ADAMS COLLIERY
Nantyglo, Ebbw Fach Valley 197106
A small level was owned by T. & E. Williams in 1893 and was managed by Sylvanus Jones in 1899 when it employed 13 men. It employed 16 men in 1900 and 17 men in 1901/2. In 1903 it employed 16 men. The Big Vein seam consisted of a top coal 2 feet 10 ins thick, 3 ins of clod and a bottom coal 2 feet 8 ins thick. The Elled seam was 3 feet 9 inches thick. It abandoned those seams in December 1904.
ARRAL COLLIERY
Near Abertillery, Ebbw Fach Valley 214025
This was a small level in the Tillery (Brithdir) seam. In 1878 it was spelt Arrall and owned by T. Latch, while in 1888 it was Aral when owned by J.P. Jones and produced 12,000 tons of coal. In 1911 the Arral and Rhiw Colbren employed 28 men. In 1913 it was Arral and was then owned by Thomas F. Salt who employed 28 men working there. In 1915 it was Arral and Rhiw Colbren, it then employed 28 men and was managed by T.E. Moody.
In 1916 it employed 30 men and was managed by William James. It was still owned by Thomas Salt in 1917, but in 1918 it was owned by the Badman Brothers of Tredegar and employed 21 men underground and 9 men on the surface with the manager being G.P. Williams.
It is not shown own the Coalfield map of 1921.
There was also a Arral Farm Level owned by E. Nicholas and Son of the same farm in 1908 when they employed one man. In 1918 John Lancaster employed 2 men in the Farm Level it was abandoned in December 1921.
ARRAL FARM LEVEL
Six Bells 212013
This small level worked the Tillery seam between 1906 and 1910 under the ownership of E. Nicholas and Son. Between 1911 and 1916 by Thomas Nicholas. It was basically closed during this period being only worked for his own consumption. Between 1917 and 1921 it was owned by John Lancaster and Company.
BEAUFORT WATER WHEEL COLLIERY
Nantyglo, Ebbw Fach Valley
This was a shallow mine that was the most northerly, and smallest of John Lancaster’s pits. Listed in 1878, but by 1888 it had disappeared. In 1878 John Lancaster had seven pits in the Nantyglo/Blaina area, and it was the profits from these relatively modest enterprises that enabled him to expand into the Abertillery district. In 1888 he owned five pits on his own but had also formed Lancaster. Spiers and Company to buy Roseheyworth and Cwmtillery Pits and the Tilley level from the South Wales Colliery company. In 1913 he owned Six Bells Colliery and three other pits employing 5,100 men, and Lancaster’s Steam Coal Collieries Limited employed another 2,986 men. His companies were purchased by the Ebbw Vale Steel, Iron and Coal Company who in turn sold their mining interests to Partridge, Jones and John Paton and Company in 1935.
BIG HOUSE COLLIERY
Nantyglo, Ebbw Fach Valley
This slope worked the Elled seam under the ownership of W. Thomas & Sons. It employed five men in 1933 and closed on the 10th of March 1934.
BLACK VEIN COLLIERY
Nantyglo, Ebbw Fach Valley 190107
This was a small slope that was being worked in 1896 by the Nantyglo Elled and Steam Coal Company of Nantyglo and employed 13 men underground and 2 men on the surface. The manager was W. Griffiths. In 1899 it employed 29 men and in 1900 it employed 64 men. In 1902 it was still worked for steam coals by the Graham Brothers and Company, and in 1913 it was worked by Sylvanus Jones. Not listed in 1888 or in 1917.
BLAENANT (BLAEN-NANT) COLLIERY
Brynmawr, Ebbw Fach Valley
This level was one of the few to have worked in the old County of Breconshire. In 1908/9 it was owned by T & E Williams and was managed by W. Thomas and employed 37 men underground and 3 men on the surface. In 1911 it employed 44 men. In 1913/16/19/20 it was worked by the Waen Nantyglo Company, the manager was still William Thomas. In 1922 it employed 80 men.
