Mardy Colliery
Encyclopedia
Mardy Colliery was a coal mine located in the South Wales
village of Maerdy
, in the Rhondda Valley, located in the county borough
of Rhondda Cynon Taf, and within the historic county boundaries of Glamorgan
, Wales
. Opened in 1875, it closed in December 1990.
word for mayor's house.
While other areas of the South Wales coalfield
had been exploited up to 50 years earlier, due to the scarcity and difficult access conditions of Rhondda Fawr, it remained largely undeveloped. But the demand for steam coal drove development and, in 1874, Mordecai Jones
of Brecon
and Nantmelyn purchased the mineral rights around the farmhouse and its surrounding lands from the estate of the late Crawshay Bailey
for £122,000. Additional capital was provided by a partner, J. R. Cobb, and a trial pit was sunk in 1875.
In 1876, this No. 1 Pit struck the Abergorky vein of coal. Proving the mine viable by increasing production to 100 tons per day, Maerdy No. 2 Pit was sunk in 1876. After connecting the mine to the Taff Vale Railway
's Maerdy Branch, they transported the first coal to Cardiff Docks
in 1877. After the death of Mordecai Jones in 1880, the mine was leased to Locket's Merthyr Company. They invested to increase production, which expanded from 30,000 tons p.a. in 1879 to over 160,000 tons p.a. by 1884, and sank Maerdy No. 3 Pit in 1893. The mine was now divided into two separate districts: the East, known as "Rhondda", and the West, known as "Aberdare". By this time the mine's link to the Taff Vale Railway had become the mainline to and onwards to Cardiff
. Maerdy No. 4 Pit was completed in 1914.
In 1932 Bwllfa and Cwmaman Collieries, part of the Welsh Associated Collieries, took control of Mardy. After WAC merged with the coal interests of Powell Duffryn
in 1935 to form Powell Duffryn Associated Collieries Limited, the colliery was completely closed, with the loss of 1,000 jobs: 120 on the surface, 880 underground. Reopeneing in 1938, it was greatly affected by the suspension of coal exports to Europe at the start of World War II
, and hence closed in 1940.
with a £7-million investment announced in 1949, creating capacity for No. 3 and No. 4 shafts to access 100 million tons of coal in the 5 ft seam, estimated sufficient to last for one hundred years. It was transformed into one of the most modern pits in the United Kingdom, with fully electric winding, new extended railway sidings and a coal washing plant on the surface, built on the site of the former No. 1 and No. 2 shafts, and new underground roads linking the mine to Bwllfa Colliery in the Cynon Valley
. After the colliery band was disbanded, in 1978 the mine adopted the local Tylorstown
silver band, which was renamed the "Tylorstown and Mardy Colliery Band."
closed the mine for a year, and from 30 June 1986, with all coal being raised at Tower Colliery
, the two mines were effectively working as one coalfield system. The last miners' shift descended to pit bottom on December 21, 1990, after which friends were allowed down to collect souvenir pieces of the 5 ft seam, and then return to sing carols
in the surface canteen. The Tylorstown silver band then followed a procession, playing The Internationale
to Maerdy Welfare Hall, where a "wake
" was held. Of the remaining 300 workers at the pit, only 17 chose to transfer to other collieries.
In March 1996, the site was cleared to make way for an industrial unit, for Fenner plc
to use as a polymer factory. It is now owned and operated by Avon Rubber
, as part of their engineered rubber division.
A rescue team led by Mr. William Thomas, a director of Lockett's Merthyr Steam Coal Company, immediately descended. Finding the workers in the West district had survived, they also joined the rescue effort. The team found a group of 30 men and boys on the East district, who having been working 120 yards (109.7 m) below the explosion, had survived. But bodies were readily found, and with due care for the safety of the rescuers, it took until the following Sunday to complete the recovery of all 81 bodies: 63 from suffocation; 18 from burns and violence. The funerals for the victims were held at Ferndale and Llanwonno cemeteries, on the following Saturday, Sunday and Monday.
