| 1203 |
First
mention of the Rhondda with Penrhys named
in a document concerning the grant of land
to Llantarnam Abbey |
|
1348
|
The earliest known use
of coal in Wales
|
| 1530 |
The
Glamorgan poet Lewis Morgannwg wrote that
it was believed that the virgin of Penrhys
borough the dead back to life; restored
sight to the blind; made cripples run and
gave back hearing to the deaf |
| 1538 |
Blessed
Virgin Mary, Our Lady of Penrhys, taken
away and destroyed at the time of the Protestant
Reformation |
| 1547 |
Edward VI granted Glynrhondda together
with Miskin and Llantrisant to Sir William
Herbert
|
| 1610 |
A
map of Glamorgan by John Speed showed Ystradyfodwg
parish church but nothing else in the Rhondda
except for the 2 rivers |
| 1620 |
Mention
of the existence of a small ironworks at
Pontygwaith |
|
1660
|
The First recorded
mine death in South Wales.
|
| 1735 |
Ystradyfodwg
parish church received its first endowment
of money from a Bounty Fund which had been
set up by Queen Anne |
| 1738 |
A
fulling mill, or pandy' was built in mid-Rhondda
near where the Nant Clydach stream joins
the Rhondda Fawr |
| 1743 |
First
Nonconformist place of worship in the Rhondda
built at Cymmer |
| 1752 |
John
Henry Evans paid £1 a year as chorus
master of Ystradyfodwg parish |
|
1755
|
The First use
of coal as a replacement for charcoal
in smelting iron.
|
| 1776 |
Large
parts of Glynrhondda pass to the Bute family
when the First Marquis marries into the Herbert
family |
| 1786 |
Nebo
Baptist Chapel, Rhondda's second chapel,
founded at Ystrad |
| 1790 |
First
attempt to exploit Rhondda coal commercially
with the opening of a level at Gyfeillion,
Trehafod, by Dr. Richard Griffiths of Llanwynno |
|
|
Work started on the Glamorgan
Canal.
|
| 1793 |
First
Marquis of Bute buys Abergorki & Ystradfechan
estates in Rhondda |
|
1794
|
Glamorgan Canal completed..
Distance covered twenty-four miles, forty-nine
locks and a rise in level of 543 feet
to Merthyr.
|
| 1801 |
First
census in Britain shows the population of
Ystradyfodwg as 542 |
| 1803 |
BENJAMIN
MALKIN visited the Rhondda who wrote
an article. He makes the First
mention of a school in the Rhondda - in
the porch of Ystradyfodwg church |
| 1809 |
Walter
Coffin from Bridgend started a level at
Dinas. |
|
1810
|
The demand for Welsh coal
to feed the iron furnaces increases dramatically.
There are over 25 furnaces in operation
in Glamorgan alone.
|
| 1811 |
The
census shows that the population was 973,
a rise of 431 |
| 1812 |
First
shaft mine in Rhondda sunk by Walter
Coffin at Dinas where the 34 inch Rhondda
No. 3 seam of coking coal was reached at
a depth of 40 yards [36.5 metres] |
|
1815
|
Invention of the Davey
Lamp promises a new era in mines safety.
|
| 1816 |
A
day school established at Cwm Saebren, later
Treherbert, which pupils from neighbouring
valleys also attended |
| 1817 |
First
Rhondda mining fatality - Morgan Hopkin
- died in an explosion at the Abergorki
Level, Treorchy |
| 1821 |
The
census shows that the population was 988,
a rise of 15 |
| 1823 |
Ystradyfodwg
parish records show 8 houses built for the
poor at Penyrenglyn with money borrowed
from the Gellidawel benefit club |
| 1829 |
A
colliery school provided by Walter Coffin
functioning in Dinas |
|
1830
|
Steamship companies choose
Welsh Steam Coal for its efficiency.
|
| |
An Act of Parliament enables
the Marquis of Bute to begin construction
of Cardiff Docks.
|
|
1831
|
Miners of South Wales organise
the first trade unions. They called the
First strike but it was short-lived
as the chapels opposed it
|
| |
The
census shows that the population was 1,047,
a rise of 59 |
| |
Top
of the Page |
|
1832
|
Walter Coffin opens a 2nd.
