ALBERT COLLIERY
Merthyr Tydfil
This was a small level that was initially worked to provide both coal and iron ore for the Penydarren Iron Works. It employed three men in 1901. Francis Homfray, along with his sons, Jeremiah, Samuel and Thomas opened the Penydarren Iron Works in 1784, they operated the first steam engine in Wales in 1802. Hampered by the fact that the mineral rights under the works had already been leased out, and by competition from the larger works in the area the Penydarren Works closed in 1858.
BANWAUN (BANWAIN) COLLIERY
Merthyr Tydfil
This was one of the many small levels worked by the Dowlais Iron Company to feed their works with both coal and iron. It abandoned the Rosser ironstone vein prior to 1878 and the Brass seam in 1901. Please also see the listings on Dowlais Collieries.
BLAEN DOWLAIS COLLIERY
Near Dowlais, Merthyr Tydfil
This was an obscure little mine that was worked by the Dowlais Iron Company. It was worked for both ironstone and coal and was abandoned in May 1924. The Dowlais Iron Company had vast amounts of coal reserves that outcropped in the area of the works and scores of small levels were driven to exploit them. This bountiful supply of coal enabled the works to expand rapidly so that by 1845 the company employed 7,000 workers and produced 140,000 tons of coal and 70,000 tons of iron, making it the largest iron works in the world. Despite this vast demand for coal for its own use, it was still able to lease areas of reserves to the owners of the Penydarren Iron Works. Also, see the listing on Dowlais Collieries.
BLAEN RHAS COLLIERY
Merthyr Tydfil 080081
This mine was one of the many worked and owned by the Dowlais Iron Company to feed their works with both coal and iron. It abandoned the Brass seam in 1901, the Lower Four-Feet in 1908 and the top section of that seam in 1917 when it probably closed as a production unit. Also, see the listing on Dowlais Collieries.
BLIND RACE COLLIERY
Dowlais, Merthyr Tydfil
Another of the small 19th-century levels opened to feed the local ironworks. Probably the same mine as the one above.
BREWHOUSE COLLIERY
Merthyr Tydfil
This level was owned and worked to feed the Dowlais Ironworks with coal, clay and iron. As early as the 1850s it had a haulage rope 3,000 yards long that used to pull 30 to 35 trams at a time.
It abandoned the Elled in 1859 the Upper Four-Feet seam in 1893, the Brass Vein in November 1901, the Lower Four-Feet in 1908 and the top part of that seam in 1917. The Seven-Feet, Red and Nine-Feet seams were also abandoned in 1917 and the Six-Feet in 1914. The colliery itself was finally abandoned in May 1924.
BRITHDIR COLLIERY
Dowlais, Merthyr Tydfil. (114041, 115038, 115034.
This was a series of small levels that was worked in the mid and late 1800’s, probably in the Brithdir seam. Around the time that this level was driven, the colliers would start their shift at 4am and not finish until 8 or 9 pm. He would sometimes start at midnight on a Saturday so that he could finish early. Wages would be around 211 Id (15 pence) a day but he would be very lucky if he received this grand sum under the old Truck System. This mine was managed by T. Bevan in 1878.
A Brithdir Level was located at Fochriw and worked by the Dowlais Collieries Ltd/GKN, from 1872 until 1886 then the Old Levels were re-opened between 1920 and 1938 when the manager was J. Bevan. It employed 108 men ‘opening’ in 1923, 52 men in 1924, 137 men in 1926, 177 men in 1927, 148 men in both 1928 and 1929, 16 men in 1932 and 140 men in 1934.
BUXTONS COLLIERY
Dowlais 077069
A pit was worked to supply the Dowlais Iron Works with iron ore and coal between 1871 and 1876. It was abandoned in May 1924. For further details please see the section on the Dowlais Collieries.
CWM CANAL COLLIERY
Merthyr Tydfil
There was a Cwm Canal level operated by the Dowlais Iron Company in 1884 that produced 1,554 tons of coal in 1889. It was one of the many small levels.
CWM CENOL COLLIERY
Dowlais 074078.
Please see Cwm Canal above. It worked to feed the Cyfarthfa Iron Works and was abandoned in March 1924.
COSLET COLLIERY
Merthyr Tydfil
This level was used by the Dowlais Iron Company to feed their iron works. It was abandoned in May 1924. Please also see the listing on Dowlais Collieries.
GWAINFARREN COLLIERY
Merthyr Tydfil
This small level was owned by the Gwainfarren Colliery Company of Penydarren in 1896 when it employed five men working underground and one man on the surface producing housecoal. It was abandoned when it exhausted the Lower Four-Feet seam in February 1897.
MEREDITH’S COLLIERY
Dowlais, 093088
This level was owned by William Meredith in 1858/65 and was one of the many levels worked for the Dowlais Iron Company to feed their works. It abandoned the Upper Four-Feet seam in 1893.
MORGAN’S COLLIERY
Dowlais, Merthyr Tydfil
This was one of the many levels owned by the Dowlais Iron Company to feed their works with both coal and iron ore. It was abandoned in May 1924. Please also see the listing on the Dowlais Collieries.
