Near Aberdare, Cynon Valley

This mine was a series of drifts that included the Old, New and Lower Dyllas that were driven into the Nine-Feet seam near its northern outcrop. It worked this seam and extensively worked the Six-Feet seam which was nine feet six inches thick in this area.

It was owned by the Gadlys Iron Company from at least 1873. It was not listed in 1878, but by 1888 it is shown as Dyllas, and in 1892 it is owned by Waynes Company Limited, and in 1894 it is owned by Waynes Merthyr Company of Aberdare and employed 161 men underground and 24 men
on the surface with the manager being William Pugh.

It then disappears off the lists until 1913 when it is listed as Llwydcoed or Dyllas and is owned by the Llwydcoed Collieries Limited employing 331 men in that year. On the 1st of January 1914 it came into the hands of D.R. Llewellyn and in 1916 it employed 360 men and was managed by H. Jones. By 1917 the Lower Dyllas is shown as being owned by D.R. Llewellyn who by 1918 still employed H. Jones as manager and employed 233 men underground and 70 men on the surface. In 1920 it employed 360 men, in 1922 it employed 320 men, and in 1923 it employed 125 men working underground and 54 men at the surface.

In 1924/6 it employed 320 men and in 1928/9 it employed 170 men. In 1930 it employed 145 men and in 1932 it employed 120 men. In 1935 this mine employed 45 men on the surface and 100 men underground producing steam coals. The manager at that time was still Henry Jones.

In 1934 D.R. Llewellyn and Sons Limited was based at the Bwllfa Colliery with the following as its directors; Sir David R. Llewellyn, W.M. Llewellyn, H.H. Merrett, Sir John F. Beale, T.J. Callaghan , J.H. Jolly and D.J. Davies. The company secretary was Daniel Morgan. In that year it controlled four collieries, employing 925 men that produced 156,843 tons of coal.

It was not worked by the National Coal Board.

Just some of the miners who lost their lives at this pit:

  • 13/7/1873 Thomas Vaughn, aged 68, labourer, run over by trams on the surface.
  • 21/10/1878 William Jones, aged 12, collier, fall of the roof
  • 22/2/1892 Thomas Burrell, aged 51, coal tipper, suffocated by a roof falling on him
  • 10/11/1894 William Cole, aged 15, collier, explosion of firedamp
  • 10/11/1894 Griffith Morgan, aged 30, collier, explosion of firedamp
  • 20/10/1896 David Thomas, aged 56, roadman, fall of the roof
  • 24/3/1911 Evan Lewis, aged 44, collier, inrush of water.
  • 24/3/1911 Thomas J. Lewis, aged 14, collier boy, inrush of water.
  • 27/11/1912 Jonah Jones, aged 44, fireman, run over by trams
  • 7/2/1914 Evan Evans, aged 30, surface labourer, run over by trams

Some statistics:

1896: Manpower: 185.
1899: Manpower: 210.
1900: Manpower: 240.
1901: Manpower: 266.
1902: Manpower: 286.
1905: Manpower: 250.
1909: Manpower: 252.
1910: Manpower: 301.
1913: Manpower: 331.
1916: Manpower: 360.
1918: Manpower: 303.
1920: Manpower: 360. `
1922: Manpower: 320.
1923: Manpower: 179.
1924: Manpower: 229.
1925: Manpower: 320.
1927: Manpower: 175.
1928: Manpower: 170.
1930: Manpower: 140.
1932: Manpower: 120.
1935: Manpower: 145.

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

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