Cwmaman, Cynon Valley (SS 9937 9948)

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This colliery was sunk about 500 yards to the west of Fforchaman Colliery and is locally known as Pwll Shepherd or Shepherd’s Pit.

Two shafts were sunk to the steam coal seams by Thomas Shepherd in partnership with H.J. Evans, with the coal being ‘found’ in December 1849. The downcast shaft was sunk to the Four-Feet seam at a depth of 232 yards, and the upcast shaft to the Two-Feet-Nine seam at a depth of 218 yards. Initially winding was by the water balance method.

In 1886 the upcast shaft was deepened to the Gellideg seam and a 30 feet in diameter Waddle type ventilation fan was installed. Prior to this, it had been ventilated by a Guibal type fan that was 30 feet in diameter and 10 feet wide.

This pit worked the following seams:

  • Middle Leaf of the Seven-Feet seam at a thickness of 36 inches.
  • The Bute seam was worked at a thickness of up to 60 inches.
  • The Four-Feet seam was extensively worked at a section of; coal 19 inches, dirt 2 inches, coal 48 inches, dirt 10 inches, coal 10 inches.

Generally, its coals were classed as type 201B Dry Steam Coals, usually non-caking, low volatile, low in ash and sulphur content, and used in boilers for steam raising on such as ships, locomotives, power stations, etc.

From 1873 Thomas Shepherd operated the colliery alone, with his manager being Griffith Thomas, until the formation of the Cwmaman Coal Company in 1882.

On the 13th of January 1882, the Cwmaman Coal Company was formed to acquire the belongings of John Hall and others. It had a capital £200,000 in £10 shares. Purchase consideration £150,000 of shares. The main shareholders were; James Hall Newcastle, H. Philipson, RT Bunn, all Newcastle, PH Coward Cardiff, J. Daglish, Shields, RH Philipson, Oxford, CO Hall, Tynemouth. Expansion soon followed with the sinking of Fforchwen in 1900 and the Trewen Pit in 1910.

The steam winder in 1873 had two cylinders of 30 inches in diameter and a 60 inch long stroke, the winding drum was eleven feet in diameter and was made by Williams and Knight of Pontypridd.

In 1896 the manager was Rhys R Davies. In 1898 the colliery had a sidings capacity of; full wagons 284, empty wagons 194, other wagons 159, making a total capacity of 637 wagons. Two Walker type ventilation fans were installed at this colliery, one in 1902 and the other in 1918. Both were 22 feet in diameter and 7 feet wide.

On the 16th of September 1911, two miners died and another two were injured in an explosion of methane gas. Those that died were William Bryant aged 45 years and Thomas Davies aged 32 years.

In 1908 the manager was still R.R. Davies and in 1913 he was still there. In 1916/18/27 it was William Jones.

The Cwmaman Coal Company, which was a member of the Monmouthshire and South Wales Coal Owners Association, retained control of the Colliery up until 1917 when it was sold to D.R. Llewellyn.

By 1930 Aberaman Colliery was in the hands of the Bwllfa and Cwmaman Collieries Limited, this company which was incorporated in 1891, was by this time under the chairmanship of Sir D.R. Llewellyn and based at Aberdare House, Mount Stuart Square, Cardiff.   The other directors were, Sir J. Field Beale, T.J. Callaghan, W.M. Llewellyn, H.H. Merrett and J.H. Jolly.  At that time this company controlled six collieries producing 2,400,000 tons of coal. In 1930 Cwmaman Colliery employed 378 men working underground.

In 1935 the colliery’s production figures were combined with Fforchwen and Trewen pits and they employed 200 men on the surface and 1,670 men underground.  This ended the colliery as a productive unit.

Some of those who have died at this pit:

