-maps) there is a Blaenywaun drift mine east of where I think Blaerngurwen is - over towards Cwmllynfell, at  (273188,214014)     (SN734134)

 

Cannon Drift

On (old-maps) it's south-east of Aman Pit (271376,213242 )   (SN713132)   

 

Castell Colliery

"In 1935 the Brynamman Unemployed Welfare Committee established this colliery to supply house coal to the members"      (AVDist)

 

Open Cast Mining

There is a feature on the  Pengorsto Open Cast undertaking  in the source book (PT)
Open cast mining arrived  here at the end of WWII - the article includes this  list of 20 properties demolished 'in the cause' in the Brynaman area

 

General remarks

From The History of Brynamman By Enoch Rees  1883/1896.  Translated by Ivor Griffiths

Coal and Ore Mines of the Place

Level yr Office; Level y Bresen; Level Bawns, Level Pencraig; Level Trigloyn a Coedcae Bach; Level Herbert; Level yr Ynys; Level y Cwar; Level Tyrhen -- Abraham; Level Twynadarn; Level Pantycelyn; Glynbeudy Drift; Cannon Drift; Bwli Bach Drift; Medwyn Drift; Blaenywaun Drift; Drifft y Tynel; Drifft y Wythien fawr.

                                              Year sunk        Depth

Several small pits were sunk here and there in the district, but they are not worth mentioning.
For instance the Byrlip Pit and similar ones ---- more water and beer than anything else.

 

Cwmllynfell / Cwmtwrch

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Nantgwyn

 In (20Mem) this colliery is shown east of where the tramway from Waun Common meets the LMS line and the station, and west of the R.Llynfell.

Nantgwyn Colliery (275060,213000) on (old-maps) & (SN750130) on (Get-a-map)       [Gill Jones]

Also in (20Mem) it is said that Nant Gwyn Colliery closed due to water flooding into it from the Black Mountain (no date)

 

Henllys Vale

 In (20Mem) this colliery is shown  just below the Lime Kilns at the end of the tramway coming down from the Hay's Chimney Stack site on the Black Mountain - on (Get-a-map) it is  just north of Cwm-clyd at OS grid   (SN762137) - grid ref confirmed by (Coflein)

On (old-maps) there is a coal level just above Cwm-clyd at (276253,213661)    [confirmed as Henllys Vale by Gill Jones]

In (HPD) there is a chapter re "Cwmllynfell Colliery" in which it says "Henllys Vale Colliery, higher up the Twrch Valley, was also worked in 1913"

 

Brook / Glen / Gofer Colliery

In (20Mem) these collieries areshown just west of where the Midland Railway and the R. Llynfell brush past each other.
"The Glen colliery was on the side of the road on the way to Rhiw-fawr, it worked the Red Seam close to the old New Brook Colliery"  (20Mem)

Glen Colliery approx (274300,212000) on  (old-maps)   (west of the track)            [Gill Jones]
Y Gofer Colliery (same as Glen Colliery except east of the track)           [Gill Jones]

In (20Mem) there is a photograph of Glen Colliery workers with owner Henry John Norman

The Red Vein was worked by the Brook Colliery, Cwmllynfell         (HPD)

Index entries for Brook Pit, 1898; and Gofer Pit 1924   in (HEC)

Brook Drift (Gwaun cae Gurwen  sic)         Gwaun cae Gurwen Colliery Co Ltd, Swansea       Manager; Jos Hargreaves, U/manager Wm Howells               Workers; U/ground 186, Surface  34   Coal Mining History Resource Centre  (List of mines 1908)

 Details of extant records on Archives Network Wales for the following;

 

Coedffaldau

In (20Mem) this colliery is shown  south of  Brook Colliery -  on (old-maps) the place called Coed-y-ffaldau  (just west of Hendreforgan Colliery) is at (274463,211637)  and  on (Get-a-map)   ( SN744116)  although no mine is shown on either map at this spot.

