Fforchneol Colliery

Aberdare, Cynon Valley

This mine was opened in 1869 by D. & R. Rees but unfortunately, Mr. D. Rees fell down the shaft in 1871 and was killed. It was then sold to Rees Bevan who worked it until 1878. In 1879 it was taken over by F. Render who formed the Fforchneol Colliery and Brickworks Company in 1885. It was sold to the Graig Coal & Brickworks Company in 1889 and subtitled Crown Colliery. It closed in 1891.

• On the 30th of November 1874, J. Lewis, aged 48 years, and a collier, died under a fall of the roof.
• On the 25th of February 1879, William Benyon, aged 30 years, and a collier, was killed in an explosion of gas.
• On the 13th of July 1880, John Thomas, aged 40 years, and a collier, died under a fall of the roof.

The Western Mail 30th of December 1880 reported:

On Tuesday last Mr. Thomas Williams, deputy coroner, held an inquest at the Globe Inn, Cwmaman, Aberdare, touching the death of David Richards, overman of the Fforchneol Colliery, Cwmaman, who met with a frightful death at the colliery on Christmas Day.

It appeared that the engineman at the colliery (Jonah Thomas) went home on Christmas morning. Later in the day two boys, employed at a pumping engine underground, came to the top of the pit with the intention of descending to their duties; but not finding anyone there to let them down, one of the lads, whose name is David Davies, proceeded to the house of the overman. He there found the overman and the engineman drinking rum, and they gave some to the boy. They then proceeded together towards the top of the pit. Here the engineman set the engine in motion, but instead of sending the cage down, he caused it to dash against the machinery above, and so violent was the contact that a portion of one of the wheels above broke away. The cage was then returned into position, and the overman and the boy who had partaken of the rum (David Davies) stepped upon it. The other lad declined to join them. The engine was set in motion at a terrific speed, even faster than the cage descended, for the slack coiled about the pit. The ascending cage came into violent contact with the one descending, and the overman disappeared from the latter. The boy, however, clung fast to the rods of the cage, and in that way, he reached the bottom, the body of the overman struck against the top of the cage with a horrible thud.

The depth of the pit is 105 yards. It is supposed that the unfortunate overman fell against the ascending cage, in the middle of the shaft, where the two cages pass each other, and that he clung to it until he was compelled to let go of his hold.

The inquest jury convicted Jonah Thomas of manslaughter and he was committed for the Assize, although the result of his trial is unknown, however, at Merthyr Tydfil court on May 16th 1883, Jonah Thomas, engineman, of Cwmaman was sentenced to one month’s hard labour for deserting his wife and children.

FFORCHNEOL GRAIG COLLIERY
Aberdare, Cynon Valley

The only listing that we can find for this mine is in 1923 when it was owned by the Fforchneol Graig Colliery Company and employed 16 men working underground and 6 men working at the surface. It employed twelve men when it was abandoned in 1924.

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