It was closed when it abandoned the Elled, Big and Three-Quarter seams in September 1923. At that time it employed 66 men working underground and 13 men working at the surface of the mine, Mr. Thomas was still the manager. During this period the Waen Nantyglo Colliery Company worked the seams in the outcrop area between Nantyglo and Blaenavon from six small levels employing a total of 703 men.
CALIFORNIA COLLIERY
Nantyglo, Ebbw Fach Valley (192099)
This level was situated just to the north of the Nantyglo Deep Pit and to the west of the Nantyglo railway station. It also consisted of the Old and West drifts and was linked to Garn, Peggy’s, Prior’s and Nantyglo Deep. In 1907 it employed 70 men and in 1908 it was owned and managed by Sylvanus Jones and employed 62 men underground and 17 men on the surface, in 1909 it employed 89 men and in 1911 it employed 101 men. By 1918 there were 76 men working underground and 16 men on the surface with Mr. Jones still listed as owner and manager.
It worked the Black (abandoned in January 1918), the Elled (abandoned November 1915) the Big Vein (abandoned June 1914) and Three-quarter (abandoned September 1913) seams.
CARN TILLERY COLLIERY
Waunlwyd, Ebbw Fawr Valley 182073
This was a small level that worked as a mine under license from the National Coal Board in the 1970s. It worked the Brithdir (Tillery) seam.
CINDER LEVEL
Nantyglo, Ebbw Fach Valley 192104
This was a small level that worked the Big Vein near its outcrop. It was owned in 1888/93 by Jones and Company with the manager being T. Vachell and then W. Moore (1893). In 1896 the Cinder Level employed 24 men underground and 6 men on the surface working the Big Vein. It was owned by the Nantyglo Elled and Steam Coal Company of Nantyglo and employed W. Griffiths as manager.
It was probably originally opened to feed the Nantyglo Iron Works which was opened by John Hanford in 1792 in partnership with the Blaenavon Iron Company. In 1795 the Works consisted of two furnaces, forges, steam engines and a casting shop. In 1802 a new company was formed to run the Works by Hill, Harrison and Griffiths which called itself the Nantyglo Company. It was sold to Matthew Wayne and Joseph Bailey in 1811 with Wayne retiring in 1820 and Crawshay Bailey becoming a partner. Crawshay Bailey became sole owner in 1830, with three years later it being worked as one with the Beaufort Works. It was bought by the Nantyglo and Blaina Ironworks Company in 1871 and closed in 1874.
CINDER PIT
Blaina, Ebbw Fach Valley (198085)
Opened in c1818 and worked through the greater part of the 19th Century. It was owned in 1884/8 by John Lancaster when it was working the Old Coal (Five-Feet/Gellideg) seam and was managed by J. Williams. It produced 129,737 tons of coal in 1889 and 158,239 tons of coal in 1894. Also called the Tir Sais pit it was elliptical in shape and 14 feet by 10 feet and mainly worked the Elled seam. It was filled in 1952.
CLYDACH COLLIERY
Near Brynmawr, Ebbw Fach Valley 220106
This mine was situated on the north-eastern tip of the outcrop of the South Wales Coalfield, and just inside the Breconshire County border. It was owned in 1878 by the Lewis and Morgan Partnership, the manager being W. Morris, in 1882 by Edmund Morgan, and in 1884 it was owned and managed by W. Lewis and then the Clydach (Mon) Colliery Company. In 1893 it was owned by D. Burrows of Brynmawr. In 1913 it was owned by the Waen Nantyglo Colliery Company, who at that time employed 30 miners at the New Clydach level.
The Waen Nantyglo Colliery Company was owned by Evan Williams who was based in Cardiff, it was established in 1875, and incorporated in 1911. It did not join the Monmouthshire and South Wales Coal Owners Association but in 1913 controlled 7 mines and employed 803 men. This Company continued to work the New Clydach until at least 1932, but it is not recorded as part of their holdings in 1935.
