The Rhondda Valleys were, between 1860 and 1939, one of the world's most important coal mining regions. The list below attempts to show a complete list of levels and collieries opened within the Rhondda. A level is seen as a horizontal cut into a hill or mountain to access a seam of coal, while a colliery consists of shafts mined into the earth to reach seams of coal underground.
List entries Colliery states the name the colliery or level was known as when it first opened; many sites were enlarged, and some levels were developed into collieries. If a site was expanded from a level to a colliery, or significant additional shafts were added, the column Formerly draws attention to the original site name.
The Date opened records the first attempt to open a level or pit at the site, though often the level or colliery was abandoned without production due to problems; which including flooding, financing or failure to reach a seam. The Original owner category lists the person or organisation that first attempted to open the mine, though again they may not have been the first person or group to successfully extract coal from the site. The Closed date is the year where the colliery or level stopped extracting coal, though many mines were kept open as ventilation or pumping shafts after they became economically nonviable.
Men employed returns the numbers of workers at each mine at the colliery's peak. This does not reflect the tonnage of coal extracted, just the numbers of men working. Many dates reoccur as these are the years when the Inspector of Mines took official head counts.
Number Colliery Formerly Date opened Original owner Location Closed Men employed Coal seam mined1Dinas Levels1809Walter CoffinDinasUnknownUnknownRhondda No. 22Dinas Lower Colliery1812Walter CoffinDinas1893UnknownRhondda No. 33Dinas Middle Colliery1832Walter CoffinDinas1893UnknownRhondda No. 34Brithweunydd Level1839Walter CoffinTrealawUnknownUnknownUnknown5South Cymmer Level1841Richard LewisCymmerUnknownUnknownUnknown6Nythbran Level1844Lewis Edwards/George GethinPorthUnknownUnknownUnknown7Cymmer Level1844George InsoleCymmerUnknownUnknownUnknown8Gellifaelog Colliery1845Walter CoffinTonypandyUnknownUnknownUnknown Newbridge Colliery 1845 John Calvert Gelliwion, Pontypridd 1897 486 (1896) Rhondda No. 3 9Porth Colliery1845David W. JamesPorthUnknownUnknownUnknown10Troedyrhiw (Aber Rhondda) Colliery1845Leonard HadleyYnyshir1901130 (1896)Rhondda No. 311Ynyshir House1845Shepherd & EvansYnyshir190955 (1908)Rhondda No. 212Perch Levels1847William PerchBlaenclydachUnknownUnknownRhondda No. 213Cymmer (Old) Colliery1847George Insole & SonCymmer1940780 (1918)Rhondda No. 314Coedcae Colliery1850Edward MillsTrehafod1935585 (1923)Rhondda No. 315Hafod (Lewis Merthyr)1850D. & J. ThomasTrehafod19833288 (1918)Two foot, Five feet, Six feet, Nine feet, Red, Gellideg16Llwyncelyn Colliery1851David W. JamesPorth1895UnknownUnknown17Rhondda Merthyr (Bute) Colliery1851Marquess of ButeTreherbert1926801 (1918)Seven feet18Upper Cymmer Colliery1851J.H. InsoleCymmer≤1918182 (1896)Unknown19Glynfach Colliery1851Issac WilliamsPorthUnknownUnknownUnknown20Tynewydd Colliery1852Cope, Lewis & ThomasPorth1901118 (1896)Rhondda No. 321Lady Margaret Colliery1853Marquess of ButeTreherbert1940s1053 (1938)Six feet, Seven feet, Gorllwyn22New Cymmer Colliery1855J.H. InsolePorth1940 1636 (1923)Five feet, Nine feet, Gellideg23Ellis Level1855Richard EllisPorthUnknownUnknownUnknown24Tylecoch Colliery1855J.Carr, Morrsion & Co.Treorchy1930UnknownUnknown25Dunraven Levels1856Philip TaylorBlaencwm≤1930478 (1918)Rhondda No. 226Gelligaled Colliery1856V. L. LewisYstradUnknownUnknownUnknown27Tyntyla Level1856Robert ParsonsYstradUnknownUnknownUnknown28Bodringallt Level1856D. Jones & D. JamesYstradUnknownUnknownUnknown29Blaenllechau Colliery1857D. DaviesBlaenllechau1959UnknownUnknown30Pentre Level1857Edward CurtisPentreUnknownUnknownUnknown31Church Level1857Edward CurtisPentreUnknownUnknownUnknown32Penygraig Drift1857Thomas EllisPenygraigUnknownUnknownUnknown33Dunraven Level1858Thomas JosephBlaencwmUnknownUnknownUnknown34Graig Level1858Thomas JonesBlaencwmUnknownUnknownUnknown35Penygraig