THE OGMORE VALLEY

LOCAL HISTORY & HERITAGE SOCIETY

Tel: 01656 842 258

EMAIL: ovlhs@ovlhs.co.uk

Penllwyngwent Colliery Deaths

Cory Brothers and Company Ltd. entered into the Ogmore Valley by way of a lease of the Aber Colliery from the Aber and Ynysawdre Colliery Company Ltd. in 1887. At a meeting of the Cory Brother’s Company directors on 19th October 1893 it was resolved that:

“… The Company ratify and adopt the Contract date of 18th October 1893 entered into by Mr. James Barrow on their behalf for the purchase of the Aber Colliery Company Ltd.”

At that time the Aber Colliery was working the No. 3 Rhondda house coal seam from the Aber drifts.

Cory Brothers purchased the Wyndham Colliery from North’s Navigation Collieries Ltd. in 1906 and continued working the high quality dry steam coal seams of the Lower Coal Measures there.

The company was anxious to develop the valuable steam coal seams in the lower part of the Ogmore Valley by gaining access to them by sinking shafts near the Aber Colliery. However, the company decided that a cheaper option was to drive a drift [the “A” Drift] from the base of Mynydd-yr-Aber to connect with one of the old roadways in the No. 3 Rhondda workings from their Aber Colliery, which extended eastwards to the Aber Fault.

This fault had an up throw of 130 yards towards the east. In 1906 the old roadway was enlarged and repaired to form the “A” Drift; it followed the gradient of the No. 3 Rhondda old workings dipping to the east at 1 in 11.

The lower steam coal seams were then accessed by driving a steeply inclined drift down to reach them. This second drift was called the “B” Drift; it dipped downwards at 1 in 3.

The “B” Drift gave access to the Pentre seam, [a semi bituminous coal which was soon in high demand for the Midlands potteries industries] and the Two Feet Nine steam coal seam which was worked extensively. Other drifts were driven down to the Six Feet seam and the Lower New seam; the Six Feet seam was very disturbed and was not worked extensively, but the Lower New seam was extensively mined.

The coal was brought to the surface along the “A” Drift by an endless rope haulage 1100 yards long powered by a 275 h.p. electrical haulage situated at the surface; it was reputedly the longest endless rope haulage in South Wales collieries.

The first coal conveyors in the valley [shaker conveyors] were installed in the Pentre seam in the 1920’s.

The ventilation of Penllwyngwent Colliery was provided by an electric fan installed in the main Aber Colliery drift which became the upcast or return drift connected to the old No.3 Rhondda roadways and thence down a “C” Drift inclined at 1 in 2 to the workings below.

Penllwyngwent Colliery ceased working on 7th February 1969.

 

SurnameForename(s)AgeDate
BadcockArthur382nd Oct 1914
BakerWilliam James2829th Feb 1932
BarnettBrian2716th Feb 1966
BarnettJames441st Jun 1933
BartlettAlfred349th Aug 1931
ChampionHarry3213th Nov 1929
CoombesEli371st Sep 1936
CoxFrederick H.46? Oct 1945
DaviesElliot John1630th Aug 1940
DaviesT. Cliff2715th Feb 1935
DaviesWilliam3723rd Jan 1942
DelbridgeDesmond G.1821st Dec 1936
ElwardJohn361st apr 1927
EvansBenjamin2827th Mar 1930
EvansGeorge Gilbert4728th Dec 1937
EvansJames4217th May 1917
EvansPeter Robert3010th Aug 1909
EvansRhys3724th Dec 1955
GoodingIdris184th jun 1914
GwytherDavid474th Dec 1930
HarrisonThomas763rd Jan 1950
HoskingPhillip484th Oct 1946
HowellsGeorge4930th Nov 1930
HowellsIvor3931st Aug 1930
HowellsTrevor3829th Oct 1947
HumphriesEdward5220th Mar 1937
JenkinsDavid4722nd Feb 1935
JenkinsGodrey George5216th Jan 1934
JonesGeorge5020th May 1957
KeastHerbert3728th Jan 1920
KeenThomas Henry202nd Sep 1921
KemberryFrank C.208th Apr 1924
LewisGlanmor221st Jun 1933
MeyrickThomas459th Feb 1910
MorganAbner2310th Dec 1933
MorganJoseph Henry4720th Nov 1951
MorrisJohn636th May 1952
NewallArthur2017th Mar 1921
OwenJohn C.318th Oct 1913
PhillipsEnoch4015th Jul 1914
RyanThomas3815th Feb 1928
SmithMarsall617th May 1944
StanfordJenkin4314th Nov 1917
TatchelRonald246th Jun 1932
TownsendWilliam3514th Feb 1912
WattsLewis58? Nov 1943
WilliamsDavid3220th Dec 1923
WilliamsGeorge308th Oct 1913
WilsonMatthew4119th Feb 1910
WinterburnFrank4030th Jul 1913

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