CLYDACH DINGLE LEVEL
Clydach, Brynmawr
A small level worked by William Morgan of Clydach Dingle in 1918/23 when it employed 2 men.
CLYNMAWR LEVEL
Abertillery, Ebbw Fach Valley
This small level worked the Tillery seam and was owned by Gilson & Bennett. It employed eight men in 1923 and five men in 1929.
COED CAER COLLIERY
Brynmawr, Ebbw Fach Valley
This level was worked by T.J. Walters in 1927/35 when it employed one man on the surface and one man underground working the Old Coal (Five-Feet/Gellideg ) seam and producing 70 tons of house coal in that year. It was still recorded in 1940 as employing two men.
COED CAE TILLERY
Abertillery, Ebbw Fach Valley 210055
Working the Tillery (Bnthdir) seam in 1857 under the ownership of P.S. Phillips just to the east of Henwaun Colliery it found a section of coal 10 inches, clod 15 inches, coal 8 inches, rashings 6 inches, clod 8 inches, coal 24 inches. Phillips retained control of this level until it was abandoned in July 1888. It was managed by T.P. Stewart in 1878. Attempts must have been made to re-open for an advert of the 29th of July 1892 in the Colliery Guardian asked for a tender “for opening a new level in the Tillery Seam near Blaenau Station.” In 1893 it was owned by the Coed Cae Tillery Company (G. F. Willett) of Barry with D. Lewis as the manager. On the 15th of May 1886, Harry Boulton aged 23 years, died under a fall of roof.
The Tillery seam name was derived from the Tilestone rock that formed the roof of the seam and was extensively mined in the Abertillery area from levels where it outcropped. It outcropped on Cefn Coch Mountain and round both sides of the Cwm Tillery Valley down to Abertillery and onto Six Bells where it is driven deeper by the Llanhilleth geological fault.
CORNISH LEVEL
Brynmawr, Ebbw Fawr Valley 195114
This drift mine was working in 1938 when it was owned by Rhys Pritchard of Clydach. In that year it employed two men underground and one man on the surface. It was filled in 1951.
CORONATION COLLIERY
Near Abertillery, Ebbw Fach Valley
This was a small level that worked the Tillery (Brithdir) seam as early as the 1840s.
CWM CELYN RED ASH COLLIERY
Near Abertillery, Ebbw Fach Valley
A Cwmcelyn Level was working in 1858/60/65 when it was owned by Levick and Simpson and in 1870 when it was owned by a Major McDonald. I have no other listing for it. A small level that was worked under license from the National Coal Board in 1953 when it was owned by J.S, D.G. & J.
H. Davies and W.T. Reed and in 1955/7 when it was owned by W.G. Davies of Blaina. As the name implies it worked the Red Ash (Tillery or Brithdir) seam.
CWMCLYDACH COLLIERY
Brynmawr, Ebbw Fach Valley
This small level employed four men in 1905.
CWMFARM COLLIERY
Near Abertillery, Ebbw Fach Valley 220036
This was a level that worked the Tillery (Brithdir) seam in the latter half of the 19th Century. Owned and managed by J. Wallace in 1878/1882, and by W.B. Harrison in 1888. In 1893/6 it was owned by Powell’s Tillery Steam Coal Company of Abertillery and in 1896 it employed 9 men underground and 1 man on the surface. It was abandoned in October 1896.
The Brithdir Beds have a narrow terraced outcrop along the sides of the Ebbw Fach Valley the seam had split into two leaves in this area, separated by about five metres of beds. The lower section was the thickest and was extensively worked from levels such as this one.
CWMGETHIN LEVEL
Brynmawr, Ebbw Fach Valley
This small level employed 9 men in 1901 when it was owned by Percy Jacob.
CWMNANTDDU COLLIERY
Abertillery, Ebbw Fach Valley 249023
This was a level that worked the Tillery (Brithdir) seam in 1888 when owned by James and Emmanuel. Not listed in 1878 or 1902.
