Dowlais, Merthyr Tydfil (07980523)

The Nos.1 and 2 Pits were sunk to a depth of 732 feet 3 inches to the Six-Feet seam in 1835. The Isaac Morgan Pit (which was about 1,100 yards to the north of the No.1 Pit) was sunk to a depth of 339 feet 3 inches to the Upper-Four-Feet seam.

This colliery must have resembled Hell, in a short time during 1870, accident records show that on the 20th of April, J. Edwards aged 14 years and a collier died in a roof fall, on the 2nd of May, D. Hughes aged 51 years, R. Jones aged 58 years and T. Jones aged 30 years all died in an explosion. On the 19th of May, W. Price, a collier aged 19 years died under a roof fall, and on the following day, J. Lewis a stoker aged 20 years was killed by machinery. On the 29th of May, T. Jenkins and C. Williams, both sinkers, died when the ‘grab ran wild.’ Finally on the 14th of June 1870, T. Oliver a collier aged 60 years died under a fall of roof.

It was opened by Guest and Company the owners of the Dowlais Iron Works, it produced 118,872 tons of coal in 1889 and was owned by the Dowlais Iron Company in 1893. In 1896 there were just 3 men underground and 2 men on the surface, and in 1907/8 there were 4 men underground and 4 men on the surface on pumping operations.

The Two-Feet-Nine seam had a thickness of 38 inches. The Upper-Four-Feet seam was 40 inches thick and was extensively worked. The Six-Feet seam had a total thickness of 8 feet 11 inches. The Nine-Feet seam had a thickness of 64 inches. The Bute seam was 22 inches thick.

The Seven-Feet seam was 27 inches thick. The Five-Feet/Gellideg seam had a thickness of 8 feet 1 inch. The Hafod seam was probably worked and had a section of 24 inches. The Hafod seam at this colliery was excellent for house coal. Based on the Nine-Feet seam this colliery produced types 202 and 203 Coking Steam Coals, low volatile, weak to medium caking, which were used for foundry and blast furnace cokes, and for steam raising in the boilers of ships, locomotives etc.

It was closed in May 1924.

Some of those who died at this mine:

  • 10/12/1851, Rees Morgan, aged 19, engineer, fell down the shaft.
  • 22/7/1853, Richard Jones, aged 48, collier, an explosion of firedamp.
  • 22/7/1853, J. Phillips, aged 16, an explosion of firedamp.
  • 4/10/1854, John Howell, aged 24, collier, roof fall.
  • 16/5/1855, Richard Harris, aged 53, hitcher, crushed by trams.
  • 22/5/1856, Charles Daniel, roof fall.
  • 9/7/1856, John Phillips, shaft incident.
  • 14/10/1856, Richard Thomas, roof fall.
  • 13/8/1859, Mesh Thomas, collier, roof fall.
  • 18/3/1861, Isaac Rees, aged 38, collier, roof fall.
  • 17/6/1863, Thomas Jenkins, aged 16, collier, roof fall.
  • 29/4/1865, David Jones, aged 55, collier, roof fall.
  • 29/3/1867, Henry Thomas, collier, roof fall.
  • 4/1/1870, D. Evans, aged 26, collier, roof fall.
  • 24/3/1871, D. Williams, aged 50, timber man, roof fall.
  • 1/3/1871, J. Morgan, aged 55, collier, roof fall.
  • 5/10/1874, A. Newbury, miner, shotfiring.
  • 23/1/1875, D. Evans, aged 34, miner, roof fall.
  • 21/9/1876, Wyndham Griffiths, aged 45, collier, roof fall.
  • 23/3/1879, Matthew Rees, aged 23, Haulier, explosion of gas.
  • 19/6/1880, David James, aged 64, labourer, scalded.
  • 21/7/1880, Thomas Morgans, aged 63, labourer, roof fall.
  • 31/8/1880, David Lewis, aged 56, mason, fell down the shaft.
  • 16/7/1881, William Williams, aged 24, haulier, explosion of gas.
  • 20/8/1883, D. Walters, aged 19, collier, roof fall.
  • 14/8/1885, Hugh Maker, aged 36, hitcher, shaft incident.
  • 10/2/1891, David Thomas, aged 32, rider, run over by trams.
  • 9/6/1891, William Cochrane, aged 31, repairer, roof fall.

PENYDARREN COLLIERY
Dowlais, Merthyr Tydfil

This was a small level that was listed in 1917 as being owned by the Penydarren Brick and Coal Company who were not members of the Monmouthshire and South Wales Coal Owners Association. In 1918 it employed 8 men while another Penydarren employed 41 men underground and 6 men on the surface with the manager being I. P. Thomas. In 1927 John Bevan was the manager and it employed 53 men with D. Williams as the owner.

In 1930/2 it employed 7 men working underground and 5 men at the surface working the Lower Four-Feet seam. In 1935 it was still owned by D. Williams of the Penydarren Brick and Coal Works who employed 4 men on the surface and 9 men underground producing 2,500 tons of coal from the Two-Feet- Nine seam. The manager at that time was Llewellyn Richards. Mr. Richards may have bought this mine in 1938 L.O. Richards is the owner/manager and it employed 14 men. In 1940 it employed 13 men and produced 2,548 tons of coal. In 1943 it employed 12 men working underground in the Two-Feet-Nine, Seven-Feet and Gellideg seams and 2 men at the surface of the mine while in 1944 it employed 16 men.

Some statistics:

  • 1903: Manpower: 4.
  • 1911: Manpower: 7.
  • 1912: Manpower: 7.
  • 1918: Manpower: 8.
  • 1922: Manpower: 12.
  • 1923: Manpower: 11.
  • 1924: Manpower: 10.
  • 1927: Manpower: 10.
  • 1930: Manpower: 12.
  • 1933: Manpower: 11.
  • 1937: Manpower: 13.
  • 1938: Manpower: 14.
  • 1940: Manpower: 13.
  • 1943: Manpower: 14.
  • 1944: Manpower: 16.
  • 1948: Manpower: 10.
  • 1950: Manpower: 10.

 

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

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