Tynewydd
Encyclopedia
Tynewydd is a village located in the County Borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, south Wales
. With Treherbert
, Blaencwm
, Blaenrhondda
and Pen-yr-englyn it is part of a community of former industrial coal mining villages at the head of Rhondda Fawr, the larger of the Rhondda Valleys.
The village is connected to the national rail transport network by Treherbert railway station
, northern terminus of the Rhondda Line
, originally the Taff Vale Railway
line connecting the Rhondda and Swansea Bay Railway
with the Rhondda Fawr collieries. The station is 37 km (23 mi) north-west of Cardiff
. The Rhondda Fawr line was extended from Dinas to Treherbert in 1856 and passenger services to Treherbert began in 1863.
were awarded.
A build-up of water in old workings of the neighbouring Cymmer Colliery resulted in flooding of the Tynewydd mine. Only fourteen of approximately 100 miners employed at the mine were working underground at the time of the accident.
Four of the trapped miners were rescued after eighteen hours but a fifth, William Morgan, was crushed to death by an escape of compressed air. Four other miners were drowned.. The remaining five (Daffyd Jenkins, Moses Powell, George Jenkins, John Thomas and the boy David Hughes) were located behind a thirty-eight yards thick barrier of coal with a large quantity of water and compressed air and probably gas behind it. It took four days to cut through the barrier until on 19 April only a few yards remained. At this stage operations were halted because there was a danger of pent-up water behind the barrier bursting through. In spite of this danger four, or alternatively five, of the rescuers volunteered to continue, according to some reports Daniel Thomas, Isaac Pride, John William Howell and William Beith. (There is some confusion over the number and names of the rescuers - Daniel Thomas, listed as one of those awarded the first-class medal, is referred to as owner of Brithweunydd Level, the Tynewydd colliery owner is reported to have been considered for but not awarded a first-class medal because of his impending trial on manslaughter charges of which he was acquitted, and Gwilym Thomas is seen in a photograph of "three of the rescuers" with Isaac Pride and Abraham "Abby" Dodd, see below). An escape of inflammable gas under pressure extinguished the rescue team's Davy lamps but they continued working in darkness. At 3.00 p.m. on 20 April the breakthrough occurred.
Because of the problems posed by the potential escape of air under pressure, the mine engineers erected stout air doors to contain any escaping air and gas and confine possible explosions. One was built within a yard of the face. Isaac Pride who volunteered to break through the barrier had to work within a very confined space. A blast of air was released as his pick broke through and threw him back against the air door, but he quickly set about enlarging the hole, assisted by "Abby" Dodd.
They found the five trapped miners too weak to stand. Between them Pride and Dodd pulled the five to safety as the water level rose.
It is claimed that "Abby" Dodd was not awarded an Albert Medal because of an interview he gave to a journalist criticising the colliery owners, at a time when there had been considerable conflict in the Welsh coal mines between miners and owners.
The Albert Medals awarded at Tynewydd were the first awarded for gallantry on land. The medal had been introduced a decade earlier to honour heroic lifesaving efforts in rescues at sea. The Albert Medal First Class awarded to William Beith can be seen as part of the permanent exhibition in the Coins and Medals Gallery at the National Museum of Wales in Cathays Park
, Cardiff
. William Beith was a mechanical engineer at Harris's Navigation Colliery
, Quaker's Yard, Merthyr Tydfil.
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...
. With Treherbert
Treherbert
Treherbert is a village and community situated at the head of the Rhondda Fawr valley in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales. Treherbert is a former industrial coal mining village which was at its economic peak between 1850 and 1920...
, Blaencwm
Blaencwm
Blaencwm is a village in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales, lying at the head the Rhondda Fawr valley. Blaencwm is very small village and is part of the community of Treherbert.- History :...
, Blaenrhondda
Blaenrhondda
Blaenrhondda is a village in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales, lying at the head the Rhondda Fawr valley. Blaenrhondda is a very small village and is part of the community of Treherbert.-History:...
and Pen-yr-englyn it is part of a community of former industrial coal mining villages at the head of Rhondda Fawr, the larger of the Rhondda Valleys.
The village is connected to the national rail transport network by Treherbert railway station
Treherbert railway station
Treherbert railway station is a railway station serving the village of Treherbert in Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales. It is the northern terminus of the Rhondda Line north west of Cardiff Central....
, northern terminus of the Rhondda Line
Rhondda Line
The Rhondda Line is a commuter railway line in South Wales from Cardiff to Treherbert. The line follows the Merthyr Line as far as Pontypridd, where it then diverges to continue along the Rhondda Valley.The places served by the line are listed below:...
, originally 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...
line connecting the Rhondda and Swansea Bay Railway
Rhondda and Swansea Bay Railway
The Rhondda and Swansea Bay Railway connected the coal mines of the Rhondda Valley to the Swansea Bay ports.Connecting with the Taff Vale Railway at Treherbert, it had branches to Aberavon and Port Talbot docks. It was later extended to Swansea and a branch to Neath was added, bringing the total...
with the Rhondda Fawr collieries. The station is 37 km (23 mi) north-west of 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...