CWMNANTY LEVEL
Six Bells, Ebbw Fach Valley
This drift mine was owned by Alfred West and employed four men in 1933 and six men when abandoned in July 1935.
CWMNANTYGAM COLLIERY
Brynmawr, Ebbw Fach Valley
This mine was owned by W. Walters of Clydach and employed two men between 1896 and 1912 and was abandoned in 1918.
CWMNANTYGWINT (CWMNANTYGINT) COLLIERY
This small level worked the Mynyddislwyn seam as early as 1840. In 1878/1882/1884 it was owned by the Penyvan Coal Company and managed by T. Williams. In 1893/6 it was owned by T. Williams of Aberbeeg who in 1896/9 employed 2 men underground and 1 man on the surface. It employed 2 men in 1902. It was linked underground to the Trinant Pit, the seam section at this colliery was; Top coal 54 inches, middle dirt band 84 inches, and Bottom coal 33 inches. The Top coal was extensively worked, with very little workings in the Bottom coal due to its inferior quality.
CWMTILLERY LEVEL
Cwmtillery, Ebbw Fach Valley
Linked to, and part of the Cwmtillery Colliery. This mine worked the Tillery (Bnthdir) seam in 1878 under the ownership of the South Wales Colliery Company.
DARREN COLLIERY
Nantyglo, Ebbw Fach Valley 179111
This was a small level that was worked under license from the NCB in 1947 when it was owned J.H. Cheese & Son and employed 2 men underground working the New Coal for house coal.
DUFFRYN COLLIERY
Brynmawr, Ebbw Fach Valley 186112
This level first appears on the records in 1921 when it is owned by the Beaufort Yard Coal Company and produced house coal. In 1923 it employed 82 men, in 1924 it employed 30 men, in 1928 it employed 21 men and in 1930 it employed 17 men working underground and 4 men on the surface but was listed as closed. The manager was T.G. Jones. In 1930 it consisted of a pit and slant and produced 14,000 tons of coal from the Old Coal and Yard seams and employed 21 men. By 1932 it was in the hands of the Duffryn Colliery Company but had disappeared in 1935.
EAST BLAINA RED ASH COLLIERY
Blaina, Ebbw Fach Valley 210079
This was a small level that worked the Brithdir seam for house coal under the ownership of the Bargoed Coal Co., of George Street, Cardiff. Its
working life was in the 1930’s producing 120 tons a week in 1930 when managed by G.P. Williams and with 70 men employed. It employed 200 men in 1931, 150 men in 1932, 350 men in 1933 and in 1934 it employed 50 men on the surface and 280 men underground the manager at that time was P.J. Taylor.
In 1934 the Bargoed Coal Company Limited was based at 4a Wind Street, Brecon, and the directors were; Robert Gibb, George Tudor, Thomas Harris and A.C. Carne Ross. It owned one other mine, Abernant Colliery which only employed 10 men. It was closed prior to nationalisation in 1947.
ELLWOOD COLLIERY
Brynmawr, Ebbw Fach Valley 196119
This was a small level that was working in 1870 and owned in 1889/1902 by T. & E. Williams. In 1899 the Ellwood, Hafod and Llwyn Pwll employed 36 men working underground and 6 men at the surface of the mine while the Ellwood No.2 employed no men. It worked the ironstone Red and Spotted Pin veins and the Old coal seam.
It abandoned the Bydelog seam in January 1903.
On the 19th of February 1876, J. Griffin, aged 33 years and an ironstone miner was killed under a fall of roof.
FELIN FRUG COLLIERY.
Nantyglo, Ebbw Fach Valley 194096
This small level was owned by W. Rowe and worked the Big Vein. It employed seven men in 1933 and three men in 1934.
FFOS ALOG COLLIERY
Nantyglo, Ebbw Fach Valley 181103
This small level worked the Black Vein under the ownership of A. James. It employed six men in 1933 and two men in 1934.
FORGE COLLIERY
Nantyglo
One of the earliest acquisitions of John Lancaster from the Bailey’s, this pit was still working for him in 1878 when it was managed by J. Williams. Not listed in 1888.
