This was a level that worked the Mynyddislwyn seam for house coal as early as 1809. In 1822 Jeremiah Jones was the owner, in 1827 it was owned by Moses Moses and by 1841 it was in the hands of Aaron Crossfield.
In the 1842 Royal Commission, this mine was described as:
Our mines are worked by levels and we employ no machinery whatever. The coals are brought from the workings by horses along tram roads. Our main road is six and a half feet high and the mine is well ventilated by air ways and air pits. We have had but one serious accident within the last 12 months. A lad of 15 was killed in consequence of the top falling while he was holing the coal for blasting. I think the youngest boy in the work is about eight years old and it is my opinion they ought not to be employed under nine years of age. Children assist their fathers in cutting coal at a very early age as also driving the drams. The usual hours of labour are from 10 to 11 per day. There is a sick fund, a Sunday School and day school for young children also a night school Religious service, twice on Sunday and twice in the Dissenter’s service.
Mrs. Mary Lewis:
My husband has worked in these mines for many years. I have had 12 children, six of whom are working in the mines. Children can’t get any schooling in this place as the parents are obliged to employ them so early. My youngest boy, Lewis, was taken down at five years and three months of age. He will be 15 next Christmas and has been below ever since. He has sometimes been at the Sunday School trying to learn to read his letters but I don’t think he knows them yet. None of the children read. As the work is so uncertain, they wouldn’t be able to send them even if there was a school I don’t think one in a hundred can read in this place. I can’t read myself. Parents are so driven in this quarter from irregular work that many of the children are half-starved.
Joseph Head, age, 14 haulier:
He has been down for more than eight years. His father took him down to work the coal. After I had been down two years my brother taught me to drive the horses. I have been crushed several times with the drams when first at work. I know the letters in the alphabet. I stands for Joseph and H is the first letter of my name. Father gets 12s. a week for my labour. I sometimes get 6d. or a 1s. for myself which I spend in beer and tobacco. I go to Sunday School to learn the spelling.
John Rosser, aged 14. haulier:
He has been below three years and his father is in America and his mother dead, He works for his uncle. He has three cousins at home. None of them go to the works yet. I can’t say what I earn as uncle takes my wages. I was never at school.
John Evans, aged 8, collier:
He has been two years below. His father took him down to claim a dram. He has often fallen asleep. Father pulls me up when he wants me.
Moses Williams aged 7, air-door boy:
My father carried me down 18 months since. I keep an air-door. He brings me in the morning and I return with him at night.
Shadrach Williams, aged 11, collier:
He has been only two years working in the mine. He was at a colliery school at Crymlyn 12 months and learned to read a little English. He goes to work at four o’clock in the morning and does not come up till seven or eight at night when work is on. He has three brothers at the work and one sister a servant. [The father stated that when work was well on they were glad to get as much as they could and consequently they worked very long hours. This boy had a very sickly and dejected appearance and was much stunted in his growth.]
On the 1843 map of the area, it is named Gwrhai. In 1858/70 it was owned by Roger Lewis.
On the 16th of June 1858, James Morgan, aged 16 years, and a haulier was run over and killed by trams. On the 28th of December 1866, Phillip Williams, aged 45 years and a collier was killed under a fall of the roof. On the 30th of September 1871, Lewis Edwards, aged 50 years and a collier, was also killed under a roof fall.
It was not working in 1878/1882 when owned by D. Lewis and Company, but possibly Mr. Lewis brought in a partner, for in 1884/8/93 it was back in operation and owned by Jones, Lewis and Company the manager being T. Edmunds.
On the 4th of August 1888, David Herbert, a collier aged 36 years, died under a roof fall.
In 1900 it was owned by Lewis Lewis and employed 10 men working underground and one man at the surface of the mine, in 1901 it employed 39 men. In 1902 it is owned by the Gwrhay Colliery Company and employed 34 men, in 1905 it employed 52 men and in 1907 it was owned by the Oakdale Navigation Collieries Limited and employed 31 men 23 men working underground and 8 on the surface. There was a dramatic rise in manning levels the following year when this mine employed 159 men underground and 10 on the surface along with the Waterloo Level. The manager was W.C. Hepburn. It was now owned by the Oakdale Navigation Colliery Company, a subsidiary of the Tredegar Iron and Coal Company. It closed when the Waterloo Pit started production.
This level had at least two air pits; one was 30 feet deep and 8 feet round and the other was 12 feet deep and 6 feet round.
In the early 1840s, it was owned by Aaron Crossfield and employed 86 miners, 13 of them under the age of 13 years.
This information has been provided by Ray Lawrence, from books he has written, which contain much more information, including many photographs, maps and plans. Please contact him at welshminingbooks@gmail.com for availability.
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