After the Coroner
's Inquest, held at the Maerdy Hotel on the 12–18 January 1886, a barrister
, A. G. C. Liddell, was appointed to submit a report to the Mines Inspector, and hence to the Minister and both houses of Parliament. In his report, Liddell stated that:
Liddell's Report was highly critical of the safety procedures, which he concluded were not carried out to the specifications of the Coal Mines Regulation Act 1872, evidenced by: no barometer
kept in a conspicuous position at the entrance to the mine; positioning of lamp stations, hence allowing naked flames to travel through the workings; removal and watering of the coal dust that built up in the mine, which Liddell observed was carried out in a "desultory way" and was not done in a "sufficiently systematic character."
Liddell concluded that the most likely cause of the explosion was poor observance of shot-firing regulations, it having been normal practise to ignore the blue-flame warning of the lamps. Secondly, only the miners within a 50 yards (45.7 m) distance were removed from the immediate workings, and not the entire district as the regulations required.
Liddell concluded that the course of the blast from the explosion was approximately one mile long, and emanated in an area called the Northwest dip. Stonemasons were working in the area to reduce the height of a rock fall so that it did not become a gas collection point, and had been using an open-flamed "comet" lamp. Liddell concludes that either the shot-firing dislodged gas above the arch on to the "comet," or the that the lamp was raised too high and came into contact with coal damp.
Neither of the two theories examined by Liddell in his report can be scientifically proven and, further, the extent of the blast does not explain its ferocity. He therefore concludes that however the blast occurred, it was the accumulation of coal damp and coal dust throughout the working from poor watering procedure that created such an explosive situation to occur. "[H]owever the initial blast occurred, it was the profusion of coal dust in the workings that actually propagated the explosion." He therefore recommended two changes to the coal mining regulations:
Following the submission of the report and a further inspection, the mine was reopened in January 1886.
. A prominent communist, Arthur Horner, was elected in absentia as a checkweighman—at the time, he was serving a prison sentence for refusing to fight in the First World War. In the 1926 General Strike, its militancy led to the mineworkers' lodge being suspended from the South Wales Miners Federation, and expelled in 1930. During the period after the general strike, the South Wales Daily News first applied the term Little Moscow
when describing Mardy. As a result, and with a slump in the demand for steam coal, production at Mardy did not resume until late 1927.
During the 1984/85 miners' strike
, the pit remained true to its militant heritage and sent men as flying pickets all over the country; only two token picket lines were ever needed at Mardy itself, as no Mardy miner would ever cross a picket line. The wives formed the first women's support groups
in the South Wales Coalfield, organising food collection and distribution, and joining their husbands on the picket lines. The miners returned to work on the 5th March, 1985.
South Wales
South Wales is an area of Wales bordered by England and the Bristol Channel to the east and south, and Mid Wales and West Wales to the north and west. The most densely populated region in the south-west of the United Kingdom, it is home to around 2.1 million people and includes the capital city of...
village of Maerdy
Maerdy
Maerdy is a village and community in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, and within the historic county boundaries of Glamorgan, Wales, lying at the head of the Rhondda Fach Valley.- History :...
, in the Rhondda Valley, located in the county borough
County borough
County borough is a term introduced in 1889 in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland , to refer to a borough or a city independent of county council control. They were abolished by the Local Government Act 1972 in England and Wales, but continue in use for lieutenancy and shrievalty in...
of Rhondda Cynon Taf, and within the historic county boundaries of Glamorgan
Glamorgan
Glamorgan or Glamorganshire is one of the thirteen historic counties and a former administrative county of Wales. It was originally an early medieval kingdom of varying boundaries known as Glywysing until taken over by the Normans as a lordship. Glamorgan is latterly represented by the three...
, Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
. Opened in 1875, it closed in December 1990.
