Tredegar Iron and Coal Company
Encyclopedia
Tredegar Iron and Coal Company was a major maker of iron
in Tredegar
, Wales
, which due to its need for coke
became a major developer of coal mines and particularly the Sirhowy Valley
of South Wales
. It is most closely associated with the Industrial Revolution
and coal mining in the South Wales Valleys
.
furnace
was built in the upper Sirhowy Valley by Thomas Atkinson and William Barrow, who came to the area from London
. Fuel was needed for the furnace so men were employed to dig coal
at Bryn Bach and Nantybwch, the first small scale coal mining
operation in the area. The furnace failed in 1794, and hence also the business.
, with partners Richard Fothergill
and the Matthew Monkhouse built a new furnace which they called the Sirhowy Ironworks, leasing the land from the Tredegar Estate in Newport
.
In 1800, the company was renamed the Tredegar Iron Company, named in honour of the Tredegar Estate at Tredegar House
and Tredegar Park
in Newport
. The company was taken over by the Harfords of Ebbw Vale
in 1818.
However, all of this production on such a vast scale had a price. Adrian Vaughn, in his 1985 book "Grub, Water & Relief," mentions that in 1832 John Gooch took a managerial post in the Tredegar iron works:
With many people in such a small area, and with poor sanitation provision, there were several cholera
epidemics in the town in the 19th century. A dedicated cholera burial ground was later established at Cefn Golau
.
In 1891, the company ceased production of iron, but continued to develop coal mines and produce coal. The fomer Tredegar Ironworks were effectively abandoned, with Whiteheads taking over the southern section of the site from 1907. In 1931, they also closed down their operations, moving everything to their Newport works.
TICC continued to develop coal mines and work pitts, until it was nationalised in 1946, becoming part of the National Coal Board
. Its last chairman was Henry McLaren, 2nd Baron Aberconway
.
Iron
Iron is a chemical element with the symbol Fe and atomic number 26. It is a metal in the first transition series. It is the most common element forming the planet Earth as a whole, forming much of Earth's outer and inner core. It is the fourth most common element in the Earth's crust...
in Tredegar
Tredegar
Tredegar is a town situated on the Sirhowy River in the county borough of Blaenau Gwent, in south-east Wales. Located within the historic boundaries of Monmouthshire, it became an early centre of the Industrial Revolution in South Wales...
, 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...
, which due to its need for coke
Coke
Coke may refer to:* Coca-Cola, a soft drink originally based on coca leaf extract** The Coca-Cola Company, makers of this drink** Cola, any soft drink similar to Coca-Cola** Soft drink, any non-alcoholic carbonated beverage* Coca, a plant...
became a major developer of coal mines and particularly the Sirhowy Valley
Sirhowy Valley
The Sirhowy Valley is an industrialised valley in the eastern part of the Valleys region of South Wales. It is named from the Sirhowy River which runs through it. Its upper reaches are occupied by the town of Tredegar within the unitary area of Blaenau Gwent...
of South Wales
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...
. It is most closely associated with the Industrial Revolution
Industrial Revolution
The Industrial Revolution was a period from the 18th to the 19th century where major changes in agriculture, manufacturing, mining, transportation, and technology had a profound effect on the social, economic and cultural conditions of the times...
and coal mining in the South Wales Valleys
South Wales Valleys
The South Wales Valleys are a number of industrialised valleys in South Wales, stretching from eastern Carmarthenshire in the west to western Monmouthshire in the east and from the Heads of the Valleys in the north to the lower-lying, pastoral country of the Vale of Glamorgan and the coastal plain...
.
Background
In 1778 an ironIron
Iron is a chemical element with the symbol Fe and atomic number 26. It is a metal in the first transition series. It is the most common element forming the planet Earth as a whole, forming much of Earth's outer and inner core. It is the fourth most common element in the Earth's crust...
furnace
Furnace
A furnace is a device used for heating. The name derives from Latin fornax, oven.In American English and Canadian English, the term furnace on its own is generally used to describe household heating systems based on a central furnace , and sometimes as a synonym for kiln, a device used in the...
was built in the upper Sirhowy Valley by Thomas Atkinson and William Barrow, who came to the area from London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. Fuel was needed for the furnace so men were employed to dig coal
Coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
at Bryn Bach and Nantybwch, the first small scale coal mining
Coal mining
The goal of coal mining is to obtain coal from the ground. Coal is valued for its energy content, and since the 1880s has been widely used to generate electricity. Steel and cement industries use coal as a fuel for extraction of iron from iron ore and for cement production. In the United States,...
operation in the area. The furnace failed in 1794, and hence also the business.
