BRITHDIR & BRITHDIR SIX FEET DRIFT – Maesteg, Llynfi Valley (864913)
The Brithdir worked from 1919 to 1923 when it was abandoned. It was opened by Richard Lewis and Company, and from 1921 worked by the Bryn Rhyg Collieries Limited. It employed 14 men in 1923 when it was managed by R. Lewis.
The Brithdir Six-Feet drift was then opened in 1923 and was also It was abandoned in 1927. It was owned by the Bryn Rhyg Collieries Company of Bridgend.
They worked for steam, house and manufacturing coals from the Four-Feet, Six-Feet, and Two-Feet-Nine seams.
BRYNAWEL COLLIERY – Bryn, Maesteg (81119281)
A small level worked under license from the National Coal Board in 1957/66 when it was owned by the Brynawel Colliery Company Limited. It had worked the ‘Jonah’ seam at a thickness of 25 inches, and the ‘White’ seam at a thickness of 60 inches. It abandoned Clay and the Jonah seam in 1966. It had been opened by Edgar Thomas in 1956 and by 1960 employed 21 men producing 5,677 tons of coal in that year.
BRYNCYNON COLLIERY – Llangonyd, Bridgendc (866878)
This small level was owned by William Branch of Tondu and employed four men in the only year it was listed in 1905.
BRYN RHYG COLLIERY – Maesteg, Llynfi Valley (860915)
This was a drift mine opened in c1927 by the Bryn Rhyg Collieries Limited when it employed 16 men, the Brithdir Six-Feet Drift, owned by the same company employed 19 men (see the listing on Brithdir). By 1934 it employed 8 men on the surface and 53 men underground producing 20,000 tons of coal annually. Working the Red Ash seam it produced house, manufacturing and steam coals. It was managed then by H.T. Walters. Bryn-Rhyg Collieries (1930) Limited was based at Lloyds Bank Chambers, Port Talbot with the directors being; T.S. Bevan, H.P. Herdman, A.E. Gardner and H.J. Randall. It also worked the Lower-Four-Feet seam at a thickness of 72 inches, and the Upper-Four-Feet seam at a thickness of 36 inches. The Bryn Rhyg Brithdir drift abandoned the Two-Feet-Nine seam in September 1923 while the Bryn Rhyg No.9 abandoned the Two-Feet-Six-Inches in April 1929. The colliery was closed in May 1933. It was locally known as Sprint. Also see Brithdir.
CAE CWAREL COLLIERY – Near Maesteg, Llynfi Valley
This was a small level that was further developed when purchased by John Brogden in 1863. He used it to feed the Maesteg Iron Works.
CAEDAVID COLLIERY – Caerau 859907.
This was a small level that was listed in 1918 as being owned by the Celtic Collieries Limited. In that year it was managed by David Rees and employed three men. It was never the largest of mines the most men it employed was 12 in 1922. It was abandoned in 1923.
CAE DEFAID (CAER DEFAID) COLLIERY – Cwmdu, Maesteg (851921)
This mine was also called Maesteg No.9 and was opened c1871 by the Llynvi Iron Company. It abandoned the Caedefaid seam in March 1919, the Yard seam in October 1923 and the Two and a Half Feet in November 1923. At that time it employed 12 men with the manager being David Rees. The No.9 worked the Victoria seam around 1889, and the ironstone seams around 1884. After the Llynvi Iron Company it was owned by; Llynvi & Tondu Coal and Iron Company, Llynvi, Tondu and Ogmore Coal and Iron Company North’s Navigation Collieries Limited and Celtic Collieries Limited. Please also see Maesteg No.9 Level.
CEFN PARC & CEFNPARC ARLAIS COLLIERY – Bryn, Llynfi Valley (816927)
This was a series of mines that worked the Cwmmawr, Cwmbyr, and Clay seams. Cefn Parc (Park) was opened in 1952and located 3 miles from Maesteg. The main slant travelled 500 yards to the north and dipped 1 in 2.8 following the 22-inch thick Cwmmawr seam. It was worked under license from the National Coal Board in the 1952 to 1954 period by A.R. Williams & D.W. Lewis and from 1954 by D.W. Lewis of Bryn when it employed seven men. It was closed in 1956 but then re-opened as Cefn Park Arlais. Lewis worked it until 1958 employing 7 men in 1957 producing 6,017 tons of coal. In 1958 it was owned by the Bryngurnos Colliery (Bryn) Limited. They started on the No.2 Level in that year and worked it until closure in 1962 but re-opened in 1964.