Some of those that died at this mine;
- 16/11/1857, William Cullen, Age: 13: Collier: Fall of Bydyllog coal.
- 7/12/1858, Thomas Drewett, Age: 47: Collier: Fall of Bydylog coal.
- 25/09/1862, Richard Thomas, Age: 53: Collier: Fall of coal whilst holing.
- 4/05/1868, William White, Age: 40: Collier: Killed by heavy fall of roof.
- 20/02/1871, Thomas Williams, Age: 21: Collier: Explosion in Forge pit. He went into a stall that was known to have gas in it to get some candles on the 20th. Died 23rd.
- 8/06/1872 Thomas Stone, Age: 16: Labourer: Fall of clod.
GARN COLLIERY
Nantyglo
This was a small level that was listed in 1896 as being worked for stone only. In 1908/17 it was shown as being owned by Sylvanus Jones, and in 1908 employed 16 men working underground and 2 men on the surface with Arthur Parry as manager. Mr. Jones was not a member of the Monmouthshire and South Wales Coal Owners Association.
In 1938 there were only two men working underground and one man working on the surface at this level. It was also worked under license from the National Coal Board in the 1950s and 1960s by J.H.G. Mitchell.
GAS WORKS LEVEL
Abertillery
It worked the Brithdir (Tillery) seam in the latter half of the 19th century.
GELLIDEG COLLIERY
Abertillery
Old mining plans show a level of this name working the Tillery (Brithdir) seam around 1900.
GILFACH COLLIERY
Six Bells, Ebbw Fach Valley
This was a small level that was worked in 1908 by E. Davies of the farm of the same name and employed one man.
GLOBE COLLIERY
Nantyglo, Ebbw Fach Valley
A small pit worked by John Lancaster in 1878, but absent from the 1888 listings.
GLYNMAWR LEVEL
Abertillery 212051.
This was another of the small levels that worked the Brithdir (Tillery) seam near its outcrop. It was owned by E. Barnes on closure in c1888. This one, or another level of the same name, was also active in the 1930s.
GLYNNANTDDU COLLIERY
Abertillery 247023.
There was a Glynnantddu level working as early as the 1840s and shown on unreliable documents as being on the Afan Lwyd side of the mountain. Old mining plans put the entrance to Glynnantddu on the Abertillery side of the mountain. It worked the Brithdir (Tillery) seam and was managed by J. Powell in 1878, when it was owned by the Ebbw Vale Steel, Iron and Coal Company Limited. It was owned by James and Emmanuel in 1904 when it was producing house and manufacturing coals. The closure date is uncertain but it is not mentioned in 1913.
GRAIG COLLIERY
Brynmawr, Ebbw Fach Valley 213113
This level appeared on the listings in 1933 when it employed 7 men, in 1934 when it employed 2 men on the surface and 15 men underground working the Yard seam for house, steam and manufacturing coals and in 1937 when it employed 77 men.
In 1938 it was managed by W.J. Buck and employed 25 men underground and 5 men on the surface. It was owned by the Waen Nantyglo Colliery Company Limited of Brynmawr which was established in 1875 and incorporated in 1911. In 1934 the Waen Nantyglo Colliery Company Limited was based at Brynmawr with the directors being; John Williams, Caleb Williams, Samuel Jones, Mary E. Jones and Myaddin Davies. The company secretary and the commercial manager was Myaddin Davies.
At that time this company controlled three collieries that employed 277 men who produced 75,000 tons of coal in that year.
GREEN MEADOW COLLIERY
Near Abertillery, Ebbw Fach Valley 224046
This was a small level in the Tillery (Brithdir) seam that was owned and managed by T. Robins in the 1870s and 1880s. In 1893 it was owned by Abertillery Collieries Company (T. Robins and E. Williams) and in 1896 it employed 14 men underground and 4 men on the surface. The manager was Abiather Lloyd. In 1899 it employed 14 men and in 1903 it employed 40 men. It was also called Tillery No.1.
