ABERDARE HISTORY

John Thomas a successful Monmouthshire Farmer, settled in Penyard district of Llwydcoed. He became a great friend of Richard Crawshay and gave up farming, ' he found it more profitable to hire horses for the conveyance of coal to the iron works'. He had 3 sons and 1 daughter. The youngest son David became a bank clerk in London and later joined the Ministry and became a great friend of Henry Richard John; the second son spent some time in England but returned a consumptive. Samuel, born 1800, was educated at Cowbridge and later apprenticed to a shopkeeper in Merthyr Tydfil.

With his brother-in-law, Thomas Joseph, he began coal operations at Dan Deri.

Opened a pit at Ysguborwen. By his second wife Samuel Thomas had 17 children and the 15th born 26th March 1856, was christened David Alfred Richard. William David had a level just above Graig House that supplied the domestic needs of Aberdare as far as household fuel was concerned.

June: Waynes sink first pit on Abernantygroes Estate and by December were exhibiting coal in London.

February: Pit sunk by Thomas Powell at Tir Founder, Canal Bank.

June: First coal transported. Thomas Powell (1779–1863) of the Gaer Newport was the posthumous son of John Powell of Monmouth who had died in 1778 aged 36. TP began as a timber merchant but early in the 19th C turned his interests to coal mining and in 1829 reported sinking a mineshaft at Gelli Gaer. 10 years later in association with a few others opened level at Lianhilleth.

Llettysiencyn sunk by William Thomas. Work commenced in March, first coal raised in March 1845 and was transported over the canal.

February 2nd:Ynyscynon opened by David Williams and Lewis Lewis of Cefn Coed (Gardd Aberdâr published in 1854 but written in the previous year) Ewenny MSS 374 NLW gives Lease dated 31st December 1847 which says they started digging coal.

Lewis Lewis soon abandoned interests in Ynyscynon.
David Williams was born in 1809 at Llwyndrain near Cowbridge son of a carpenter who had served as a pressed man in the navy. Tradition has it that he fought at Trafalgar and witnessed the death of Nelson. They moved to Aberdare in 1821. He later sank Tre-Aman Pit known as Williams’ Pit later Deep Dyffryn, which he sold to Nixon for £40,000.

Opened Penrhiwllechwedd in Cwmdare.
He was a man who took a very prominent part in Social and Cultural life of the District. He died in 1863 in tragic circumstances at Bridgend going to catch a train after attending an Eisteddfod Committee. There were 7,000 at his funeral.

Werfa Pit by William Thomas of Court House, Merthyr Tydfil. Tir-y-Gwersyllfa Agreement between William Thomas and the Marquis of Bute for colliery rights dated 20th April.

To allow said William Thomas his heirs and assigns every week at the pits or level mouths 2,520 lbs weight of coal for which no royalty shall be payable. Not to work under the Werfa dwelling house and buildings adjoining nor within 25 yards of the said dwelling house without 12 months notice of intention to do so. Not to commence sinking any pit or any level in any year between March 25th and September 25th without paying the tenant or occupier for damage done to crops or giving 6 calendar months notice of his intentions to do so. Signed in the presence of G. Smith, Solicitor, Merthyr. The Werfa Colliery eventually came into the possession of John Nixon who was born on May 10th 1815 at Barlow, west of Newcastle upon Tyne. He received his early education at the village school and later at Dr Bruce’s Academy at Newcastle. He finished his formal education in 1829 and began work. In 1831, he became apprenticed to Joseph Gray a leading Mining Engineer in the North of England and Chief Mining Agent for the Marquis of Bute. He rose to rank of overman in Garesfield Colliery Durham, earning 3/6 a day. He rose at 4 am and walked 2 miles to work, which ended at 4 pm.

He saw an advertisement in a Newcastle paper for a position in Crawshay Bailey's Iron Works at Nant-y-Glo. Nixon was granted an interview and his journey took five days (2 days Stage to London, 1 day to Bristol, sea to Newport and Tramway to Nant-y-Glo). He thought the post was Chief Manager of the Iron Works but Bailey offered him a small colliery. Nixon refused and hearing of more lucrative jobs at Dowlais decided to take his chance. Marquis of Bute wanted full survey of ironstone workings at Dowlais before renewing lease to J J. Guest. Nixon set out to interview South Wales agent Mr Beaumont at Llandaff. He walks 26 miles to Llandaff interviews Beaumont and gets the job at a salary of £150 per annum. The report was so masterly that the Bute offered him a permanent post but Nixon had already accepted a post with an English Company (as a Mining Engineer), who were interested in working Coal Mines at Nantes in France, at a salary of £500 per annum. But while he was at Dowlais, he became interested in the possibilities of Welsh Steam Coal. From Nantes, he proceeded to works at Langouin in West France. The results of the survey were disappointing and he realised that the outlook was hopeless without large quantities of Welsh Steam Coal. As soon as the terms of engagement were over, he resigned.

Nixon returned to South Wales without job or capital. He discovered that only two boatloads of coal a day were being sent for the whole of London. He went to Cardiff to consult the Agent Mr Maychurch who said that all the coal came from the Lucy Thomas Colliery at Abercanaid. Nixon then entered into an Agreement with Thomas Powell to sell coal to France on a commission basis. His first task was to convince French Industrialists of the superiority of Welsh coal. He chartered a vessel of 100 tons to ship coal to Nantes where Sugar Refiners had promised to give Welsh Coal a trial. 10 tons of coal from the Aberdare Valley proved to be as efficient as 12 tons of Tyneside coal. The first order for Welsh coal was given and a short time later, the French Navy adopted it, many years before the Royal Navy. All this time he worked on a commission basis for Thomas Powell but up to 1845, he had received only £300 for his efforts. Powell was to pay 9d a ton to West France and 6d a ton to Le Havre or any port east of Le Havre. The bargain was to stand for 3 years. At the end of the term, Powell was approached for the rest of the commission but Powell refused. Nixon threatened litigation but Powell said he would beat him and Nixon allowed the matter to drop.