"In the account of the Llangiwg Vestry held on August 6th 1802 the following valuation was laid upon the collieries within the parish"  -
the list includes;    John Harry, Coede y falde Level     2s      From (HPD)

" Coedffaldau and Pantybara in Languke " were leased by the Rev. Fleming Gough to John Reynolds of Greenfield, Glamorgan, in 1825 and 1829, and on April 23, 1839, James and Aubrey had a lease from Richard Douglas Gough."  From (HPD)

Coedffalde       Coedffalde Colliery Co, Upper Cwmtwrch              Workers; U/ground 13, Surface 3           Coal Mining History Resource Centre (List of mines 1908)

 

Hendreforgan (Cox's Colliery)

In (20Mem) this colliery is shown below Coedffaldau,

Hendre Forgan (275000,211600) on (old-maps)  including brick-works         [Gill Jones]

From the Peak District Welsh Mines in 1896 site
Hendreforgan , Gwys             Gwaun-cae-Gurwen Colliery Co. Ltd., Park Gate, Rotherham             Manager; Daniel Meredith            Workers;  386   Underground   103  Surface       Steam coal

"In December 1831, the Hendreforgan or Cox's Colliery, situated near Cwmllynfell, and sixteen miles from the port of Swansea, was to be sold or let. It was described as containing 95 acres on lease for eighty four years at a very low Royalty of £180, with power to work without making additional payment containing several seams of Stone coal and Stone coal Culm, three of which had been ascertained and had acquired celebrity in the London and other markets, under the name of Cox's Milford Vein.
The first vein, to which a pit 36 yards in depth had been sunk, was five feet thick, known as the Great Vein. The second seam, the Milford Vein, four feet thick, was 67 yards under the Great Vein, and a third, 35 yards under the Milford Vein, was three feet thick. All three seams had been worked by one shaft. Of the Great Vein, fifty acres had been worked. The Milford Vein had been worked for two years and eighty acres were unwrought. Requisite air pits had been sunk to the three coal seams. The lower seams had not been tapped. Coal was used by Maltsters and Hop Driers, and culm was used by lime burners on the Thames and Medway.
The colliery was capable of producing 120 tons per day, and the coal was conveyed in iron wagons over a railroad to the Swansea Canal and thence in barges to the two spacious wharves for shipping at the Port with a newly-built cottage thereon. The railroad from the colliery to the canal was three quarters of a mile. William Stewart, the manager of the works, stated that £35,000 had been expended on opening the colliery."       (HPD)

"On November 8, 1868, Richard Lewis commenced as master of the school. He stated that on November 11, 1869, " that the greater portion of the children were late this morning, and it was nearly  11 o'clock before all were assembled owing to an accident by firedamp at Hendreforgan Colliery, the children having gone to the scene of the catastrophe today."       (HPD)

 Six men were killed in an explosion at Hendreforgan in 1869  (20Mem)

 Index entries for Glofa Hendreforgan  in (HEC)

"The risks involved in coalmining led to frequent changes of ownership and this is well illustrated in the case of the Hendreforgan mine at Cwmllynfell. Early in the century a certain Richard Jenkins of Coity was working the coal here but late in 1812 he surrendered the workings to John Jones, Brynbrain, who four years later demised them to John Evans and James Cox, a native of Shaftesbury, Dorset. On the last day of 1818 the former relinquished his share and Cox became the sole proprietor. Under his control the works became the largest and most progressive in the area --- by 1831 a total of £33,500 had been spent on it and it had won the reputation of being 'the most complete and valuable colliery in the Principality'."   (IGP)

From (IGP)
Other aspects of the new life of the district attracted their attention. James Cox was busily making Hendreforgan into one of 'the most complete and valuable collieries in the Principality' but one feature of his enterprise, his over-many officials, prompted the following expression of disenchantment:

Mac Cox a'i Stiwardiaid
Mor aml a'r dail
John Tomos yw'r cyntaf,
Hen Walker yw'r ail:
Yna Wil Hendregyngen,
Jack Filler,Wat Llwyd­
Hen ffratsach mor shimpil
Na 'nillsant mo'u bwyd.