GROUSE RED ASH COLLIERY
Nantyglo.
This was a small level that presumably worked the Red Ash (Brithdir or Tillery) seam. It was listed in 1911 and 1917 as being owned by the Waen Nantyglo Colliery Company. I have no record of it after this date.
GWYN COLLIERY
Nantyglo, Ebbw Fach Valley 189103
This was a small level whose first listing that I can find is in 1930 when it employed 12 men working underground in the Elled, Big and Three-Quarter seams and two men working at the surface of the mine. It was owned by Thomas Evans and Company and managed by W.H. Evans.
In 1933 it employed 2 men, in 1934 it employed 4 men and in 1935 it employed 1 man on the surface and 2 men underground working the Big Vein (Four-Feet) seam for steam coal. The manager was still W.H. Evans and it was still owned by Thomas Evans and Company.
HAFOD COLLIERY
Brynmawr, Ebbw Fach Valley 194118
The only listings that I can find for this small level are in 1888 when it was owned by T. Evans and worked the Bydelog seam. In 1893 it was owned by Powell’s Ellwood Colliery Company, it still worked the Bydelog seam with G.H. Daniel as the manager. It was closed pre-1927. It was sunk near the outcrop of the Black Vein seam and found this seam at a thickness of 52 inches, the Meadow Vein was a mixture of dirt and coal up to 70 inches thick while the Old Coal was 57 inches thick.
HENDRE COLLIERY
Brynmawr
Another obscure small level sunk near the northern outcrop of the Coalfield. It was owned in 1878 by Jacob and Company and managed by C. Probert.
LION BLACK VEIN COLLIERY
Nantyglo, Ebbw Fach Valley 191108
This was a short life level that presumably worked the Nine-Feet seam near its outcrop. In 1923 it employed 30 men, in 1924 it employed 27 men, in 1927 it employed 17 men working underground and 3 men working at the surface of the mine and producing 6,000 tons of coal and in 1928 it also employed 20 men. It was listed in 1925/32 as being owned by the Elkins Brothers and employed 20 men working the Black Vein seam.
It abandoned the Black Vein in 1933.
LITTLE CWM COLLIERY
Brynmawr, Ebbw Fach Valley 191130
This was a small level that was worked under license from the National Coal Board in the 1970s. In 1992 it was owned by A. Evans and W.P. Jones and worked the Garw seam.
LLWYDCOED COLLIERY
Nantyglo, Ebbw Fach Valley 175103
This mine was worked in the latter 19th and early 20th centuries by John Herbert Lewis of Brynmawr. In 1896 it employed 16 men underground and 4 men on the surface. In 1900 it employed 8 men working underground in the Big Vein and 3 men at the surface of the mine. In 1907/8 it employed 4 men and in 1912 it was owned by Thomas Ford & Company.
In 1938 it employed 1 man owned by W.E. Morris of Cardiff. Records show that it worked the Big Vein (Four-Feet) seam in 1888 and 1912 and abandoned the Elled seam in 1934.
MAJOR RED ASH COLLIERY
Blaina, Ebbw Fach Valley 209077
This small level was owned by P.J. Taylor and E. Wall and employed 19 men in 1938, 27 men producing 6,000 tons of coal in 1940, 22 men
producing 4,918 tons of coal in 1941, 20 men in 1942 and 19 men in 1944. It worked the Tillery (Brithdir) seam.
MARQUIS COLLIERY
Brynmawr 218096
This was a small level on the northern outcrop of the Coalfield that was working the Brithdir seam in the 1880s under the ownership of the Marquis Red Ash Colliery Company. At this mine the seam consisted of; coal 8 inches, stone 9 inches, coal 11 inches, dirt 3 inches, and coal 2 inches.
NATIONAL COLLIERY
Brynmawr
Another outcrop level, this one was working in the 1880’s under the ownership of the National Red Ash Housecoal Company. It was not listed in 1902.