History
Maerdy derives its name from a large farmhouse on a bank of the Rhondda Fach, which became the local meeting place for both court matters and worship. Maerdy is the WelshWelsh language
Welsh is a member of the Brythonic branch of the Celtic languages spoken natively in Wales, by some along the Welsh border in England, and in Y Wladfa...
word for mayor's house.
While other areas of the South Wales coalfield
South Wales Coalfield
The South Wales Coalfield is a large region of south Wales that is rich with coal deposits, especially the South Wales Valleys.-The coalfield area:...
had been exploited up to 50 years earlier, due to the scarcity and difficult access conditions of Rhondda Fawr, it remained largely undeveloped. But the demand for steam coal drove development and, in 1874, Mordecai Jones
Mordecai Jones
Mordecai Jones was a Welsh businessman and pioneer in the development of the South Wales coalfield. He was a notable promoter of the British Schools model of free education, and of Welsh and English Calvinistic Methodist churches...
of Brecon
Brecon
Brecon is a long-established market town and community in southern Powys, Mid Wales, with a population of 7,901. It was the county town of the historic county of Brecknockshire; although its role as such was eclipsed with the formation of Powys, it remains an important local centre...
and Nantmelyn purchased the mineral rights around the farmhouse and its surrounding lands from the estate of the late Crawshay Bailey
Crawshay Bailey
Crawshay Bailey was an English industrialist who became one of the great iron-masters of Wales.-Early life:Bailey was born in 1789 in Great Wenham, Suffolk, the son of John Bailey, of Wakefield and his wife Susannah...
for £122,000. Additional capital was provided by a partner, J. R. Cobb, and a trial pit was sunk in 1875.
In 1876, this No. 1 Pit struck the Abergorky vein of coal. Proving the mine viable by increasing production to 100 tons per day, Maerdy No. 2 Pit was sunk in 1876. After connecting the mine to the Taff Vale Railway
Taff Vale Railway
The Taff Vale Railway is a railway in Glamorgan, South Wales, and is one of the oldest in Wales. It operated as an independent company from 1836 until 1922, when it became a constituent company of the Great Western Railway...
's Maerdy Branch, they transported the first coal to Cardiff Docks
Cardiff Docks
Cardiff Docks is a port in south Cardiff, Wales. At its peak, the port was one of the largest dock systems in the world with a total quayage of almost...
in 1877. After the death of Mordecai Jones in 1880, the mine was leased to Locket's Merthyr Company. They invested to increase production, which expanded from 30,000 tons p.a. in 1879 to over 160,000 tons p.a. by 1884, and sank Maerdy No. 3 Pit in 1893. The mine was now divided into two separate districts: the East, known as "Rhondda", and the West, known as "Aberdare". By this time the mine's link to the Taff Vale Railway had become the mainline to and onwards to Cardiff
Cardiff
Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...
. Maerdy No. 4 Pit was completed in 1914.
In 1932 Bwllfa and Cwmaman Collieries, part of the Welsh Associated Collieries, took control of Mardy. After WAC merged with the coal interests of Powell Duffryn
Powell Duffryn
PD Ports is a Middlesbrough-headquartered British ports operator.Formerly known as Powell Duffryn, it dug its first coal mine in South Wales in 1840, and later expanded into various sorts of manufacturing...
in 1935 to form Powell Duffryn Associated Collieries Limited, the colliery was completely closed, with the loss of 1,000 jobs: 120 on the surface, 880 underground. Reopeneing in 1938, it was greatly affected by the suspension of coal exports to Europe at the start of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, and hence closed in 1940.
Nationalisation
Nationalised in 1947, the mine was redeveloped by the National Coal BoardNational Coal Board
The National Coal Board was the statutory corporation created to run the nationalised coal mining industry in the United Kingdom. Set up under the Coal Industry Nationalisation Act 1946, it took over the mines on "vesting day", 1 January 1947...
with a £7-million investment announced in 1949, creating capacity for No. 3 and No. 4 shafts to access 100 million tons of coal in the 5 ft seam, estimated sufficient to last for one hundred years. It was transformed into one of the most modern pits in the United Kingdom, with fully electric winding, new extended railway sidings and a coal washing plant on the surface, built on the site of the former No. 1 and No. 2 shafts, and new underground roads linking the mine to Bwllfa Colliery in the Cynon Valley
Cynon Valley
The Cynon Valley , is a famous former coal mining valley within the South Wales Valleys of Wales. The Cynon Valley lies between the other mining Valley of Rhondda and the iron industrial Valley of the Merthyr Valley. Its main towns are Aberdare located North of the Valley and Mountain Ash located...