MOUNTAIN FOUR-FEET COLLIERY
Dowlais, Merthyr Tydfil.
Being a brilliant detective I have deduced that this level was high up on a mountain and worked the Four-Feet seam. Clever ain’t I. It was listed in 1878 as being owned by the Dowlais Iron Company and managed by T. Phillips. It closed in 1886. I can find no further reference to it. At this the northern outcrop of the Coalfield, to the east and west of Merthyr, interlaid with the coal seams of the Middle and Lower Coal Measures are beds of iron ore. Where the ironstone, coal and limestone work up to the surface they are no longer one above the other as in the underground sequence, but are largely parallel on the surface. The indiscriminate exploitation of these mineral resources at a shallow level has resulted in the broken nature of the ground in the area.
NORTH TUNNEL COLLIERY
Dowlais, Merthyr Tydfil
This was a level that worked the Big Vein (Four-Feet) seam under the ownership of the Dowlais Iron Company in 1878 when it was managed by T. Phillips. I have no further dates for it.
PANT-Y-WAUN COLLIERY
Dowlais, 086081, 087089
This was a series of two levels near the northern outcrop of the Coalfield that employed 135 men working the Black Vein in 1912 and 157 men in 1913 when it was owned by Guest, Keen and Nettlefolds Limited.
It was opened c1873 and abandoned in May 1924.
PENCOEDCAE COLLIERY
Mountain Hare 065058, 068059
This mine was listed in 1905 as being owned by the owners of the farm of the same name, and at that time it employed five men, in 1907 it employed 11 men working underground and 2 men at the surface. In 1910/12 it was owned by the Jenkins Brothers and employed ten men.
PENYARD COLLIERY
Merthyr Tydfil 056047
This was a small level that worked the coal seams of the middle and lower coal measures near their northern outcrop. It was owned by the Dowlais Iron Company. Opened in 1873 it employed 7 men in 1896 and was abandoned in 1901. Please see the listing on Dowlais Collieries.
PEN-Y-COEDCAE COLLIERY
Merthyr Tydfil
This was another one of the numerous levels owned by the Dowlais Iron Company to feed their works. It abandoned the Rhas Las or Nine-Feet seam in May 1917 and the Red Vein in October 1919. Please also see the listing on Dowlais Collieries.
PEN-YR-HEOL COLLIERY
Merthyr Tydfil
This level was one of the many owned by the Dowlais Iron Company to feed their works. It was abandoned in May 1924. Please also see the listing on Dowlais Collieries.
PENYWAUN FAWR COLLIERY
Merthyr Tydfil
This was just another 19th-century level worked by the Dowlais Iron Company in a confusing array of industries.
PRICE’S COLLIERY
Merthyr Tydfil
This level was one of the many owned by the Dowlais Iron Company to feed their works with both iron ore and coal. It was abandoned in May 1924. Please also see the listing on Dowlais Collieries.
RHAS LAS COLLIERY
Dowlais 092074
This was a small level that was worked in the 19th Century by the Dowlais Iron Company. Probably the same mine as Race Lace. It was working in 1856 and closed in 1871. Please see the listing on Dowlais Collieries.
TONYFFALD
Dowlais 062068
This level appears to have been a failure for the Dowlais Iron Company, It existed around 1870. The sister drift to this mine, the Trecatti, was opened into the Upper-Four-Feet seam.
TOMMO COLLIERY
Merthyr Tydfil
This was one of the numerous levels worked by the Dowlais Iron Company to feed their works with both iron ore and coal. It abandoned the Elled or Two-Feet-Nine seam in May 1859 and the Upper-Four-Feet seam in February 1893.
TOR-Y-FAN COLLIERY
Dowlais 071069
The original level was worked by the Dowlais Iron Company which abandoned the Black Vein in June 1914. This was also a small drift mine that worked the Black Vein seam at a thickness of around 30 inches in the 1930s. This ‘Black Vein’ seam was situated between the Six-Feet seam and the Four-Feet seams.
TYLA DOWLAIS COLLIERY
Merthyr Tydfil 074074
This was one of the many levels worked by the Dowlais Iron Company to feed their works. It was abandoned in 1878 Please also see the listing on Dowlais.
TYLE DOWLAIS COLLIERY
Dowlais, Merthyr Tydfil
This was a small pit that was opened on the northern outcrop of the Coalfield to feed the Dowlais Iron Works with ironstone Probably the same as Tyla Dowlais.
VANWAIN COLLIERY
Merthyr Tydfil
This level was one of the many used by the Dowlais Iron Company to feed their works. It was abandoned in May 1924.
Please also see the listing on Dowlais Collieries.
WAGSTAFF COLLIERY
Dowlais, Merthyr Tydfil
This was a small level that was owned by the Dowlais Iron Company and worked the Six-Feet seam near its outcrop at a thickness of 45 inches abandoning this seam in June 1914.
Information supplied by Ray Lawrence and used here with his permission.
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