Crynant Colliery

Crynant, Dulais Valley

The Crynant Colliery was listed in 1878 as being managed by T. Jenkins, and from 1871 as owned by Evans and Bevan. Something went wrong though and in June 1885 it was put up for auction, being described as:

Situate and joining the Crynant station of the Neath and Brecon Railway in the Dulais Valley, comprising of about FOUR HUNDRED ACRES There are two seams, one 3 feet 9 inches, and the other 2 feet 2 inches, worked by a level having free drainage, the quality being dry steam coal….There is a bed of fireclay under the Upper Vein, which is well suited for making fire-bricks. This taking includes 14 workable seams of coal, of the aggregate thickness of 53 feet, estimated to yield 30 million tons of coal. The lowest of those seams would be reached by a shaft 450 yards deep, and would maintain an output of 1,000 tons a day for a 100 years.

The attention of intending purchasers is especially drawn to the fact that the roof of the seam is rock, requiring very little timber, and, consequently, the cost of working the seam is materially reduced. It is a colliery having the following unusual advantages:- Natural ventilation, no way-leave to pay, cheap royalty levels, water-free, no gas ever discovered, consequently being capable of being worked with naked lights; no engine coal consumed, no pit wood, practically speaking; seam underlaid with good clay for bricks, extensive area, clay and coal worked cheap, and building stones obtained from roof of seam.

 The plant consists of 40 trams, to hold 30 cwts. each,20 chain couplings, 10 bar couplings, 1 wheelbarrow, 2,710 yards of laid road rails, 11 partings, 1 screen, 1 weighouse, 1 office, 1 stable for 4 horses, 1 smithy, etc.

The colliery appears to have been purchased by Messrs. Jebb and Dickinson as the Crynant Colliery Company, who in gratitude for their men not joining the great strike of 1893, took the men, their wives and children to Brecon where they had a ‘substantial’ meal. He also told them that he hoped to pay them more than the 20% rise that the strikers were demanding.

On the 7th of July 1896, Daniel Hopkins, aged 25 years and a haulier, died when he was run over by trams, while just a month later, on the 7th of August 1896, James Jenkins, aged 46 years, was going about his business as a collier, and was pushing a full tram out of his stall when it knocked out a post and the roof fell in and killed him.

The Crynant Colliery Company (Jebb and Dickinson of Brecon) wasn’t established until 1900 and was, by then working the Ynisarwed (No.2 Rhondda) seam with this drift being driven into the seam from near its outcrop. This company did not join the Monmouthshire and South Wales Coal Owners Association. In 1910 a 5 feet in diameter Waddle type ventilating fan was installed at this colliery.

It employed 54 men underground and 6 men on the surface in 1896 when managed by M.W. Davies and in 1913 it employed 200 men, with its output varying between dry steam and anthracite coals.

On the 14th of May 1912, Ivor Gregory, aged only 16 years and a collier boy, was run over and killed by runaway trams, on the 21st of November 1911, Bertram Collins, aged 15 years and also a collier boy died under a roof fall. The manager at that time was D. Daniel who was also the manager in 1908 and 1922.

In 1923 it was managed by S. Williams and in 1927 it was managed by D.J. Walters. Its sales agent, L. Gueret Ltd., advertised:

Coal Shippers, Pitwood importers, and Steamship Agents With coaling depots at 17 foreign ports” Their Anchor Patent Fuel had won gold medals at Barcelona, Paris and Milan, and was supplied to the British Admiralty, India Office, Foreign Governments, and the leading Foreign Railway Companies

In 1932 the manager was still D.J. Walters and in 1935 Crynant Colliery employed 35 men on the surface and 130 men underground producing 80,000 tons of coal. The manager was now R.J. Powell he was still the manager in 1949. In 1934 the Crynant Colliery Company Limited was based at 113/5 Bute Street, Cardiff with the directors being; H.H. Merrett, R.V. Price and Colonel G.T. Bruce. This company had been incorporated in 1900 with Crynant being its only mine.

Along with the nation’s other coal mines, Crynant Colliery was nationalized in 1947 and was placed in the National Coal Board’s, South Western Division’s, No.1 Swansea Area. But by closure in March 3rd 1956 it had been transferred to the No.9 (Neath) Area.

Reviewing the NCB’s decision to close this colliery the NUM Area Executive Council decided that due to the conditions prevailing at this colliery, they could not oppose closure. The Blaenant NUM Lodge didn’t want to accommodate the Crynant men because they feared that overmanning at their pit would bring on its closure.

Some statistics:

• 1899: Manpower: 70.
• 1900: Manpower: 72.
• 1901: Manpower: 89.
• 1902: Manpower: 81.
• 1903: Manpower: 113.
• 1905: Manpower: 92.
• 1907: Manpower: 157.
• 1908: Manpower: 137.
• 1909: Manpower: 137.
• 1910: Manpower: 151.
• 1911: Manpower: 175.
• 1912: Manpower: 174.
• 1913: Manpower: 200.
• 1915: Manpower: 300.
• 1916: Manpower: 300.
• 1918: Manpower: 136.
• 1920: Manpower: 300.
• 1922: Manpower: 300.
• 1923: Manpower: 214.
• 1924: Manpower: 140.
• 1927: Manpower: 50.
• 1928: Manpower: 61.
• 1929: Manpower: 168.
• 1930: Manpower: 190. Output: 80,000 tons.
• 1932: Manpower: 300.
• 1934: Manpower: 165. Output: 80,000 tons.
• 1940: Manpower: 190. Output: 60,000 tons.
• 1942: Manpower: 130.
• 1948: Manpower: 122. Output: c27,000 tons.
• 1949: Manpower: 130. Output: 27,000 tons.
• 1950: Manpower: 131.
• 1953: Manpower: 114. Output: 30,600 tons.
• 1954: Output: 29,000 tons.
• 1955: Manpower 86. Output: 23,271 tons.

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