Cilfrew Colliery

Crynant, Dulais Valley

This mine was opened by the Cilfrew Colliery Company near the Cilfrew Tin Works. This company did not join the Monmouthshire and South Wales Coal Owners Association. It was not listed in l878 but the No.1 or Old, is recorded as being closed in 1902. In 1918 it employed 126 men underground and 25 men on the surface with the manager being T.R. Davies. In 1923 it employed 177 men working underground and 20 men working at the surface of the mine.

The New mine was supposedly closed in 1927 and sold to a new company for £1,500 called the Cilfrew Colliery Company (1929) Limited which was owned by J.E. Jones the chairman of the old company. It employed 70 men working underground in the Hughes Vein and 39 men working at the surface of the mine producing 60,000 tons of coal. In 1931 it is shown as employing 270 men. The manager was still T.R. Davies. It produced house and manufacturing coals and abandoned the Glyngwilym seam in 1927 and both the Hughes and Wenallt seams in 1931.

Some statistics:

• 1918: Manpower: 151.
• 1922: Manpower: 188.
• 1923: Manpower: 236.
• 1924: Manpower: 252.
• 1925: Manpower: 270.
• 1926: Manpower: 270.
• 1927: Manpower: 109.
• 1929: Manpower: 100.
• 1930: Manpower: 109. Output: 60,000 tons.

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