Nixon became interested in the Werfa deposits in Abernant. Bute leased works of Werfa back from William Thomas to prevent Aberdare Iron Co. from working that coal. Nixon took up the lease from the Bute and decided to work the coal and he looked round for partners. The first sinking to the 4-foot seam was disappointing and Mr Beaumont refused his promised help until coal was proved. When coal was eventually struck, Nixon refused Beaumont’s help and went to a Mr Evens of Bristol who invested £5,000 as a ¼ share. By 1850, he was earning £6,000 a year and Mr Evens was receiving £1,500 on his share. Mr Heath, Evens’ accountant at Bristol, was admitted to the Company. With his feet firmly on the ladder, Nixon began to climb.

Aberaman Pit sunk by Crawshay Bailey on the 15th March according to Gardd Aberdâr.

Gadlys Iron Co. sank a pit at Cae’r Cwm, a little higher up than the Parish Church on the banks of the River Dare.

October: Blaengwawr pit sunk by David Davies of Hirwaun.

Thomas Powell leased more land at Abernantygroes and started digging, and coal was reached in January 1846.

Pit opened at Cwmdare by David Davies.

December Ysguborwen Pit opened by Samuel Thomas and Thomas Joseph.

Shepherd’s pit in Cwmaman. Kenway of Neath opened Bedwlwyn pit for Glo Tân. Later, through other hands to Shepherd and Co. (David Lloyd, Hanes Cwmaman, 1905).

January 1: A new lease by William Williams of Cwmneol farm Cwmaman gave permission to the new company to erect colliery buildings, houses, shops etc. but no public houses or taverns whatsoever.
Powell’s Pit Cwmneol opened by Thomas Powell.

Fforchaman Pit opened by Thomas Powell.

Thomas Powell obtains lease from Crawshay Bailey on the upper 4 foot vein under 65 acres of the Aberaman Estate and he sinks Plough Pit.

Exact dates not verifiable, Thomas Powell opened Lower Dyffryn and Middle Dyffryn.

James Brown was one of the purchasers of a lease to work various seams at Cwmaman. Among other purchasers were two clergymen who were brothers the Revs Thomas and George Protheroe and another important shareholder was Sir Thomas Phillips who as Mayor of Newport, had distinguished himself in the Chartist Riots of 1839.

Messrs Roberts and Jones reached the well known upper 4 foot seam of steam coal at Nantrnelyn Colliery, Cwmdare.

Mordecai Jones leased mineral rights of Nantmelyn from Gwynne-Holford and, before long, the pit was yielding over 600 tons per day.

Mordecai Jones was born in 1813 in Brecon of a family from Amlwch. He was a strong Calvinistic Methodist and a builder of several chapels in spite of the fact that he owned a brewery in Brecon. He was a pioneer of the British Schools in South Wales. Together with Samuel Thomas Ysguborwen, David Williams Ynyscynon, David Davis Blaengwawr and William Thomas Llettysiencyn, Mordecai Jones represents the old Welsh type of colliery owners in the Aberdare Valley, sharing in the social and religious (usually chapel) life of the community. This was a strong contrast to the previous generation of Iron-Masters, usually monoglot English Anglicans from Yorkshire, Durham and Stafford. Soon, however, the old type of Welsh colliery owner was to be superseded by new directors and managers from across the Border connected chiefly with the Powell Duffryn Company set up in 1863–64 by Sir George Elliot, Edmund Mills Hann and Parkinson. Sir George Elliot, a one-time door-boy, built St Margaret’s Church, Aberaman at his own expense in memory of his wife Margaret.

COLLIERIES IN ABERDARE

12,000 tons of Coal were produce in the Aberdare Parish.

146,000 tons

38,000 tons from Abernantygroes alone.

48,000 tons from Abernantygroes alone.

From a survey made this year, there were 6 workable seams from 3 feet to 9 feet thick in the district. Analysis gave 85.99% carbon giving 88.89% coke; the Aberdare and Abernant Iron Works had 6 blast furnaces producing 18,000 tons of iron per annum.

500,000 tons of coal produced in Aberdare Parish.

14 pits producing 2.500 – 3,000 tons per day

850,416 tons of coal were shipped along the Glamorganshire Canal to Abercynon.

Newcastle petitioned for coal trials by the Admiralty which took place in ...

trials at Bute Docks by Screw Vessel Isabella conducted by Tamplin and Lyn and came out strongly in favour of Welsh Steam Coal.

Thomas Powell sent 1,000 tons of Coal from Cardiff to Newcastle.

The Naval ship Achilles 20 guns Iron Frigate 1,250 h.p. Capt E. Vansittart made a series of speed trials with full boiler power over the measured mile in Stoke’s Bay, near Portsmouth. The ship used 40 tons of hand-picked Nixon’s Aberdare Coal. Over 6 runs she averaged 14.24 knots and the Board of Admiralty declared its preference for Welsh Steam Coal.

Consideration of Manpower and Price of Coal

Total Employed in collieries in G.B. 216,217.
980 lives lost in fatal accidents, i.e. 1 in 219.

991 killed out of total of 350,894, i.e. 1 in 354.

June to June: 95 killed in Aberdare.
The greatest numbers of these fatalities were as the result of explosions.

Things would have continued like this were it not for Herbert Mackworth, H.M. Inspector of Mines, who attributed all this to negligence on the part of the owners and ignorance by the workers.