Eastern Colliery

Near Ystrad, Rhondda Fawr Valley (97089434)

In 1864 a partnership of David Davies, Thomas Webb, Morgan Joseph, John Osborne Riches, Abraham Howell and Ezra Roberts negotiated the mineral rights for 8,000 acres at Cwm Parc and Maindy. In 1867 they formed David Davies and Company Ltd. and first sank the Maindy and Park Pits followed by the Dare (1870) and their last sinking in the Rhondda Fawr; the Eastern Colliery which first produced coal in July 1877. The cost of the sinking was £47,727. The manager in 1878 was J. Rees, in 1893 it was William Jenkins in 1908.

The Two-Feet-Nine seam was found at a depth of 291 yards, the Four-Feet at 321 yards, the Six-Feet at 349 yards, the Red Vein at 353 yards, the Nine-Feet at 376 yards, the Three-Feet-Ten seam at 441 yards, Phils’ at 452 yards, the Upper New at 475 yards, and the Lower New at a depth of 478 yards. Originally ventilation for this colliery was by a furnace at the bottom of the upcast shaft. It was 10 feet long and 8 feet 6 inches wide and produced up to 159,830 cubic feet of air per minute. In 1896 a Waddle type ventilation fan, 40 feet in diameter was installed.

The Bute seam was extensively worked at a thickness of between 48 inches to 54 inches and known as Brunt’s seam at this colliery. Also extensively worked was the Nine-Feet seam which had a thickness of between 66 inches to 78 inches. The Company continued to expand with further sinkings in the Ogmore and Garw Valleys, and between the years 1865 and 1875 made profits of £493,000. In 1887 the Ocean Coal Company was formed and the new Company acquired Deep Navigation Colliery in 1893, and sunk the Lady Windsor Colliery in 1895, with Avon Colliery being purchased in 1912. In 1923 the manager was D. Davies and in 1927/30 it was W. Jenkins.

In 1915 the Business Statistics Company, in its book called ‘South Wales Coal and Iron Companies’ reported that the Company was called Ocean Coal and Wilson’s Limited and that this company; “was registered in March 1908, to acquire and hold all or any of the shares of the Ocean Coal Company Ltd, and Wilson, Sons & Co, Ltd, and any Company in which either of such Companies has or have any interest. The Ocean Coal Co, work 9 collieries…the normal annual output of the Collieries is about 2,500,000 tons of coal. Wilson, Sons & Co, has Coal Depots…In addition to their regular business of Coal Merchants and Steamship Agent, the Company owns engineering shops and foundries at Pernambuco, Dakar, Bahia, and Rio de Janeiro, and have executed many important engineering contracts.” The book continued to state that the assets of the combined company were £4,886,982 with profits of £301,266 available for distribution. The board of directors was; David Davies, Chairman, A.E. Bowen, William Jenkins, Edward Jones, Thomas Evans, Henry Webb, Alfred Harley, E.E.M. Hett and F.J. Yarrow. This company was a member of the Monmouthshire and South Wales Coal Owners Association. In 1896 this pit might have been deepened as there were only 8 men working underground and 24 men on the surface.

On Monday, May 14th 1900, Thomas Meecham was fined £3 after being found guilty of doing grievous bodily harm to Sidney Street. Both were colliers and at work in their stalls when Meecham accused Street of telling tales to the bosses. More words were passed until Street grabbed Meecham by the throat, so Meecham then hit Street with his lamp knocking him out and causing him to miss work for two days.

In 1913 Eastern Colliery was managed by William Jenkins and employed 360 men, in 1918 it employed 647 men underground and 128 on the surface with the manager being J. Jones, but this declined to 45 men on the surface and 145 men underground in 1934. The manager in 1934 was T. Griffiths.

In 1934 the Ocean Coal Company Limited was based at 11, Bute Crescent, Cardiff with the directors being; Lord Davies, Sir H. Webb, W.P, Thomas, E. Emrys Jones, A.E. Yarrow, A.J. Cruikshank and T. Evans. The company secretary was M.A. Anderson. At that time this company operated nine collieries that employed 7,921 miners who produced 2,750,000 tons of coal. By the time of nationalisation in 1947 Eastern Colliery had been merged with Maindy Colliery.

