Cawdor Colliery

Brynamman, Amman Valley 076115

This anthracite slant was opened into the Red Vein seam near its outcrop where it was around 48 inches thick.

It was opened in 1871 by Morgan and Thompson and managed by R. Phillips. It was stopped in 1874 and in 1875 it was owned by the Cawdor Coal Company (Morgan & Thompson). They became bankrupt and the mine was passed on to Charles Norton (trading as the Cawdor Coal Company) with the manager in 1883 being Rees Phillips, and in 1884/5/6/7 it was Thomas Davies. It was working the Red Vein at that time. In 1893 it was owned by the Cawdor Colliery Company with M.W. Davies as the manager and was described as working the Red Vein by the pillar & stall method using naked lights. Ventilation was by a furnace. It was abandoned in 1894.

In 1896 a new opening at 092115 (also called North Amman) was owned by David Jones and Sons of Garnant and employed 28 men underground and 12 men on the surface. The manager was M.W. Davies. In 1900 the manager was James Jone In 1905 it was sold to Augustus Trapnell and Company trading as the Cawdor and Garnant Collieries Ltd. This Company, which was based at the Docks, Swansea, also owned the Garnant Colliery at that time which employed 200 men. The manager in 1908 was M. Morgan and it employed 194 men underground and 46 men on the surface. Next up was the Garnant Anthracite Collieries Limited which owned it between 1909 and 1912. It employed 158 men in 1910. In 1913, there were 200 men at this mine under the ownership of the North Amman Collieries Ltd., J.J. Morris was the manager. In 1915 it employed 350 men and in 1916 this colliery employed 300 men. It was managed in both years by J. Powell.

North Amman Collieries Limited did not join the Monmouthshire and South Wales Coal Owners Association. In 1918 the colliery was still managed by J. Powell and employed 356 men underground and 82 men on the surface. It employed 400 men in 1919. In 1923 it was still owned by the North Amman Collieries Limited and employed 401 men working underground and 77 men working at the surface of the mine with the manager still being J. Powell.

This company was taken over by Cleeve’s Western Valleys Anthracite which in turn was absorbed by Amalgamated Anthracite Collieries Limited by 1930 which in that year employed 499 men at this mine; it was still managed by J. Powell. The Colliery Guardian of April 1930 stated that it had been closed for three years prior to this. By it 1934 employed 499 men working the Red Vein seam at this colliery.

The colliery now had its own coal preparation plant, and the manager was John Powell. Amalgamated Anthracite Collieries Limited became the giant of the anthracite section of the Coalfield employing 13,779 men in 26 collieries that produced 4,300,000 tons of coal, 80% of anthracite production in 1934. Cawdor was not worked by the National Coal Board and abandoned the Red Vein in 1941.

A few of those that died at this mine:

• 11/7/1874, H. Matthews, aged 26 years, and a collier, died under a roof fall.
• 3/4/1883, Richard Williams, aged 19 years, collier, died under a roof fall.
• 20/7/1911, David Davies, aged 39 years, rider, crushed by trams.
• 28/4/1914, Edward Davies, aged 32 years, fireman, Fall of the roof at face. The workmen in the face of a heading noticed that a “squeeze” was coming on and sent for the fireman, who, when he arrived, ordered the men to leave the place. As they were doing so a stone fell and killed James.

Some statistics:

• 1896: Manpower: 40.
• 1899: Manpower: 95.
• 1900: Manpower: 151.
• 1901: Manpower: 169.
• 1903: Manpower: 160.
• 1905: Manpower: 209.
• 1907: Manpower: 260.
• 1908: Manpower: 240.
• 1909: Manpower: 240.
• 1910: Manpower: 166.
• 1911: Manpower: 158.
• 1913: Manpower: 200.
• 1915: Manpower: 350.
• 1916: Manpower: 300.
• 1918: Manpower: 356.
• 1919: Manpower: 400.
• 1920: Manpower: 400.
• 1922: Manpower: 450.
• 1923: Manpower: 478.
• 1924: Manpower: 499.
• 1926: Manpower: 506.
• 1927: Manpower: 267.
• 1928: Manpower: 62.
• 1929: Manpower: 62.
• 1930/4: Manpower: 499.
• 1940: Manpower: 224.
• 1941: Manpower: 225.
• 1942: Manpower: 202.
• 1944: Manpower: 216.
• 1950: Manpower: 234.

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