 

Ystradowen, CMN

There is a disused mine site on the other side of the R.Twrch from New Brynhenllys on (Get-a-map)  (SN753122), which is about the same spot shown in (20Mem
No sign of it on (old-maps) but the same spot is around (275337,212257) near a place called Pant-y-dderwen. There is a farm called Ystradowen at (274980,212503) but no coal mining signs near there either

Ystradowen Colliery (275300,212100) on (old-maps)  (was Ystradowen farm land) this part of Ystradowen is known as "Y Patmws."     [Gill Jones]

 

Black Mountain Colliery

In  (20Mem)  there is a reference "During the 1934 stoppage at Cwmllynfell Colliery.....went up to the Black Mountain Colliery, it had closed some years before but we entered the drift .... used a donkey to carry the coal down as far as Llwynrhitie where it was put on a cart pulled by a horse....." 

 Black Mountain Colliery (276300,213700) on (old-maps) - on the west bank of the river where it says "Foot Bridge",  closed 1913   [Gill Jones]

 

Cwmllynfell mines (Balance Pit and Ty-newydd)

There appear to be two Cwmffynfell mines, not always clear which the references that follow refer to.

Cwmllynfell Balance pit (274900,211900) on (old-maps)     [Gill Jones]
Cwmllynfell Colliery Ty Newydd (274600,212100) on (old-maps)   [Gill Jones]

Shown on (20Mem) as on the east bank of the R Llynfell, just about opposite Coedffaldau to the west on the other side of the river.
A railway extension line runs down to the main Midland Railway at Gwys station.

"Next come Patches Penpelyn and Balance Pit............... I remember hearing many times of one man from Gelliwarog who was in charge of the bank at the Balance Pit who was known as Morgan Gelliwarog.........."   (HG)

Closed in 1959, there is a photograph of the mine buildings in (20Mem), the colliery was known locally as the 'Clink'
In 1926 they reached the Lower Seam having only worked the Big Seam.
There was a stoppage here in 1934    
In 1932 Penry Davies was the previous manager, and Dan Bowen had replaced him - later on it was Dick Davies  (20Mem)

Cwmllynfell Pit         B Thomas & Sons, Mount Pleasant, Swansea         Manager; TGC Seymour, U/Manager   Morgan Davies          Workers;  U/ground  100, Surface 14      Coal Mining History Resource Centre (List of mines 1908)

From (HPD)
"A Lease from John Thomas to Thomas Walters was made in September 28, 1798, to work coal at Cwmllynfell. It was agreed that Thomas Walters was not to work coal or culm under the fields called the Ffalde, the other side of Cwmllynfell Brook. John Thomas was to have what coals and culm he may use and consume free from any expense of working. The amount to be paid was £46 per annum for working under Cwmllynfell Farm.

In 1815, Articles of Agreement were made between Richard Jones of Cwmllynfell and George Walker of Swansea, for a term of twenty one years from March 25, 1815, of the two veins of stone coal or culm caled and known as the Great Vein, and the Brass Vein underlying the tenement of land called Cwmllynfell. All the ironstone was also included. The payment at the rate of nine pence per ton "long weight ", was to be quarterly. Walker had the right to drive levels, sink pits, make rail and other roads and water courses on the land. He had that liberty to convey water to the water wheels.

An Indenture of 27 pages, in the possession of E. A. H. Penderel, Esq., Garth, Pontardawe, was made on January 11, 1825, between John Roberts on the one part; John James and Evan James, of the second part; George Walker of the third part, and John Reynolds of the fourth part. Reference was made to the 1815 deed and to the Great and Brass Veins. Nine pence a ton long weight was paid. The owners agreed to reduce the royalty from 9d. per ton to twelve shillings per boat load of coal or culm.