. After the colliery band was disbanded, in 1978 the mine adopted the local Tylorstown
Tylorstown
Tylorstown is a village located in the Rhondda valley, in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales. It was founded by Alfred Tylor who set up an early coal mining operation in the location in the mid-19th century....
silver band, which was renamed the "Tylorstown and Mardy Colliery Band."
Closure
The 1984/5 Miners StrikeUK miners' strike (1984–1985)
The UK miners' strike was a major industrial action affecting the British coal industry. It was a defining moment in British industrial relations, and its defeat significantly weakened the British trades union movement...
closed the mine for a year, and from 30 June 1986, with all coal being raised at Tower Colliery
Tower Colliery
Tower Colliery is the oldest continuously working deep-coal mine in the United Kingdom, and possibly the world, and the last mine of its kind to remain in the South Wales Valleys...
, the two mines were effectively working as one coalfield system. The last miners' shift descended to pit bottom on December 21, 1990, after which friends were allowed down to collect souvenir pieces of the 5 ft seam, and then return to sing carols
Carol (music)
A carol is a festive song, generally religious but not necessarily connected with church worship, and often with a dance-like or popular character....
in the surface canteen. The Tylorstown silver band then followed a procession, playing The Internationale
The Internationale
The Internationale is a famous socialist, communist, social-democratic and anarchist anthem.The Internationale became the anthem of international socialism, and gained particular fame under the Soviet Union from 1922 to 1944, when it was that communist state's de facto central anthem...
to Maerdy Welfare Hall, where a "wake
Wake
A wake is the region of recirculating flow immediately behind a moving or stationary solid body, caused by the flow of surrounding fluid around the body.-Fluid dynamics:...
" was held. Of the remaining 300 workers at the pit, only 17 chose to transfer to other collieries.
In March 1996, the site was cleared to make way for an industrial unit, for Fenner plc
Fenner plc
Fenner plc is a leading British-based manufacturer of industrial belting and other polymer-based products. It is headquartered in Hessle and is a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index.-History:...
to use as a polymer factory. It is now owned and operated by Avon Rubber
Avon Rubber
Avon Rubber p.l.c. is a manufacturer of high technology rubber-based products for a number of manufacturing sectors. It is a constituent of the FTSE SmallCap Index...
, as part of their engineered rubber division.
1885 explosion
By 1885, the colliery was employing 961 men, 200 on the night shift and 761 on the day shift. At approximately 2.40 p.m. on Wednesday 23 December 1885, with 750 men below ground, a loud report was heard above ground, and a column of smoke and dust then bellowed from the upcast shaft.A rescue team led by Mr. William Thomas, a director of Lockett's Merthyr Steam Coal Company, immediately descended. Finding the workers in the West district had survived, they also joined the rescue effort. The team found a group of 30 men and boys on the East district, who having been working 120 yards (109.7 m) below the explosion, had survived. But bodies were readily found, and with due care for the safety of the rescuers, it took until the following Sunday to complete the recovery of all 81 bodies: 63 from suffocation; 18 from burns and violence. The funerals for the victims were held at Ferndale and Llanwonno cemeteries, on the following Saturday, Sunday and Monday.
After the Coroner
Coroner
A coroner is a government official who* Investigates human deaths* Determines cause of death* Issues death certificates* Maintains death records* Responds to deaths in mass disasters* Identifies unknown dead* Other functions depending on local laws...