NEW COALBROOKVALE COLLIERY
Nantyglo, Ebbw Fach Valley
This was a small level that was worked by J. John. It employed six men in 1927 and was abandoned in June 1927.
NEW HAFOD VAN COLLIERY
Six Bells, Ebbw Fach Valley 223031
This was a mine that was owned by the New Hafod Van Colliery Company and employed 20 men in 1923, 31 men in 1924 and 10 men on closure in April 1928. Please also see Hafod Van Colliery.
OAKTREE COLLIERY
Brynmawr, Ebbw Fach Valley 184130
This mine consisted of the Nos. 1 & 2 Levels and worked the Old and Garw seams. It employed 5 men in 1923 and 4 men in 1924, and was abandoned in September 1924.
OLWEN TILLERY COLLIERY
Abertillery, Ebbw Fach Valley
This was a small level that was opened in c1933 by G. Emery and W.H. Gibson of Abertillery and by 1934 it employed 4 men on the surface and 18 men underground producing 1,098 tons of house coal from the Tillery (Brithdir) seam. The manager was W.H. Gibson. In 1938 the manager was J. Evans and it employed 26 men. It was abandoned in 1960.
PARK COLLIERY
Brynmawr, Ebbw Fach Valley
This was a small level that worked the Big Vein seam and employed two men when owned by Thomas & Williams in 1927. It was abandoned in June 1928.
PARK WILLOWS COLLIERY
Brynmawr, Ebbw Fach Valley
This was an exploratory mine owned by the Brynmawr Colliery Company and employed four men boring in 1912.
PEN RAS COLLIERY
Brynmawr, Ebbw Fach Valley
This small mine was owned by C. Smith and Company and was mentioned in 1927 as employing two men in the Soap Vein.
PENRHIW COLLIERY
Abertillery
This was a small level that worked the Brithdir (Tillery) seam in the 1840’s in conjunction with the Penrhiw Park Level. The stone used for roofing in the early days of this area was called Tilestone, as this stone was the roof of the Brithdir seam over the years the seam became known as the Tilestone seam and then the Tillery seam.
PENYBONT COLLIERY
Abertillery
Please also see the listing on Tillery Colliery.
RHASFAWR COLLIERY
Brynmawr, Ebbw Fach Valley 208115
This was a small level that worked the Big Vein seam and employed one man in 1933/34.
RHIWPARK COLLIERY
Abertillery 219042
Listed in 1857 as working the Tillery (Brithdir) seam and closed by 1878. This is possibly the same level as Penrhiw.
RHYDW COLLIERY
Brynmawr, Ebbw Fach Valley
This was a small level that was owned by Rhys Pritchard and worked the Soap Vein employing four men in 1927. It was abandoned on the 16th of July 1928. It then must have been re-opened, or another one of the same name opened as it employed two men in 1933/34 working the Yard seam and was again abandoned in August 1934.
RYDW FARM LEVEL
Brynmawr, Ebbw Fach Valley 202126
This small level was owned by William Jones and employed 5 men working the Big Vein in 1923. It was listed as abandoned in 1924 but in 1927 a Rhydw was owned by Rhys Pritchard and employed 5 men. Please also see Rhydw Colliery.
RYTTW COLLIERY
Brynmawr, Ebbw Fach Valley
This was a small level on the northern outcrop of the Coalfield that was worked in 1878/1884 by Morgan and Williams and managed by T. Watkins.
SCWRFA COLLIERY
Brynmawr, Ebbw Fach Valley
The only mention that I can find for this mine is in 1888 when it was owned by W. O’Connor and was listed as abandoned. It had worked the Old Coal seam. It was shown again in 1893 when it was owned by William Burrows of Brynmawr.
SOUTH BLAINA RED ASH
Blaina, Ebbw Fach Valley 196067
This was a small mine that was owned by the Garbett Brothers and it employed four men in 1927 and three men in 1928.
SOUTH GRIFFIN COLLIERY
Blaina
Please see Griffin Nos. 2 & 3 Collieries.