In 1966 there were new owners in R.W. Jeffreys of Bryncoch, Neath, and in 1969 it was working the Cwmmawr and Cwmbyrseams with the manager being H.B. Jarvis. It was owned in the early 1970s by and in 1975 by the Brynnewydd Colliery Company. At that time it employed 10 men working the 24-inch thick Rhondda seam from a conveyor-equipped coalface which was 45 yards long and worked by the retreat method. The conveyor filled directly into tubs which brought the coal to the surface. It was closed in c1986, reopened in 1988 and closed again in c1993. At 8.30 am on Monday the 15th of June 1964 three men died and two men were injured in an explosion caused by a defective oil lamp. Those who died were; Gwilym Jones, deputy, Terry Simmonds, collier, Richie Morgan, collier. On the 29th of August 1975, one man was killed in a fall of roof at this colliery.
COED COLLIERY – Maesteg, Llynfi Valley (856907)
This small level worked the Two-Feet-Six seam for house coal employing four men when abandoned in November 1937. It was owned by E. Davies and Company. In 1936 it employed 6 men and produced around 10 tons of coal a week.
CWMFFERN COLLIERY – Maesteg (854884)
This was a small level that was worked under license from the National Coal Board from 1955 to 1960 when it was owned by A.R. Preston and A.L. Davies of Llangynwyd, Bridgend.
CWRT-Y-MWNWS COLLIERY – Near Maesteg, Llynfi Valley
This was a small level that was opened in c1824 by William Jones who entered into a 99 year mineral lease at a payment of £105 per annum. The closure date is unknown, please also see Maesteg Deep.
DUFFRYN (DYFFRYN) COLLIERY – Near Maesteg, Llynfi Valley (848920)
There was a Duffryn Pit in this area that was sunk to the Upper-Nine-Feet seam which it struck at a depth of 554 feet. Its associate pit, the Gin Pit (847915) was sunk to a depth of 328 feet on the Red Vein level.
There was also a Duffryn Madoc Colliery working in the Maesteg area around 1901, it worked the Bute seam which it called the Lower-Three-Feet seam extensively at a thickness of 48 inches. This is probably the same pit. The Lower-Nine-Feet seam was also extensively worked at a thickness of 80 inches it was called the Seven-Feet seam at this pit. The Upper-Nine-Feet seam was worked as the Lower-Four-Feet seam and had a thickness of between 54 inches to 63 inches. The Lower and Upper Six Feet seams were worked together and were 9 feet thick. A small level called Dyffryn (849919) was opened in 1831 by James Allen to feed the Cambrian Iron Works.
The first furnace for this works was fired in 1839, with a second furnace in 1841. A forge and No.1 Mill was installed in 1845, the No.2 Mill in 1847 and the third blast furnace in 1850. Expansion continued with a Slit Mill in 1851, and a Rail Mill in 1855, by now the works consisted of four blast furnaces, thirty puddling furnaces, two squeezers, two muck rollers, four mills and 100 coke ovens, 100 horses and 1,500 men were employed in the works and collieries. The Cambrian Works went into liquidation in the 1870s.
This mine was listed as under the ownership of the Llynfi Iron and Coal Company in 1878 when the manager was W. Snowdon. This company was purchased by North’s Navigation Collieries (1899) Limited in 1899, with the Duffryn Colliery not listed on its assets.
DUFFRYN COLLIERY – Caerau, Llynfi Valley
The Duffryn No.3 Level was working the No.3 Rhondda seam in 1905 when it was owned by Rees Rees and employed two men. The Duffryn Llynfi level was worked by John Harrison in 1933 when it employed three men, in 1937 when it employed one man and when it was abandoned in April 1938.
DUFFRYN MADOC COLLIERY – Cwmdu, Maesteg
This mine was worked by North’s Navigation Collieries and its predecessors for both coal and ironstone. It worked the Upper Six-Feet, Lower Six-Feet, Lower Four-Feet, Seven-Feet and Nine-Feet seams and was sunk to a depth of 554 feet. It was finally closed in 1880 with the winding gear used for the Coegnant Colliery North Pit It was also called Cambrian and linked to the Gin Pit. Also see Duffryn.