Sirhowy Ironworks
In 1797, Samuel HomfraySamuel Homfray
Samuel Homfray was an English industrialist during the Industrial Revolution in Great Britain, associated with the early iron industry in South Wales....
, with partners Richard Fothergill
Richard Fothergill
Richard Fothergill was an English ironmaster and coal-owner in Wales and a Liberal politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1868 to 1880....
and the Matthew Monkhouse built a new furnace which they called the Sirhowy Ironworks, leasing the land from the Tredegar Estate in Newport
Newport
Newport is a city and unitary authority area in Wales. Standing on the banks of the River Usk, it is located about east of Cardiff and is the largest urban area within the historic county boundaries of Monmouthshire and the preserved county of Gwent...
.
In 1800, the company was renamed the Tredegar Iron Company, named in honour of the Tredegar Estate at Tredegar House
Tredegar House
Tredegar House in Newport, set in the 90 acre Tredegar Park, is one of the best examples of a 17th century Charles II country house mansion in the United Kingdom.-History of the Building:...
and Tredegar Park
Tredegar Park
Tredegar Park is a large municipal park located near the housing estates of Duffryn, Maesglas, and Gaer in the city of Newport in South Wales.- History :...
in Newport
Newport
Newport is a city and unitary authority area in Wales. Standing on the banks of the River Usk, it is located about east of Cardiff and is the largest urban area within the historic county boundaries of Monmouthshire and the preserved county of Gwent...
. The company was taken over by the Harfords of Ebbw Vale
Ebbw Vale
Ebbw Vale is a town at the head of the valley formed by the Ebbw Fawr tributary of the Ebbw River, south Wales. It is the largest town and the administrative centre of Blaenau Gwent county borough...
in 1818.
Operations
The company ironworks were developed on a single site, which later became known as Whiteheads, after that company took over the southern section fo the site in 1907. By 1850, TICC employed between 2000 and 3000 people at its 9 furnaces, mills shops and ancillary plants.However, all of this production on such a vast scale had a price. Adrian Vaughn, in his 1985 book "Grub, Water & Relief," mentions that in 1832 John Gooch took a managerial post in the Tredegar iron works:
With many people in such a small area, and with poor sanitation provision, there were several cholera
Cholera
Cholera is an infection of the small intestine that is caused by the bacterium Vibrio cholerae. The main symptoms are profuse watery diarrhea and vomiting. Transmission occurs primarily by drinking or eating water or food that has been contaminated by the diarrhea of an infected person or the feces...
epidemics in the town in the 19th century. A dedicated cholera burial ground was later established at Cefn Golau
Cefn Golau
Cefn Golau is a disused cholera cemetery situated on a narrow mountain ridge in the county borough of Blaenau Gwent, and located between Rhymney and Tredegar in south-east Wales. A suburb of Tredegar and a nearby feeder reservoir have the same name...
.
1875-1946
In 1875, the company renamed itself the Tredegar Iron and Coal Company, to allow development of additional coal mining capacity.In 1891, the company ceased production of iron, but continued to develop coal mines and produce coal. The fomer Tredegar Ironworks were effectively abandoned, with Whiteheads taking over the southern section of the site from 1907. In 1931, they also closed down their operations, moving everything to their Newport works.
TICC continued to develop coal mines and work pitts, until it was nationalised in 1946, becoming part of the National Coal Board
National 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...
. Its last chairman was Henry McLaren, 2nd Baron Aberconway
Henry McLaren, 2nd Baron Aberconway
Henry Duncan McLaren, 2nd Baron Aberconway CBE was a British politician, horticulturalist and industrialist. He was the son of Charles McLaren, 1st Baron Aberconway and Laura Pochin.- Education :...
.
Mines developed by the company
- 1806: The Dukes Pit, Tredegar. Named after the Duke of Beaufort on whose land it was sunk
- 1806: Pwll Mawr, Neath
- 1834: Trist No.1 and No.2 pits
- 1841: Upper Ty Trist Pit
- 1868: Trist No.3 Pit
- 1876: Witworth Colliery
- 1898: McLaren Colliery
- 1907: Oakdale CollieryOakdale CollieryOakdale Colliery was a coal mine located in the Sirhowy Valley, one of the valleys of South Wales.In the early years of the twentieth century the need for coal was growing both in America and Europe, and local business men in Wales were looking for new opportunities to fill the demand...
- 1908: Waterloo Colliery
- 1910: Markham Colliery
- 1926: Wyllie Colliery
- ????: Bedwellty Pits
- ????: Pochin Colliery