CAEDEAN (CAEDUAN ) SLANT

Trimsaran Colliery, Gwendraeth Valley (45350494)

It opened in 1858 as part of the Trimsaran mine, with by 1878 three slants being worked by the Trimsaran Colliery Company as Trimsaran, they were the Upper, Waunhir and Caedean which David Middleton managed. In 1878 three slants were being worked by the Trimsaran Colliery Company as Trimsaran, they were the Upper, Waunhir and Caedean which David Middleton managed. A Caedean was also opened in September 1908 and comprised of a drift dipping down one in three from the outcrop and then linking up to an older shaft. It was in this drift on the 22nd of October 1909, at 2.30 am that four men were killed and four men injured in an explosion of gas.

Those that died were John Williams aged 17 years, Owen Thomas aged 32 years, Edward Dark aged 30 years and David Sparrey aged 18 years. In 1908 it was managed by T.W. Evans and employed 8 men underground and 3 men on the surface. In 1913 this small anthracite slant employed 20 men but this figure rose dramatically to 250 men in 1916. The manager at that time was A. Jones. It was still listed in 1917, this time along with Waunhir and in 1918 employing 210 men underground and 58 men on the surface with the manager being E. Davies. By 1921 only Waunhir and Trimsaran were listed under the ownership of the Trimsaran Colliery Company and in 1923 Caedean employed 250 men working underground and 50 men working at the surface of the mine. The manager was still Evan Davies. In 1927 this company was under the umbrella of the Welsh Anthracite Collieries Limited and employed 300 men with Mr. Davies still as the manager. It was closed in 1934. Caedean mainly worked the Ddugaled and Big Vein seams.

Some statistics:

  • 1908: Manpower: 11
  • 1910: Manpower: 310
  • 1911: Manpower: 110
  • 1912: Manpower: 236
  • 1913: Manpower: 20
  • 1916: Manpower: 250
  • 1918: Manpower: 268
  • 1920: Manpower: 250
  • 1922: Manpower: 350
  • 1923: Manpower: 352
  • 1924: Manpower: 329
  • 1925: Manpower: 350
  • 1926: Manpower: 400
  • 1927: Manpower: 340
  • 1928: Manpower: 337

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

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