FIELD VEIN COLLIERY – Lletty Brongu.
This level was listed in 1918 as being owned by O.H. Thomas and in that year employing 22 men underground and 4 men on the surface. In 1922/5 it employed 50 men with the manager being H.W. Thomas. It was not listed in 1913 or 1921 and is shown in 1930 as employing no men.
GARNWEN COLLIERY – Near Maesteg, Llynfi Valley (84489265)
This was a series of levels that were worked by the Llynvi, Tondu and Ogmore Coal and Iron Company, and by North’s Navigation Colliery Company who took over the Llynvi’s interests in 1898. It was managed in 1878 by W. Snowdon. The No.1 abandoned the Yard seam in April 1862, and the Caedavid in April 1903, when the colliery closed. The No.1 employed 10 men underground and 2 men at the surface in 1902 with J.J. Martin as the manager. The Nos. 3,5,6,10,12 worked the Clay coal seam between 1862 and 1890. The Nos. 4,6,7,9,11 worked the White seam around 1866. Also, the name of a small level worked under license from the National Coal Board in 1955 by W. Thomas. It closed in 1956.
GELLIHIR COLLIERY – Lletty Brongu, Llynfi Valley
This mine was working in 1902 under the ownership of Rees Llewellyn and Company and in 1907/8 under the ownership of the Gellihir Colliery Company which was owned by H. Spence Thomas and in 1907 employed 184 men in 1908 it employed 105 men underground and 16 men on the surface, the manager was William Price. In 1909/11 it employed 115 men with John Morris as the manager. In 1913 it employed 100 men. It worked the Four-Feet seam. During the period 1917 to 1932, it was owned by O.H. Thomas Limited of Neath who did not join the Monmouthshire and South Wales Coal Owners Association. In 1927/32 it employed 50 men with W. James as the manager. It was served by the Port Talbot Railway which produced both house and manufacturing coals. It was not listed in 1935. In 1951 the Joint National Negotiating Committee’s (NUM and NCB) Minutes refer to a Gellihir Licensed Mine where men on injury benefit were sacked so that the owner did not have to pay them holiday pay. The JNNC deemed that they should be paid.
Some statistics:
- 1905: Manpower: 38.
- 1907: Manpower: 184.
- 1908: Manpower: 121.
- 1909: Manpower: 115.
- 1911: Manpower: 115.
- 1912: Manpower: 84.
- 1913: Manpower: 100.
- 1927: Manpower: 30.
GELLI SIRIOL – Llangynwyd
This level worked under the farm of the same name and was working pre1877 when it was put up for sale. It employed 90 men in 1912 but during a strike, the safety men were withdrawn and the mine flooded never to be re-opened.
GIN PIT – Maesteg (847915)
This was a small pit that worked between c1850 and 1878 and was linked to the Duffryn Madoc Colliery. At this pit the Two-Feet-Nine seam was 100 feet deep, the Four-Feet seam was 156 feet deep, the Six-Feet seam was at a depth of 266 feet, the Caerau seam at a depth of 288 feet and the Red Vein seam was 328 feet deep. It was sunk to the Red Vein seam. It was filled in 1923.
In 1863 an explosion at this pit killed 14 miners. They were:
- John Bevan aged 53,
- William Davies aged 23,
- William Davies aged 33,
- Daniel Edwards, aged 29,
- William Elias aged 27,
- William Gower, aged 11,
- David John aged 31,
- David Jones aged 21,
- Dennis Mahoney aged 14,
- Thomas Morgan aged 22,
- Benjamin Rees aged 17,
- David Rees aged 38,
- William Thomas aged 21,
- David Williams aged 44,
- Isaac Williams aged 40,
LEWIS GARTH COLLIERY – Maesteg, Llynfi Valley
This was a small level that was worked in the 1870s. Please see the Garth Levels.
