Abercanaid, Merthyr Tydfil, No.1 (SO 305649203438) No.2 (SO 306013203312)

These two pits were sunk between c1848 and 1852 by William Crawshay, with the No.1 (Upper) Pit being 126 yards deep, and the No.2 (Lower) Pit being 188 yards deep. Two other shafts were utilised by this colliery; one for pumping excess water out of the mine and the other for ventilation purposes. They were sunk opposite the Plymouth Iron Works but supplied the Cyfarthfa Works being owned in 1858/65 by William Crawshay and Sons, R.T. Crawshay (1870) and by the Crawshay Brothers (Cyfarthfa) Limited. In the 1880s ventilation was by a Guibal-type fan that was 30 feet in diameter and 10 feet wide and produced 120,000 cubic feet of air per minute. The No.1 closed in 1885.

In 1878/84 the No.2 Pit was managed by M. Bates. It employed 289 men underground and 19 men on the surface in 1896, with the manager being William Dyer, 443 men underground and 57 men on the surface in 1908 with the manager being D. Francis, 544 men in 1911, it employed 673 men in 1913, 703 men in 1916 and in 1918 it was still managed by D. Francis and then employed 617 men underground and 86 men on the surface. In 1919 it employed 690 men and was still managed by D. Francis. In 1923 it employed 719 men working underground and 100 men working at the surface of the mine. The manager was still David Francis. In 1924 it employed 700 men and in 1925 it employed 725 men.

However, this steam coal colliery ceased production in the 1920s when it was owned by Llewellyn (Cyfarthfa) Limited. It was kept open for ventilation and pumping purposes until Nationalisation in 1947. Amongst other seams, the No.1 Pit worked the Nine-Feet seam at a thickness of 70 inches.

Explosions in 1862 and 1865 killed 47 miners and 34 miners respectively.

Some of those who died at this mine:

  • 12/9/1851, John Roach, collier, roof fall.
  • 21/7/1852, Robert Elias, aged 18, sinker, fell down the shaft.
  • 23/8/1853, D. Davis, aged 40, labourer, fell down the shaft.
  • 22/9/1853, Thomas Jones, aged 26, collier, roof fall.
  • 14/10/1855, J. Emmanuel, aged 25, collier, roof fall.
  • 23/10/1862, David Ingram, aged 11, door boy in No.1, roof fall.
  • 31/10/1862, John Higgnet, aged 33, collier in No.1, roof fall.
  • 20/12/1865, David Beddoe, aged 19, collier, roof fall.
  • 20/12/1865, Thomas Bowen, aged 42, collier, roof fall.
  • 26/6/1866, Timothy Mach, aged 30, hitcher, fell down the shaft.
  • 9/6/1867, Evan Lewis, collier, roof fall.
  • 29/6/1867, William Lewis, aged 21, collier in No.1, roof fall.
  • 22/5/1869, William Davies, aged 32, collier, roof fall.
  • 22/5/1869, Thomas Randle, aged 22, collier, roof fall.
  • 7/6/1869, David Williams, aged 38, hitcher, fell down the shaft.
  • 17/11/1871, David Jenkins, aged 35, collier, roof fall.
  • 27/12/1871, John Phillips, aged 35, collier in No.2, roof fall.
  • 4/4/1873, John Jones, collier in No.1, roof fall.
  • 15/2/1877, Benjamin Davies, aged 71, mason in No.1, roof fall.
  • 21/6/1877, W. Harris, aged 13, door boy in No.2, roof fall.
  • 19/6/1879, George Morgan, aged 60, labourer, shaft incident.
  • 20/3/1884, Thomas Roberts, aged 46, ripper in No.1, roof fall.
  • 10/1/1886, John Edwards, aged 64, collier in No.2, run over by trams.
  • 3/3/1887, Thomas Davies, aged 32, collier in No.2, roof fall.
  • 26/6/1888, Edward Thomas, aged 18, haulier in No.2, was run over by trams.
  • 4/10/1888, Charles Young, aged 26, collier in No.2, roof fall.
  • 31/8/1890, Thomas W. Hayes, aged 26, mason in No.2, roof fall.
  • 20/1/1891, John Evans, aged 74, lamp locker in No.2, crushed by trams.
  • 19/12/1891, Benjamin Davies, aged 24, wagon shifter, run over by wagons.
  • 7/3/1894, Francis McCarthy, aged 13, collier boy, roof fall.
  • 17/3/1896, John Morgan, aged 27, collier, crushed by trams.
  • 29/9/1899, W. Williams, aged 26, haulier, roof fall.
  • 12/10/1899, W. Garnon, aged 22, collier, roof fall.
  • 15/1/1911, Frederick White, aged 29, sinker, shaft incident.
  • 6/1/1912, John Streams, aged 34, collier, roof fall.

Some statistics:

  • 1889: Output: 64,055 tons.
  • 1894: Output: 71,151 tons.
  • 1896: Manpower: 308.
  • 1899: Manpower: 286.
  • 1900: Manpower: 252.
  • 1901: Manpower: 201.
  • 1902: Manpower: 264.
  • 1905: Manpower: 318.
  • 1907: Manpower: 408.
  • 1908: Manpower: 500.
  • 1909: Manpower: 500.
  • 1910: Manpower: 630.
  • 1911: Manpower: 544.
  • 1912: Manpower: 673.
  • 1913: Manpower: 673.
  • 1916: Manpower: 703.
  • 1918: Manpower: 703.
  • 1919: Manpower: 690.
  • 1920: Manpower: 805.
  • 1922: Manpower: 648.
  • 1923: Manpower: 684.
  • 1924: Manpower: 721.
  • 1925: Manpower: 725.
  • 1927: Manpower: 22, ventilation only.
  • 1928: Manpower: 878, with Castle.

 

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

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