Waunwyllt Colliery

Merthyr Tydfil 049035

In 1828 Robert Thomas moved from West Wales to Merthyr Tydfil and opened a level at Waunwyllt to supply house coal to that area. The lease was obtained from the Earl of Plymouth and stated: “to open a sale coal colliery without power to sell to any of the ironmasters, and not to interfere with works which may be erected for the smelting of the Earl of Plymouth’s iron mines which may be in that quarter.”

After the death of Robert, his widow, Lucy, and his son William, took over the family business. They signed a lease in 1837 to work the minerals under the Graig. Thomas’ Merthyr Colliery Company Limited continued to work into the 20th century with the colliery office at 130, High Street, Merthyr and in 1913 the Waunwyllt Colliery was managed by R.D. Evans and employed 50 men producing house coal.

On the 18th of February 1914, Michael John Mahoney, aged 25 years and a collier died under a fall of the roof (rock) at the working face. The stone fell from a concealed break in the roof discharging four posts. A shot had just been fired in the coal underneath the spot.

In 1920 along with the Lucy’s it employed 170 men with W.H. Davies as the manager. This company was a member of the Monmouthshire and South Wales Coal Owners Association. It was still working in 1917 when it employed 130 men, and employed 137 men in 1918 when managed by W.H. Davies.

The colliery abandoned the Hafod or Waunwyllt seam in July 1920.

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