Mining in the Maesteg area blossomed with the operation of the Iron Works at Maesteg between 1827 and 1886. With the decline of these Works, the collieries in this area needed to find new markets for their coals, and to assist with this the first sod was cut for the Great Western Railway in Maesteg in 1860, which opened up the Port of Cardiff to Maesteg’s coals. Further opportunities for exporting came about with the opening of the Port Talbot Railway in 1897 which linked the area to the Port Talbot Docks which were only 8 miles away, and the Vale of Glamorgan Railway to Barry Dock in 1898. The decline in the area’s mining industry started in the 1920s and continued until the closure of the last colliery, St. John’s in November 1985.
LLETTY BRONGU COLLIERY – Llynfi Valley
A Lletty Brongu slant (887884) was opened in 1898 by the Lletty Brongu Colliery Company and employed 39 men in 1899 and 36 men in 1900. It was last worked in 1901. Another Lletty Brongu appears in 1902 at 889884 under the ownership of W. Morrish and Company. But was abandoned in the same year. William Thomas re-opened it in 1906 but abandoned the No.2 Rhondda seam in September 1907 at that time it employed 6 men. The Lletty Brongu Drift was at NGR 879904 with return drifts at 878903 and 878890. It was opened by Levi Evans in 1958, he held it until the following year when T.M. Evans took over. In 1960 he produced 2,829 tons of coal with 9 men employed. In 1960 it was the turn of E.B. & F. Stacey who worked it until 1964 when it was owned by T. Bridges and Company who produced 255 tons of coal in 1964.It was abandoned in 1966.
LLYNFI VALLEY COLLIERY
Hafod Deep 878901. Hafod No.2 874895. Hafod No.3 877898.Hafod No.4 879902. Hafod No.6 879901. Llynfi Valley 874892 & 875892. They worked the No3 Rhondda and Hafod seams.
This was a series of small levels that was opened in 1873 by the Llynfi Valley Cola Company which held it until 1877. R.T. Gibbs was the next owner, and he lasted until 1888. In 1889 it was owned by Oliver H Thomas of Neath and in 1893/6 they employed 73 men underground and 14 men on the surface. The manager was W.H. Plummer. In 1903 the Nos. 1 & 4 employed 58 men.
In 1907 the Llynfi Valley No.3 Drift was working the No.3 Rhondda seam and employed 14 men. It was listed in 1911, as lying idle in 1912, and in 1917 as still being owned by O.H. Thomas who was not a member of the Monmouthshire and South Wales Coal Owners Association.
MAESTEG BETTWS LLANTWIT COLLIERY – Bettws
This small level was owned by the Maesteg Bettws Llantwit Colliery Company opening in 1901 and employed 27 men in 1903 and 16 men in 1905 when it closed.
MAESTEG IRON WORKS LEVELS – Maesteg, Llynfi Valley
The Nos. 1, 2 and 3 Levels were opened in August of 1827 to feed the Maesteg Iron Works. The No.4 Level was opened in 1828. The last of the numbered levels, the No.9, was opened in 1863. By 1851 there were 15 levels and 81 coke ovens in operation. It probably closed down with the closure of the Iron Works.
MAES-Y-BETTWS COLLIERY – Bettws (880881)
Also called Jenkins’ Pit it was sunk c1861 by James Cadman who sold it on to Jenkins in 1862. It was owned from 1871 to its closure in 1872 by the Maes-y-Bettws Coal Co. The shafts were filled in the 1950s.
MICHAELSTONE COLLIERY – Nantyffyllon (846931)
This was a small level that was worked under license from the National Coal Board. It was opened in 1955 by D. Hough who, in 1956 handed it over to R. Coleman and W.L. John of Glyncorrwg. They lasted a year and by 1957 it was owned by the Michaelstone Colliery Company Limited. They produced 1,068 tons of coal in 1960 employing around 6 men. It was closed in 1961.
NANTGLAS COLLIERY – Nantyffyllon (838936)
This was a small level that was worked under license from the National Coal Board in 1958/60 by G. Thomas and D.G. Morgan and from 1960 to 1966 by G. Thomas D, Jones of Port Talbot. In 1967 it was owned by H.J. Lambourne of Pontrhydyfen. It abandoned the No.2 Rhondda seam in 1970.
NANTGLAS NEWYDD COLLIERY – Near Maesteg, Llynfi Valley (843934)
This was a small level that was worked under license from the National Coal Board in the 1970s by the Bryn Newydd Colliery Company Limited of Bryncoch. It worked the Wernddu Rider. They closed it in 1978 but it was re-opened in 1982 by the same company who worked it until 1987 when it was owned by R.V.W. Jeffreys and worked the No.2 Rhondda seam. He closed it in 1994 and employed around 4 men.
