Oakdale, Sirhowy Valley (ST 1829 9867)
On the 5th of July 1855, John Jones, aged 25 years and a collier at this mine, walked backwards and fell down the pit to his death.
It was owned in 1860 by Thomas Powell.
This was also the name of a small mine that was worked under license.
This colliery was possibly opened as early as 1815 and consisted of a pit and a level into the Mynyddislwyn seam. It was owned in 1893 by W. Baker who formed the Penrhiw and Woodfieldside Collieries Company.
In 1896 it employed 79 men underground and 12 men on the surface. The manager was W.H. Davies. In 1900 the owners are listed on the HMI Lists of Mines as the Penrhiew and Woodfield Coal Company of Bristol. The manager was William Eynon and it employed 94 men underground and 13 men at the surface of the mine. In 1905 it was owned by B.P. Harris (Woodfield Collieries Ltd.), in 1907 it employed 28 men working underground and 5 men at the surface and in 1908 employed 91 men underground and 10 men on the surface with the manager being Giles Jones. It employed 57 men in 1913/5 and if the South Wales Coal Annual is to be believed, 157 men in 1916. The manager was still G. Jones.
In 1918 it was owned by the Penmaen Colliery Company, and in that year, G. Jones, the manager of the colliery, was sacked by the company and fined £30 by the magistrates for selling coal and pocketing the money, instead of logging it down. It employed 21 men producing 12,000 tons of coal in 1923. It was closed by the Penmaen Colliery Company in c1924. The Mynyddislwyn seam in this area had a section of; coal 42 inches, dirt 24 inches, coal 30 inches.
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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