Garnant Colliery

Near Brynamman, Amman Valley 695125

This was an anthracite pit sunk to the Trigloyn seam and owned in 1858/70 by Perkins and Sons. It was also called Perkins Pit.

In 1882 it was owned by the Garnant Colliery Company and in 1883/5 it was managed by John Hay. It was flanked by Raven and Gelliceidrim Collieries to the north and by Ammanford Colliery to the west. In 1886 it was owned by Stephens and Company of Cwmamman and worked the Brynlloi seam. It was listed in 1907 as employing 47 men working underground in the Peacock Vein and 18 men at the surface, Thomas M. Jones was the manager. In 1908/9 it was shown as employing 69 men underground and 33 men on the surface, the manager was still T.M. Jones.

In 1911 it is listed as under the ownership of the Garnant Anthracite Collieries Limited, employed 150 men and was managed by J.J. Morris. In 1913 it was managed by R. Clarke. It worked the Big Vein between 1847 and 1895, the Trigloyn seam around 1861, it abandoned an unnamed seam in 1874. It abandoned the Peacock seam in February 1912 but continued to work the Big Vein from the Lamb or Old slant. The Commercial Manager was W.S. Wardlaw, and Selling Agents were, Messrs. Burgess and Company of the Docks, Swansea. In 1912 it employed 200 men. It was still listed under the same ownership in 1921 but had disappeared by the 1930s.

• On the 4th of November 1882, William Griffiths, Age: 45: Labourer: was crushed by a tram of coal.
• On January 16th 1884 the rope dropping a cage of ten men down the 150-yard deep pit snapped killing all ten miners. They were; David Roberts aged 36 years, Thomas Bevan aged 35, William Lake aged 29, Thomas Richards, 35, John Jones 32, John James, 21, Evan Roberts, 16, Thomas Roberts, 14, Daniel Rees, 12, Edward Morgan, 14 years old.
• On the 8th of August 1910, Gwilym Griffiths, Age: 21 years and a labourer, was fastening the door of a railway wagon at the screens when it was struck by another wagon and the deceased received fatal injuries.

Some statistics:

• 1902: Manpower: 41.
• 1905: Manpower: 97.
• 1909: Manpower: 102.
• 1910: Manpower: 160.
• 1911: Manpower: 150.
• 1912: Manpower: 200.
• 1913: Manpower: 7 idle.
• 1923: Manpower: 8.
• 1924: Manpower: 6.

GARNANT SITE

Near Brynamman, Amman Valley

The commencement date of the site contract was on the 7th of September 1987 with the start of production being on the 13th of May 1988.

Production stopped in December 1992 and was completed in December 1993 for use as a golf course and rugby field. The site area was 114.65 hectares and 440,000 tons of anthracite coal was extracted at an average of 2,000 tonnes per week from the Upper White, Upper Black, Harnlo, Big, Lower Black, Peacock, Trigloin and Upper Pencraig seams. This site employed 48 men.

The coal was sent to the Gwaun-cae-Gurwen and Cwmbargoed washeries and produced large nuts, small nuts, beans, grains and duff. They were made for the domestic, export and industrial markets.

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