NEW BRYNLLYWARCH COLLIERY – Llynfi Valley
This small level worked the Llantwit Four-Feet seam until its closure in May 1910. Please see Brynllywarch.
No.9 COLLIERY – Llynfi Valley (86339189)
This was a small level that was also known as Cae’r Defaid. It was opened in 1863 by John Brogden and Sons, and a total of 299 men underground and 54 men on the surface in 1896 when managed by David Davies. It produced 55,666 tons of coal in 1901. It employed 255 men in 1907. It was closed by North’s Navigation Collieries Limited in 1908.
It was the last of the numbered levels opened up to feed the Maesteg Iron Works and outlasted the others. The first (Nos.1 to 4) were opened in 1827/8.
Some statistics:
- 1896: Manpower: 353.
- 1899: Manpower: 246.
- 1900: Manpower: 234.
- 1901: Manpower: 248.
- 1902: Manpower: 271.
- 1903: Manpower: 236.
- 1905: Manpower: 266.
- 1907: Manpower: 255.
- 1910: Manpower: 8.
- 1911: Manpower: 10.
QUARRY COLLIERY – Cwmdu, Maesteg (858906)
This was a small level that abandoned the Yard seam in December 1920. It was opened by A. Gray in 1912 and owned by Davies & Co. in 1913. The big boys then moved in in the shape of Elder’s Collieries Limited, and it employed five men working the Yard seam in 1912. It was closed in 1922. It employed 19 men in 1919.
TON HIR COLLIERY – Maesteg, Llynfi Valley 83717/92149
A Cwm Tonhir was worked by Harry Walters in 1902 but then disappeared. Tonhir was opened in 1903 by the above who employed 96 men in 1907 when it was worked by the Ton Hir Colliery Company Limited of Port Talbot, it was managed by D.J. Griffiths and employed 144 men producing house and manufacturing coals from the Pentre Rider seam. This seam was called the Two and a Half seam in this area. It had a thickness of around 31 inches. It employed 180 men in 1916 and 130 men in 1919 being managed by H. Walters during this period. It abandoned what it called the Golden Seam in November 1928.
Some statistics:
- 1905: Manpower: 70.
- 1907: Manpower: 96.
- 1909: Manpower: 102.
- 1910: Manpower: 108.
- 1911: Manpower: 113.
- 1913: Manpower: 144.
- 1916: Manpower: 180.
- 1919: Manpower: 130.
- 1922: Manpower: 130.
- 1925: Manpower: 130.
TY CHWYTH COLLIRY – Maesteg (857930)
This was one of the first levels in the area and was taken over by John Brogdenin 1863 and expanded to feed the local Iron Works. It was claimed that around that time this level employed ten to twelve women underground working the pumps and filling coal. It was purchased in 1878 by the Llynfi, Tondu and Ogmore Coal and Iron Company Limited when the manager was W. Snowdon. It was closed in 1882 when Coegnant Colliery was opened.
TY GWYN BACH COLLIERY – Near Caerau, Llynfi Valley
Or Maesteg No.11 level worked that the Caedavid, Victoria and Three-Feet seams around 1884. The Two-and-a-Half seam was abandoned in January 1906 and again in August 1908. In 1899 they were owned by the Ty Gwynbach Colliery Company, in 1907 they were owned by the Maesteg Colliery Company of Caerau and employed 30 men working underground and 2 men at the surface with H.G.J. Barrow as the manager. On closure, they were owned by the Cardiff House and Steam Coal Company and in abandoned mines records they gave the reason for closure as to open elsewhere.
Some statistics:
- 1899: Manpower: 25.
- 1900: Manpower: 35.
- 1901: Manpower: 76.
- 1902: Manpower: 113.
- 1905: Manpower: 75.
- 1907: Manpower: 32.
TYNEWYDD BAYDEN COLLIERY – Maesteg, Llynfi Valley
The only mention that I have for this colliery is on the listings for 1878 when it was owned and managed by James Barrow.
TY WITH COLLIERY – Llynfi Valley
Please see Ty Chwth.
Information supplied by Ray Lawrence and used here with his permission.
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