Kay’s Slope

Blaenavon, Afan Lwyd Valley (230099)

This drift mine was located to the northwest of Blaenavon between the Garn Slope and Big Pit. Managed in 1878 and 1888 by the general manager of all of the Blaenavon Company’s mines, P. Williams, and shown on my listings for 1888 as being re-opened to work the Three-quarter, Big Vein and Elled seams. On the 4th May 1892 two men were killed under a roof fall at this colliery. Up until 1947 thirty-three miners died at this colliery with the main causes being; eighteen died under roof falls, seven due to haulage accidents. In 1896 it employed 329 men underground and 97 men on the surface working the same seams. In 1900 it is shown as employing 54 men on the surface and 328 men underground, being owned by the Blaenavon Company Limited. By 1913 manpower had increased to 466 men and in 1916 to 576 men, in 1918 it was 942 men underground and 142 men on the surface (with Milfraen). In 1919 it employed 575 men.

In 1929 The total number of people employed in the Milfraen/Kay’s combine was 1,189 of which 113 were employed at the surface. The group of mines produced 10,150 tons of coal per week. The third shift was a repairing and coal-cutting shift. the day shift worked from 7 a.m to 3 p.m., the afternoon shift from 3.30 p.m. to 11.30 p.m. and the night shift from 11.130 p.m. to 7.30 a.m. In February 1932 one of the largest pit head baths in the Coalfield was opened at this colliery at a cost of £23,000. In 1938 there were 309 men working underground and 58 men on the surface, these figures dropping to 269 men underground and 68 on the surface (with Milfraen) in 1943/5. At that time it was working the Black Vein, Yard and Horn Coals. The manager in 1913 was W.Waplington, in 1916 it was F. Cartwright, in 1918/19 W. Lewison, in 1934 it was W. Lewison, in 1938 it was E. Turner and in 1945 W.C. Morris.

On Nationalisation in 1947 this colliery was placed in the National Coal Board’s, South Western Division’s, No.6 (Monmouthshire) Area, and at that time was working in conjunction with the Milfraen Pit and employed 69 men on the surface and 281 men underground working the Black Vein, Meadow Vein and Horn Coal seams. It was then managed by W.C. Morris. In 1956 out of the total colliery manpower of 735 men, 315 of them worked at the coalfaces.

Kay’s Slope was merged with the Garn Slope in 1958 and closed in 1966.

In May 1971, the ground near the Whistle Inn collapsed into a hole eight feet in diameter and eleven feet deep where the Kays Slope workings were only 32 feet deep. It was agreed to fill in the first 180 feet of the drift which would reach the previously filled area through boreholes.

Some of those who died at this mine:

• 6/05/1879, William Reynollt, Age: 18: A large stone fell from the roof.
• 19/12/1879, Charles Gulliver, Age: 58: Collier: Killed by fall of roof.
• 2/08/1882, John Morgan Age: 21: Haulier: He was crushed between trams and died of injuries on the 9th.
• 26/09/1882, David Davies, Age: 55: Labourer: A small stone fell and bruised his hip. He finished his day’s work but afterwards suffered from shock. He died on the 4th of October from pneumonia and hepatic congestion consequent to nervous shock.
• 23/11/1882, Henry Coles, Age: 14: Collier: Fall of shale from the roof. 4/07/1883, H. Tomkins, Age: 18: Haulier: Fall of stone.
• 3/11/1887, John Edmunds, Age: 64: Collier: Fall of the roof.
• 8/01/1890, Henry Gibbs, Age: 26: Haulier: Fall of roof stone.
• 4/05/1892 John Roberts, Age: 46: Collier, William Rogers, aged 53, roadsman: Fall of the roof.
• 9/12/1895, William Biggs, Age: 21: Collier: Fall of the roof.
• 7/12/1898, William Shopland, Age: 54: Slope cleaner: He appears to have slipped when entering a manhole in the slope and was caught by the 4th or 5th tram of a passing full journey and dragged to the mouth of the slope about 200 yards before the rider or overman who were on the journey became aware of him.
• 16/02/1899, John Jones, Age: 59: Collier: Fall of the roof.
• 26/09/1899, William Williams, Age: 29: Hitcher: Slipped and fell in front of a full journey. Six of the trains had passed over him before he could be picked up.
• 25/01/1911, Thomas J. Richards, Age: 26: Collier: Fall of the roof.
• 21/08/1911 John Albert Edmunds Age: 17: Repairer: Crushed by trams.
• 7/11/1911, George Parker. Age: 22: Timberman: Fall of the roof on the road during repairs.
• 7/03/1913, William Morgan, Age: 55: Miner: He was fatally injured by a premature explosion of a charge of “Samsonite”
• 7/08/1913, Charles Young, Age: 59: Ostler: He was kicked in the face by a sick horse in an underground stable. He died on August 11th from his injuries.
• 30/11/1913, John Mogford, Age: 44: Labourer: He fell from the top of a 20-foot high electric wire pole to the ground and dislocated his neck. No one knows why he climbed the pole.
• 26/04/1915, John Williams: Roof fall.
• 29/09/1920, Walter Smith: Roof fall.
• 22/03/1925, David Hughes: Damaged finger – septicaemia.
• 23/11/1927, Thomas Phillips: Very bad finger.
• 15/03/1928, Charles Harris: Found under a tram.
• 13/08/1928, David William Hughes: Was knocked down and killed by a train while on his way to work.
• 17/08/1929, Edwin Goodwin: Roof fall.
• 27/11/1929, William Hinton: Fall of coal.

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