Level1858M. RowlandsPenygraig1919220 (1896)Rhondda No. 336Cynllwyn Du Colliery1858Thomas WayneTylorstown1936Gellideg seam37Ynysfeio Colliery1859Troedyrhiw Colliery Coal Co.Treherbert1930s1382 (1923)Gorllwyn, Four Foot, Five Foot, Seven Foot 38Llwynypia Level1859Isaac SmithLlwynypiaUnknownUnknownUnknown39Abergorchy Level1859Huxham, Hopkin & MorganTreorchy19352278 (1908)Rhondda No. 340Glyncoli Level1860C JamesTreorchyUnknownUnknownUnknown41Bwllfa Level1862Richardson & CarrTon PentreUnknownUnknownUnknown42Brithweunydd Level1862Daniel ThomasTrealawUnknownUnknownUnknown43Glamorgan (Llwynypia) Colliery (No. 1 & 2)1863Glamorgan Coal Co.Llwynypia1945UnknownRhondda No. 2 and No. 344Blaenclydach Colliery1863Bush & Co.Blaenclydach1947606 (1923)Pentre seam45Pentre CollieryPentre Level1864Curteis, Greenhill & WarePentre19291190 (1908)Five feet, Yard seam, Bute seam46Bodringallt Colliery1864Warner, Simpson & Co.Ystrad1936930 (1896)Six feet, Nine feet, Two feet, Red seam47Cwmclydach Colliery1864D. & E. ThomasCwmclydachc. 1895UnknownUnknown48Tydraw CollieryDunraven Level1865Thomas JosephBlaencwm19591049 (1923)Four feet, Five feet, Six feet, Gorllwyn, Yard seam49Tynewydd Colliery1865Ebenezer LewisTynewydd1911UnknownNumber 2, Four and Six feet50Parc Colliery1865D. Davies & PartnersCwmparc19662000+ (1945)Two feet Nine, Six feet, Garw, New seam51Maendy (Maindy) Colliery1865D. Davies & PartnersTon Pentre19481155 (1896)Two feet Nine, Seven feet, Bute, New seam52Adare Colliery1866Daniel ThomasPenygraigUnknownUnknownUnknown53Ynyswen Level1869Morgan JonesTreorchyUnknownUnknownUnknown54Dinas Colliery1869Daniel ThomasDinasUnknownUnknownUnknown55Blaenrhondda (Dunraven) Colliery1869Cardiff & Merthyr Steam Co.Blaenrhondda1920s386 (1908)Rhondda No. 256Gelli Colliery1870E. Thomas & G. GriffithsGelli1962905 (1908)Seven feet, Five feet, Yard seam, Pentre seam57Dare Colliery1870D. Davies and Co.Cwmparc19661121 (1923)Six feet, Three feet Ten, Red seam, Brunt, Little58Trealaw (Llwynypia No. 3) Colliery1872Trealaw≤1918UnknownRhondda No. 359Glynmoch Colliery1872TreorchyUnknownUnknownUnknown60Fernhill Colliery1872Ebenezer LewisBlaenrhondda19781712 (1938)Gorllwyn, Four feet, Two Feet Nine61Clydach Vale (Cambrian) Colliery (No. 1)1872S. Thomas & J. RichesClydach Vale19651933 (1923)Pentre seam, Five feet, Coronation62Llwynypia Colliery (No. 4 & 5)1872Glamorgan Coal Co.LlwynypiaUnknownUnknownUnknown63Pendyrys Colliery1874Tylor Colliery Co.Tylorstown193664Clydach Vale (Cambrian) Colliery (No. 2)1874Samuel Thomas & J. RichesClydach Vale19651253 (1923)Nine feet65Mardy Colliery1875M. Jones & W. CobbMaerdy19852024 (1918)Four, Five, Six and Nine feet, Red, Abagorki, Gorllwyn, New and Bute seams66Standard Colliery1875Ynyshir Steam Coal Co.Ynyshir19681454 (1908)Four foot67Tynybedw Colliery1876E. Thomas & G. GriffithsPentre1933787 (1908)Nine feet, Seven feet68Eastern Colliery1877D. Davies & Co.Pentre1948923 (1923)Bute seam, Lower seam69Cymmer CollieryCymmer (Old) Colliery1877G. Insole & SonPorth19402331 (1914)Five feet, Nine feet, Hafod seam, Gellideg seam70Pandy Colliery (Naval No. 1)1879Naval Colliery Co.Tonypandy1958699 (1896)Pentre71National Colliery (Cwch)1880M. Cope & H. TennetWattstown19681500 (1905)Nine feet, Five feet, Gellideg72Ely Colliery (Naval No. 2)1880New Naval Colliery Co.Penygraigc. 1928699 (1896)Nine feet, Bute, Pentre73Dinas Colliery1881Dinas Steam Coal Co.DinasUnknownUnknownUnknown74Merthyr NavigationHafod1881William Thomas LewisTrehafod19833844Five feet, Six feet, Nine feet, Gellideg, Red seam, Two foot Nine75Clydach Vale (Cambrian) Colliery (No. 3)1891Cambrian Colliery Co,Clydach Vale1936UnknownPentre seam, Five feet, Coronation 76Nantgwyn Colliery (Naval No. 3)1892Naval Colliery Co,Penygraig≤19451333 (1923)Four feet, Six feet, Nine Feet, Bute seam77Hendrewen (Glenrhondda) Colliery1899Glenavon Garw Colliery Co.Blaencwm1966434 (1923)Rhondda No. 2, Gorllwyn78Lady Lewis Colliery1904Lewis MErthyr Consolidated Collieries Co,Ynyshir1930s1265 (1923)Two feet Nine, Four feet, Six feet, Nine feet, Red79Anthony Colliery (Naval No. 4)1910Naval Colliery Co,Tonypandy1958UnknownPentre seam
References
Bibliography
External links Welsh Coal Mines