Assignment of agreements for lease of Cwmllynfell Colliery and release of a Royalty or rent charge upon the coals and culms were made for a consideration of £4,500.

About nine inches from the roof of the Brass Vein, a layer of pyrite about three quarters of an inch thick was found fairly regular over a large area. Later the seam was known as the Peacock Vein because, after being under water, it had colours like a peacock, or oil on water.

Some extracts taken from the 1849-1853 account book of James and Aubrey, Cwmllynfell Colliery, Cwmtwrch, give the wages of employees: John Daniel, working the Big Vein, was paid £1.15.4d. for a fortnight of 11 3/4 days. An Overman earned 28/- a week; the daily wage of a Doorboy, 9d. to 1 /-; Boy with horse, 1 /-; Engineer, 2 /8; Weigher, 2 /2; Labourer, 1 / 10; Calciner, 2/-; Blocklayer, 2/6; Carpenter, 3/-; Saddler, 4/-; Farm bailiff, 2/-; Smith, 3/-; Boy Striker, 1/6; Ploughman, 1 / 10; Clerk, 12 /- a week; 5 horses for two weeks, 15/-; Agent, --5/- a week. Colliers earned from 17 /- to £2.4-3d. a fortnight on June 23 to July 7, 1849.

The coal seams worked were Brass Vein in No. 1 Pit, Little Vein in No. 2 Pit and Blackband and Big Vein. 157 employees were on the books: Farm, 15; Labourers and Artificers, 25; Sinkers, 9; Brass Vein, 31; Big Vein, 14; Little Vein, 48. Through coal and " mine " were in the Little Vein account.

The Farm paid 9/- to William Jones, Llwynhen Brewery, for nine gallons of ale for haymaking on August 16, 1851. In October 1853, James and Aubrey paid rent of 10/6 to the Leet Court of Black Mountain, for water course, half-year in 1851. The Company paid 30/ -a ton for straw.

Before the two justices, James Ebenezer Bicheno and Lewis Weston Dillwyn, the overseer of Caegurwen, Llangiwg, Hopkin William Hopkin, rated James and Aubrey at £110 for Cwmllynfell Colliery. This was at the Quarter Sessions held on February 23, 1842.

The following list gave the Standard wages paid in November 1875:

Colliers day wage, 4/-; Fireman, 5/-; Roadman, 3/8 to 3/11 1/2; Haulier, 3/8; Doorboy, 1 /6 1/2; Screeners, 3/-; Tippers, 3/4; Engine drivers, 4/8; Carpenters, 3/6; Smith, 3/6; Underground Labourer, 3/11; Repairer, 3/11 1/2 to 4/11 1/2.  James and Aubrey worked the colliery for a long period. In 1913, the Cwmllynfell Colliery was worked by Messrs. Ben Thomas and Sons. The National Coal Board found it uneconomical and closed it.

One hundred employees produced 120 tons a day, i.e. the output per man shift (O.M.S.) was 1.2 tons.....................   From (HPD)

"The nearby Cwmllynfell coal workings were re-opened in 1818 and three years later were taken over by Evan James & Co. which, though operating on a more modest scale, than its neighbour at Hendreforgan, were to become one of the most prosperous coalmines in the district by the middle years of the century. These were the largest of a considerable number of undertakings which got under way in the first two decades of the nineteenth century."    (IGP)

 Index entry for Pwll Cwmllynfell in (HEC)

Details of extant records on Archives Network Wales for the following;

 

 

Brynhenllys, BRE   (1872-1955)

According to a  narrative in (20Mem) " there were two Brynhenllys drifts at the colliery, the Old Brynhenllys drift up the valley above Pwll-y-Gored, that was later closed, and New Brynhenllys down the valley not far from the bridge. They're not shown that far apart on the diagram in the book, but not named old or new as such
Another drift near New Brynhenllys was called Scapa Flow "because of the amount of water in it."

