Oakwood Colliery

OAK WOOD COLLIERY

Pontrhydyfen, 7999401

This mine consisted of numerous slants and pits and was owned by the English Copper Company in the 1840s. They were followed by Governor and Company in the 1860s, Cwmavon Estate and House Co., (1880s), Wright, Butler and Co., (1890s), and Baldwins Limited in the 1900s, with the Nos. 27 and 31 slants in operation.

The Oakwood Colliery Company employed 45 men in 1912 when they opened a new slant (see top map), 450 men in 1922, 333 men in 1923, 364 men in 1924 and 186 men when it was abandoned in 1927.

There were around 63 slants driven for both ironstone and coal. The earliest to be abandoned was the No.10 Ironstone which closed in 1851.

In 1862, both No.13 (785928) and No.29 were abandoned. In 1863 Nos.11 (777926), No.12 (780926), and No.63 were abandoned, the No.63 working the Black Band ironstone vein and the White, Clay, Jonah and Golden coal seams. In 1866 the Nos. 27 and 28 (804940) closed followed in 1867 by the No.21 (790924). In 1874 the No.57 abandoned the Jonah seam, the No.9 (791926) and No.31 went in 1876, while 1877 saw the end of the No.49 which worked the Wernddu seam.

Just some of those that died at these mines:

• 21/01/1853 Richard Owen, Age: 27: Collier: head struck the roof when riding a tram.
• 8/12/1853 William Williams. Age: 14, John James, Age: 13: Trammers: Fall of rubbish from top of balance pit. 3 killed.
• 11/05/1854, David Morgan: Collier: Fall of stone.
• 1/08/1854, John Griffiths, Age: 24: Collier: Fall of shale.
• 18/10/1858 Evan Rees Jones: Collier: Fall of shale.

The latter Oakwood Slant (Top) and some of the older levels below:

• 9/01/1865 Joseph Aubery, Age: 23.
• 23/04/1868 Thomas Hawkins, Age: 33: Sinker: Killed by rope breaking.
• 25/03/1868, John Morris, Age: 18: Collier: Killed by trams.
• 30/09/1869 E. Evans: Collier: Killed by rope breaking.
• 07/10/1870, J. Jones, Age: 49: Collier: Killed by fall of roof.
• 14/06/1871, J. Helper, Age: 15: Collier: Killed by a fall of roof.
• 15/04/1880, David Stephens, Age: 43: Collier: Fall of the roof.
• 20/06/1882, William Tippott, Age: 14: Haulier: Struck by a tram running wild on the incline.
• 24/01/1884, James Lewis, Age: 74: Blocklayer: Breaking of rope.
• 26/07/1884, William Bevan, Age: 37: Collier: Fall of stone.
• 10/09/1884, Zacharias Richards, Age: 30: Collier: Fall of the roof.
• 26/12/1885, Robert Hickey, Age: 16: Banksman: Squeezed by trucks.
• 13/11/1888 Jenkin Thomas, Age: 33: Collier: Fall of the roof.
• 28/12/1896, John Davies, Age: 57: Fireman: Fall of the roof.
• 15/07/1914, Samuel Bennett, Age: 55: Collier: As he was walking across a bridge on his way to the mouth of the level he stumbled and fell from the bridge onto a concrete block.
• 20/04/1926, George Mansel Jones, Age: 46: Miner: Scratched knee and developed septicemia.

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