's Inquest, held at the Maerdy Hotel on the 12–18 January 1886, a barrister
Barrister
A barrister is a member of one of the two classes of lawyer found in many common law jurisdictions with split legal professions. Barristers specialise in courtroom advocacy, drafting legal pleadings and giving expert legal opinions...
, A. G. C. Liddell, was appointed to submit a report to the Mines Inspector, and hence to the Minister and both houses of Parliament. In his report, Liddell stated that:
Liddell's Report was highly critical of the safety procedures, which he concluded were not carried out to the specifications of the Coal Mines Regulation Act 1872, evidenced by: no barometer
Barometer
A barometer is a scientific instrument used in meteorology to measure atmospheric pressure. Pressure tendency can forecast short term changes in the weather...
kept in a conspicuous position at the entrance to the mine; positioning of lamp stations, hence allowing naked flames to travel through the workings; removal and watering of the coal dust that built up in the mine, which Liddell observed was carried out in a "desultory way" and was not done in a "sufficiently systematic character."
Liddell concluded that the most likely cause of the explosion was poor observance of shot-firing regulations, it having been normal practise to ignore the blue-flame warning of the lamps. Secondly, only the miners within a 50 yards (45.7 m) distance were removed from the immediate workings, and not the entire district as the regulations required.
Liddell concluded that the course of the blast from the explosion was approximately one mile long, and emanated in an area called the Northwest dip. Stonemasons were working in the area to reduce the height of a rock fall so that it did not become a gas collection point, and had been using an open-flamed "comet" lamp. Liddell concludes that either the shot-firing dislodged gas above the arch on to the "comet," or the that the lamp was raised too high and came into contact with coal damp.
Neither of the two theories examined by Liddell in his report can be scientifically proven and, further, the extent of the blast does not explain its ferocity. He therefore concludes that however the blast occurred, it was the accumulation of coal damp and coal dust throughout the working from poor watering procedure that created such an explosive situation to occur. "[H]owever the initial blast occurred, it was the profusion of coal dust in the workings that actually propagated the explosion." He therefore recommended two changes to the coal mining regulations:
- That a system of watering had to be put in place in all mines under a competent officer
- Prohibit shot firing in a mine without previous watering of all places to which the flame of the shot might extend
Following the submission of the report and a further inspection, the mine was reopened in January 1886.
Industrial relations
From its opening, Mardy had a reputation as a place for militants and left-wing political extremists, particularly communistsCommunism
Communism is a social, political and economic ideology that aims at the establishment of a classless, moneyless, revolutionary and stateless socialist society structured upon common ownership of the means of production...
. A prominent communist, Arthur Horner, was elected in absentia as a checkweighman—at the time, he was serving a prison sentence for refusing to fight in the First World War. In the 1926 General Strike, its militancy led to the mineworkers' lodge being suspended from the South Wales Miners Federation, and expelled in 1930. During the period after the general strike, the South Wales Daily News first applied the term Little Moscow
Little Moscow
Little Moscow was a term used to describe towns and villages in capitalist societies whose population appeared to hold extreme left-wing political values or communist views...
when describing Mardy. As a result, and with a slump in the demand for steam coal, production at Mardy did not resume until late 1927.
During the 1984/85 miners' strike
UK miners' strike (1984–1985)
The UK miners' strike was a major industrial action affecting the British coal industry. It was a defining moment in British industrial relations, and its defeat significantly weakened the British trades union movement...
, the pit remained true to its militant heritage and sent men as flying pickets all over the country; only two token picket lines were ever needed at Mardy itself, as no Mardy miner would ever cross a picket line. The wives formed the first women's support groups
Women Against Pit Closures
Women Against Pit Closures was a political movement supporting miners and their families in the UK miners' strike of 1984–85. The movement is credited with bringing feminist ideas into practice in an industrial dispute and empowering women to take a public role in a community with a male-dominated...
in the South Wales Coalfield, organising food collection and distribution, and joining their husbands on the picket lines. The miners returned to work on the 5th March, 1985.