  • 3/1/1866 Charles Proctor, aged 13, Doorboy, run over by trams
  • 3/8/1866 David Powell, aged 13, haulier, run over by trams
  • 7/11/1866 Daniel Edwards, aged 21, collier, fall of roof
  • 10/10/1868 William Davies, aged 27, haulier, run over by trams
  • 9/10/1869 T. Miles, aged 20, collier, fall of roof
  • 15/2/1872 G. H. Thomas, aged 10?, incline boy, rope struck and killed him
  • 26/7/1872 William Owens, aged 18, collier, fall of roof
  • 6/5/1875 Evan Rees, aged 38, master haulier, killed by trams
  • 13/11/1875 D. Davies, aged 15, Doorboy, killed by trams
  • 15/4/1876, J. Williams, haulier, fall of roof
  • 24/5/1876 William Evans, aged 15, Doorboy, run over by trams
  • 3/8/1876 Morgan Morgans, aged 24, haulier, killed by trams
  • 29/9/1879 David Davies, aged 22, collier, shaft incident
  • 9/10/1879 Daniel Thomas, aged 26, collier, shaft incident
  • 2/7/1880 John Jones, aged 22, haulier, run over by trams
  • 21/4/1881 Thomas Thomas, aged 14, collier boy, fall of roof
  • 13/8/1884 John Evans, aged 62, labourer, fall of roof
  • 16/1/1885 John Morris, aged 46, labourer, fell down the shaft
  • 4/7/1885 Thomas Howells, aged 12, collier, fall of roof
  • 14/11/1885 John C. Evans, aged 68, lampman, killed by trams
  • 18/4/1886 Thomas Evans, aged 61, stower, crushed by trams
  • 19/4/1886 Joseph Howells, aged 12, Doorboy, crushed by trams
  • 10/3/1889 John Davies, aged 27, repairer, fall of roof
  • 13/8/1888 Bennet Rowling, aged 33, stoneman, fall of roof
  • 15/6/1889 Thomas Davies, aged 17, labourer, haulage incident
  • 16/10/1889 Reuben Jones, aged 35, collier, fall of roof
  • 16/1/1890 David J. Griffiths, aged 23, collier, fall of roof
  • 1/7/1891 John Thomas, aged 13, collier boy, fall of roof
  • 27/10/1891 George Jeal, aged 33, collier, fall of roof
  • 15/1/1892 Joseph Thomas, aged 29, collier, fall of roof.
  • 25/9/1892 Joseph Chidjig, aged 46, repairer, fall of roof
  • 14/7/1893 John Davies, aged 43, repairer, fall of roof
  • 11/10/1893 David Thomas, aged 13, collier boy, fall of roof
  • 18/12/1893 Evan Davies, aged 47, repairer, fall of roof
  • 3/8/1894 William Thomas, aged 47, timberman, fall of roof
  • 21/5/1895 John Llewellyn, aged 26, collier, explosion
  • 27/5/1895 David Taylor, aged 35, labourer, shaft incident
  • 19/9/1895 John Owen, aged 40, repairer, run over by trams.
  • 25/9/1895 John Owen, aged 66, roadman, blood poisoning
  • 10/10/1895 Gomer Wiltshire, aged 19, assistant haulier, haulage rope.
  • 21/11/1895 William Rottenberg, aged 49, collier, fall of roof
  • 4/8/1898 David Morgan, aged 38, sinker, shaft incident
  • 16/1/1910 William Hughes, aged 45, collier, fractured skull
  • 25/3/1910 W.A. Marsh, aged 52, labourer, fall of roof
  • 6/6/1910 David Morgan, aged 51, rider, run over by trams
  • 14/7/1910 John Llewellyn, aged 25, collier, fall of roof
  • 1/10/1910 A.J. Harris, aged 17, collier, Lewis Lewis, aged 19, collier, run over by trams
  • 16/4/1911 William Lewis, aged 65, mason, fall
  • 16/9/1911 William Bryant, aged 45, lampman, Thomas Davies, aged 32, haulier, explosion of gas 2 killed.
  • 25/9/1911 David Davies, aged 45, overman, fall of roof
  • 14/7/1912, William Polkinhorne, aged 33, assistant pitman, fell down shaft
  • 3/9/1912 Richard Evans, aged 55, master hitcher, crushed by trams
  • 26/3/1913 William Mason, aged 46, timberman, fall of roof
  • 6/10/1913 Daniel Griffiths, aged 53, stower, run over by trams
  • 9/2/1914 Henry Hughes, aged 30, haulier, fall of roof

 

Some Statistics:

  • 1889: Output: 197,705 tons.
  • 1894: Output: 262,130 tons.
  • 1896: Manpower: 1,078.
  • 1899: Manpower: 944.
  • 1900: Manpower: 953. Output: 292,944 tons.
  • 1901: Manpower: 972.
  • 1902: Manpower: 949.
  • 1903: Manpower: 990.
  • 1905: Manpower: 987.
  • 1907: Manpower 1,800. Output: 484,576 tons.
  • 1908: Manpower: 1,012.
  • 1909: Manpower: 1,112.
  • 1911: Manpower: 2,050. Output: 524,741 tons.
  • 1912: Manpower: 979.
  • 1913: Manpower 1,100.
  • 1915/6: Manpower: 1,000.
  • 1918: Manpower: 1,846.
  • 1919: Manpower 1,921. Output: 439,608 tons.
  • 1920/2: Manpower: 1,000.
  • 1923: Manpower: 924.
  • 1924: Manpower: 1,999 with Fforchwen & Trewen.
  • 1925: Manpower: 700.
  • 1927: Manpower: 1,338 with Fforchwen & Trewen.
  • 1928: Manpower: 705 with Fforchwen & Trewen.
  • 1929: Manpower: 700.
  • 1932: Manpower: 700.
  • 1933: Manpower: 232 with Fforchwen & Trewen.
  • 1935: Manpower 1,870. Output: 500,000 tons with Fforchaman.
  • 1938: Manpower: 27.

 

CWMAMAN LEVEL

Cwmaman, Cynon Valley

This was a small level that was listed in 1917 as being owned by Rees Bevan, who was not a member of the Monmouthshire and South Wales Coal Owners Association.

 

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

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