SOUTH GRIFFIN RED ASH
Blaina, Ebbw Fach Valley
This was a small level that worked the Red Ash (Brithdir) seam in 1932 under the ownership of the Garbutt Brothers. It was not listed in 1921 or 1935.
STATION COLLIERY
Nantyglo, Ebbw Fach Valley
In 1917 it was worked by Sylvanus Jones and Company. Mr. Jones was not a member of the Monmouthshire and South Wales Coal Owners Association although he had extensive holdings in the Coalbrook Vale area.
THREE QUARTER PIT
Nantyglo 202081
This pit was 95 yards deep to the Three Quarter seam but it also worked the Elled and Big Veins around 1867 to 1974 by the Nantyglo and Blaina Company.
TWYN DERYN COLLIERY
Nantyglo, Ebbw Fach Valley 191108
This small level worked the Big Vein seam under the ownership of J. Evans & Company. It employed three men in 1933 and four men in 1934.
UPPER ARRAL COLLIERY
Abertillery, Ebbw Fach Valley 217035
This small level worked the Tillery (Brithdir) seam and was owned in 1896 by the Upper Arral Coal Company of Abertillery and in that year employed seven men. Between 1897 and its closure in 1872 it was owned by E.D. Williams.
WAEN EBBW COLLIERY
Nantyglo, Ebbw Fach Valley 186102
This mine was opened in 1933 and is shown in l935 to have been worked and managed by John M. Elkins, who in that year employed seven men underground and two men on the surface working the Three-quarter seam for house coal from this level. It closed in 1936.
WAIN COLLIERY
Nantyglo, Ebbw Fach Valley
J. and C. Bailey owned a Waen Level in 1857 when on the 11th of August, Edward Nibbs aged 22 years and a collier was killed by a fall of roof. On the 25/02/1870, Jonathan Jones, Age: 60: Collier: died under a Fall of roof in Wain level. This was a small level that was worked in 1878 by Morgan Morgan, and in 1888/93 by T. and E. Williams. It worked the Bydelog seam.
WAUN NANTYGLO COLLIERY
Brynmawr, Ebbw Fach Valley 198115
This was a level that was worked by the Waen Nantyglo Company Limited in the first decades of the 20th Century. It employed 154 men underground and 14 men on the surface in 1896 working the Bydelog seam and 120 men working underground and 25 men at the surface in 1900. The manager was J. Phillips in 1896 and Sylvanus Jones in 1900. In 1907/8 the manager was W. Thomas and it employed 103 men working underground in the Elled, Three Quarter and Big Vein seams and 23 men at the surface, in 1908 it employed 109 men. It was managed in 1912 by W.T. Thomas and employed 103 men in that, its last year, producing housecoal.
WINCHES COLLIERY
Nantyglo. 184112
This was a small mine that was working under the ownership of J. Lewis from 1877 to 1882. Prior to that, it was worked by the Nantyglo and Blaina Company, with the Old Winches working as far back as 1856.
YARD COLLIERY
Nantyglo, Ebbw Fach Valley 190103
This level was probably opened in the 1840s and was owned in 1878 by J. Chilton, in 1884 it was both owned and managed by Morgan Morgan and in 1888 it was owned by W. Morgan who closed it in 1889. The Nantyglo Iron Works was opened in 1792 by John Harford in partnership with the Blaenavon Iron Company and by 1795 consisted of two furnaces, forges, steam engines and a casting shop. In 1802 a new company was formed by Messrs. Hill, Harrison and Griffiths and called the Nantyglo Company. In 1811 the Works was sold to Matthew Wayne and Joseph Bailey, with in 1820 Wayne retiring and Crawshay Bailey becoming a partner. Bailey became sole owner in 1830 and merged this Works with the Beaufort Iron Works in 1833.
In 1871 it was purchased by the Nantyglo and Blaina Ironworks Company who worked it until closure in March 1874.
It worked the Elled seam at 36 inches.
Information supplied by Ray Lawrence and used here with his permission.
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