Thomas Powell

Thomas Powell was born in 1779 and began his commercial life at Chepstow, he soon moved on to become a timber merchant at Newport, and from there cashed in on the huge profits to be made in the newly emerging coal industry in Monmouthshire by opening and working a small level near Aberbeeg in 1810. His success in this level encouraged him to open further levels at Blackwood and Gelligaer, with the latter level earning him the nickname of Powell the Gaer.

Powell was instrumental in forming the Newport Coal Company in 1839 in an attempt to find overseas markets for his coal, agencies were established in France but the venture was a failure.

Following the success of the Wayne family with the steam coal seams of the Cynon Valley, Powell also started to sink in the Aberdare area striking the Four-Feet seam at his Duffryn Pit in 1842, he followed this by further sinkings or acquisitions at Cwmdare, Abernant-y-Groes, Abergwawr, Middle Duffryn, Cwmpennar and Bwllfa No.3.

Powell’s attention then moved to the Rhymney Valley with the New Tredegar and White Rose Collieries added to the rapidly expanding empire. He also again ventured into France, this time successfully, thanks to the sales expertise of John Nixon. His fortunes were also greatly enhanced by the British Admiralty establishing the superiority of Welsh Steam Coals in 1851.

In character, Thomas Powell was unprincipled and ruthless and was much hated by Masters and Men alike. His despotic attitude to his workers caused many a strike, lock-out and riot to occur, and he would unhesitatingly prosecute his men for breach of discipline. His attitude to his peers was a little different, and in one year, 1841, he was involved in separate legal disputes with the Taff Vale Railway, the Marquis of Bute and Sir Charles Morgan. Such was his unpopularity that when he died in 1869 his funeral was held in private to avoid public demonstrations.

An example of how this man thought can be given by his treatment of his partners’ children. With the Buttry Hatch and Plas Bedwellty Collieries, he was in shares with Thomas Prothero. Following Prothero’s death his three sons came into possession of his property. Powell then arranged with them that he would have the whole share of Buttry Hatch, and they would have the whole share of Plas Bedwellty. They agreed to this but later realised that they had been conned. Powell ‘forgot’ to tell them that he also owned the lease on the Plas Bedwellty lands and charged them royalties.

In 1863 Powell handed over the reins of his business to his sons, by that time he owned sixteen pits and was the largest single coal exporter in the world. He had three sons by his third wife (I don’t know how he found the time!), Thomas, Walter and Henry. When old Tom died his mining interests passed to his sons but they weren’t inclined to control it all so sold off their steam coal pits in the Cynon and Rhymney Valleys to Sir George Elliot who founded the Powell Duffryn Steam Coal Company, which at one time was the largest coal company in the world.

Walter and Henry Powell still dabbled in the mining industry and one of their interests was Powell’s Tillery Steam Coal Company Limited which was formed to control the Vivian, Gray and Penybont Pits.

The three brothers didn’t have a lot of luck in life, 35 years old Thomas, his wife and his son were killed in Ethiopia, Henry was kicked by a horse and died at 56 years, and Walter disappeared while riding in a hot balloon and was never seen again.

Powell’s Tillery Steam Coal Company became a subsidiary of the Ebbw Vale Steel, Iron and Coal Company in the early 1920s.

Information supplied by Ray Lawrence and used here with his permission.