Bryn Henllys Upper Slant (275900,212800) on (old-maps) (Pown-agored (275800,213000) on (old-maps) is a dam which fed the feeders for the water mills, so called as it's in a clearing, and exists today.             [Gill Jones]
Bryn Henllys New drift (275668,212562) on (old-maps)            [Gill Jones]
Bryn Henllys Lower (original) (275500,212200) on (old-maps)  [where it is described as Bryn-henllys Colliery]         [Gill Jones]

The seams worked were Lower, Middle, Big Peacock and Trigloin.
Brynhenllys closed in 1955   (20Mem)

In (20Mem) it says that in 1923 boys had to leave Brynhenllys at age 18 to stop them claiming adult wages, later raised to 21
A feeder from the R Twrch worked the big water wheel at Brynhenllys which pulled the drams up to the screen 
In 1935, during a local strike over low wages and poor working conditions, the co-owners of Brynhenllys included David John Price, head of Cwmllynfell School,  and Llewellyn Jenkins, ironmonger. There were 2 strikes there within 4 months, the South Wales Voice had headlines "Cwmtwrch Miners' Hunger Strike"    
Gwynfor Roberts, aged 14, and Mathew 'Bach' were killed at an accident at the colliery (date not given) 
There were horses working underground at Brynhenllys  
The manager in c1940 was a Mr Bassett  
There is a photograph of the Brynhenllys workforce pre 1900 (20Mem

"Brynhenllys Colliery opened in 1872, by local Welsh people, and its common name was Gwaith y Poweliaid, or Powells' Colliery. Here, too, the anthracite was of high rank, and the conditions underground were less disturbed than on the Glamorgan side of the valley, and the roof of the coal seam was good."  From (HPD)

"Brynhenllys Colliery, in 1913, was owned by the Brynhenllys Colliery Co.
Later the NCB found it did not pay, so they closed it"     From (HPD)

 Index entry for Gwaith Brynhenllys, 1872 in (HEC)

 See also the Welsh Coal Mines site (under BRE)

 There is a photograph in the source book of the water wheel and workmen c 1882. The colliery opened in 1872 and closed in 1955        (AVLA)

Details of extant records on Archives Network Wales for the following;

 

Brynmorgan

Shown below Gwys station in  (20Mem), on (old-maps) the colliery is shown at (275722,210989) which equates with (SN757109) on (Get-a-map)

 In  (20Mem) there is a comment that the colliery was lower down the hill side than the much older drift mine of the same name and that its chimney stck was close to the bottom of Wembley Steps.  There is a photograph in the book "Cwmtwrch from Mynydd Bach" showing  the colliery buildings / stack, it is close to a footbridge over the R. Twrch with the railway on the opposite river bank. I can see a chapel and probably the Lamb Bridge up river from the foot bridge

"1802 also witnessed the beginnings of J. D. Berrington's operations from two levels at Craigfelin, Cwmtwrch; five years later he opened his colliery at Bryn Morgan in the same district which worked profitably for a considerable number of years."   (IGP)

"Awbrey opened a level at Cwmtwrch in 1798 and in the last years of the century a number of Swansea men began mining for coal in the parish. Thomas Sheasby and George Haynes opened a coal level at Brynmorgan, Cwmtwrch "   (IGP)

Brynmorgan Colliery Co, Gwys        Idle in 1908             Coal Mining History Resource Centre (List of mines 1908)

The source book has a Welsh poem by Owen Dafydd, Cwmgrenig, Cwmaman  (Lament to the Five killed in the Explosion in Craig Brynmorgan Colliery in 1812)    (OCB) -  [ believed to be in Cwmtwrch, this mine ? ]  

 

Gilfach Colliery, BRE

Gilfach Colliery is shown on (old-maps) at (275896,211486)  on the east bank of the Twrch in BRE -  below Lamb Bridge where Nant Gwys joins the Twrch.
On (Get-a-map)  it's at (SN758114) although not shown

 

Palleg Colliery, Cwmtwrch Uchaf, BRE

Palleg Colliery is shown on (old-maps) on the BRE side of the river opposite Br