. The Rhondda Fawr line was extended from Dinas to Treherbert in 1856 and passenger services to Treherbert began in 1863.
Tynewydd Colliery disaster
On 11 April 1877 the Tynewydd Colliery was the scene of a mine disaster that led to a notable mine rescue operation following which four first-class and twenty-one second-class Albert Medals for LifesavingAlbert Medal (lifesaving)
The Albert Medal for Lifesaving was a British medal awarded to recognise the saving of life. It has since been replaced by the George Cross.The Albert Medal was first instituted by a Royal Warrant on 7 March 1866 and discontinued in 1971 with the last two awards promulgated in the London Gazette of...
were awarded.
A build-up of water in old workings of the neighbouring Cymmer Colliery resulted in flooding of the Tynewydd mine. Only fourteen of approximately 100 miners employed at the mine were working underground at the time of the accident.
Four of the trapped miners were rescued after eighteen hours but a fifth, William Morgan, was crushed to death by an escape of compressed air. Four other miners were drowned.. The remaining five (Daffyd Jenkins, Moses Powell, George Jenkins, John Thomas and the boy David Hughes) were located behind a thirty-eight yards thick barrier of coal with a large quantity of water and compressed air and probably gas behind it. It took four days to cut through the barrier until on 19 April only a few yards remained. At this stage operations were halted because there was a danger of pent-up water behind the barrier bursting through. In spite of this danger four, or alternatively five, of the rescuers volunteered to continue, according to some reports Daniel Thomas, Isaac Pride, John William Howell and William Beith. (There is some confusion over the number and names of the rescuers - Daniel Thomas, listed as one of those awarded the first-class medal, is referred to as owner of Brithweunydd Level, the Tynewydd colliery owner is reported to have been considered for but not awarded a first-class medal because of his impending trial on manslaughter charges of which he was acquitted, and Gwilym Thomas is seen in a photograph of "three of the rescuers" with Isaac Pride and Abraham "Abby" Dodd, see below). An escape of inflammable gas under pressure extinguished the rescue team's Davy lamps but they continued working in darkness. At 3.00 p.m. on 20 April the breakthrough occurred.
Because of the problems posed by the potential escape of air under pressure, the mine engineers erected stout air doors to contain any escaping air and gas and confine possible explosions. One was built within a yard of the face. Isaac Pride who volunteered to break through the barrier had to work within a very confined space. A blast of air was released as his pick broke through and threw him back against the air door, but he quickly set about enlarging the hole, assisted by "Abby" Dodd.
They found the five trapped miners too weak to stand. Between them Pride and Dodd pulled the five to safety as the water level rose.
It is claimed that "Abby" Dodd was not awarded an Albert Medal because of an interview he gave to a journalist criticising the colliery owners, at a time when there had been considerable conflict in the Welsh coal mines between miners and owners.
The Albert Medals awarded at Tynewydd were the first awarded for gallantry on land. The medal had been introduced a decade earlier to honour heroic lifesaving efforts in rescues at sea. The Albert Medal First Class awarded to William Beith can be seen as part of the permanent exhibition in the Coins and Medals Gallery at the National Museum of Wales in Cathays Park
Cathays Park
In addition to the large lawn in front of the City Hall, Cathays Park includes three formal gardens. All of the spaces are within conservation areas and many of the surrounding buildings are listed. The open spaces are very important to the image of the city. Several important buildings overlook...
, 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...
. William Beith was a mechanical engineer at Harris's Navigation Colliery
Deep Navigation Colliery
Deep Navigation Colliery was a coal mine in South Wales, that operated from 1872 until 1991.Located next to the co-developed village of Treharris in the borough of Merthyr Tydfil, on development it was the deepest coalmine in South Wales Coalfield by some...
, Quaker's Yard, Merthyr Tydfil.
External links
- Ordnance Survey map for Treherbert area, CF42 5LW, accessed 16 December 2010
- Article about the disaster with a photo of Tynewydd, 1877 at Welsh Coal Mines website accessed 16 December 2010
- Photo of Craig-Y-Ddellw Mountain, Tynewydd, c. 1955, at Francis Frith Photos website, accessed 16 December 2010
- http://www.genuki.org.uk/big/wal/GLA/Ystradyfodwg/slaters.1880.html"TREHERBERT and YSTRAD-RHONDDA with the parish and hamlets of Ystradyfodwg, Blaen-y-cwm, Blaen-y-Rhondda, Cwmdare, Cwmpark, Llwynpia, Pen-y-Graig, Penyrenglyn, Pentre, Ton-Pentre, Tonypandy, Treorky, Tynewydd and Tynybedw", from Slaters Commercial Directory, 1880, transcribed by Phil Mustoe, at GEN UKI UK and Ireland Genealogy website], accessed 16 December 2010
- The Tynewydd Colliery Disaster by Judy Sopronyi, British Heritage magazine website, 12 June 2006, accessed 16 December 2010