Some of those who died at this pit:

• 10/4/1878, Hopkin Jones, aged 39, collier, roof fall.
• 28/9/1879, Amos Hughes, aged 43, collier, shaft incident.
• 28/5/1881, Abiather Jones, aged 53, labourer, shaft incident.
• 6/2/1882, John Edwards, aged 18, labourer, run over by trams.
• 14/10/1882, John Davies, aged 20, haulier, run over by trams.
• 4/6/1883, David John, aged 38, haulier, roof fall.
• 24/8/1883, W. Llewellyn, aged 30, collier, roof fall.
• 1/10/1883, C. Johnson, aged 23, repairer, run over by trams.
• 5/10/1883, J. Jenkins, aged 30, repairer, roof fall.
• 29/9/1884, William Thomas, aged 50, hitcher, fell down the pit.
• 19/3/1885, Richard Pugh, aged 44, repairer, roof fall.
• 19/3/1885, James White, aged 26, Mason, roof fall.
• 30/1/1886, William Davies, aged 19, labourer, fell down the shaft.
• 5/8/1886, Francis Northy, aged 17, door boy, roof fall.
• 6/6/1887, Richard Vaughn, aged 25, collier, roof fall.
• 12/4/1888, John Fisher, aged 18, haulier, roof fall.
• 19/6/1888, Edward Rees, aged 51, repairer, roof fall.
• 9/3/1889, John Evans, aged 14, door boy, roof fall.
• 6/6/1890, William Lloyd, aged 40, labourer, run over by wagons.
• 29/10/1891, Abraham Isaac, aged 18, labourer, roof fall.
• 31/12/1891, James Owen, aged 30, collier, fell down the shaft.
• 4/6/1892, Hugh Griffith, aged 27, timberman, roof fall.
• 4/6/1892. Evan Evans, aged 22, assistant timberman, roof fall.
• 24/6/1892, Abraham Hughes, aged 35, collier, roof fall.
• 8/9/1896, John Elliot, aged 39, rider, run over by wagons.
• 6/3/1897, Edward Jones, aged 19, trimmer, blood poisoning.
• 9/11/1897, T.H. Pearce, aged 13, door boy, kicked by horse.
• 9/12/1898, William Jones, aged 52, collier, roof fall.
• 20/4/1899, Richard Rees, aged 24, rider, run over by trams.
• 4/12/1899, R. Jarman, aged 43, repairer, roof fall.
• 1/4/1910, W.A. Marsh, aged 52, labourer, roof fall.
• 30/7/1912, Richard Hughes, aged 67, repairer, run over by trams.
• 28/5/1925, John Jones, aged 25, labourer, crushed by wagons.
• 15/12/1928, Daniel Davies, aged 60, collier, roof fall.

Some statistics:

• 1880: Manpower: 460. Output: 157,380 tons.
• 1889: Output: 265,018 tons.
• 1890: Manpower: 1,018.Output: 291,796 tons.
• 1894: Output: 100,000 tons.
• 1899: Manpower: 645.
• 1900: Manpower: 624.
• 1901: Manpower: 574.
• 1902: Manpower: 625.
• 1903: Manpower: 712.
• 1908: Manpower: 785.
• 1909: Manpower: 785.
• 1910: Manpower: 882.
• 1911: Manpower: 812.
• 1912: Manpower: 855.
• 1913: Manpower: 360.
• 1915: Manpower: 855.
• 1918: Manpower: 775.
• 1920: Manpower: 698.
• 1922: Manpower: 855.
• 1923: Manpower: 885.
• 1924: Manpower: 899.
• 1925: Manpower: 923.
• 1927: Manpower: 885.
• 1928: Manpower: 886.
• 1929: Manpower: 850.
• 1930: Manpower: 888.
• 1931: Manpower: 890.
• 1932: Manpower: 200.
• 1933: Manpower: 218.
• 1934: Manpower: 245.
• 1937: Manpower: 472.
• 1938: Manpower: 311.
• 1947: Manpower: 342 with Maindy.

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