Shaft mine at Dinas, the Middle Colliery
and the Rhondda No. 3 seam was reached
at a depth of 84 yards [76.8 metres]
|
| |
Anti
Truck Act passed by Parliament. |
| |
A
new Baptist chapel, Soar, opened in Penygraig |
| 1833 |
Over
50,000 tons of coal from Dinas transported
by canal and tramroad to Cardiff |
| 1834 |
The
Calvanistic Methodist chapel at Cymmer built |
|
1836
|
Construction began on Taff
Railway line to Cardiff.
|
|
1838
|
Dinas Colliery several
miners receive severe burns in an explosion.
|
|
1839
|
West Bute Dock at Cardiff
opens bringing with it a new era of development
to the South Wales coalfield.
|
| |
Dr.
William Price, the pioneer of cremation
in the U.K., addressed a Chartist meeting
at Dinas |
| |
Walter
Coffin opens another level at Brithweunydd,
Trealaw which produced coal for 40 years |
| 1840 |
Libanus
Baptist chapel opened at Cwm Saerbren |
|
1841
|
Taff Vale Railway opens
between Merthyr and Cardiff. This eases
congestion on the Glamorgan Canal and
Cardiff becomes the great coal exporting
centre of South Wales.
|
| |
The
census shows that the population was 1,363,
a rise of 316 |
| |
Walter
Coffin now employing 414 men & boys
and was producing 1,000 tons of coal a week. |
|
1842
|
The Mines and Collieries
Act forbids the employment of girls and
boys under 10 from working underground.
|
| |
First
record of a steam engine used in the Rhondda.
|
|
1844
|
On New Years Day at Dinas,
an accident on New Year's Day kills twelve.
Amongst the dead a four young boys. Explosion
caused by a "little boy" who
had been told to test for gas using a
candle.
|
| |
Factory Act secures fixed
working day for young persons, six hours
for children and a twelve hour day for
teenagers and women.
|
| 1845 |
First
mine at Tonypandy, Gellifaelog Colliery
opened by Coffin |
| |
Mining
activity starts in the Rhondda Fach |
| 1846 |
A
parish plan shows 63 farms in Ystradyfodwg
varying in size from 40 acres to over 1,000
acres |
|
1847
|
Swansea Docks open.
|
| 1848 |
Mining
starts at Clydach Vale |
| 1849 |
The
Rhondda becomes connected railway network
via the Taff Vale Railway which reached
Ynyshir in March and Dinas in May |
| |
1st
bituminous, or coking, coal from Rhondda
Fach, produced at Aber-Rhondda Colliery
reaches Cardiff. |
| |
Rhondda
Valleys affected by the South Wales Cholera
Revival |
|
1851
|
South Wales steam coal
most suitable for navy ships according
to Admiralty report. Demand for the superior
fuel creates a rapid expansion of the
coal industry.
|
| |
The
census shows that the population was 1,988,
a rise of 941 |
| |
Llwyncelyn
& Glyn-fach collieries opened at Porth
as well as the Ely Level at Penygraig and
the Upper Cymmer Colliery |
| 1852 |
Walter
Coffin becomes Liberal Member of Parliament
for Cardiff, Llantrisant and Cowbridge. |
| |
Ty
Newydd Colliery, Porth opened |
| 1853 |
The
Rhondda Four Feet Seam proved at Bute Merthyr
Colliery, Treherbert at a depth of 125 yards[114.3
metres] |
| |
Walter
Coffin sells his colliery interests in the
Rhondda to W.O. Hunt |
| |
Top
of the Page |
| 1854 |
1st
branch of Odfellows Friendly Society formed
in Dinas to provide sickness & death
benefits |
| |
1st
Anglican church, St. David's, opened in
Trehafod |
| |
Ynysfeio
Level, Ynyswen opened |
|
1855
|
The East Bute Dock and
Basin opened at Cardiff
|
| |
Cymmer
New Colliery opened by James Insole |
| |
First consignment
of Rhondda coal sent from Treherbert to
Cardiff. This was the beginning of the
Rhondda Valleys as a major producer of
quality coal.
|
| |
Tyntyla
Level, Llwynypia opened |
|
1856
|
Cymmer Colliery, Porth.
Explosion kills 114 of 160 workforce employed
below ground.
|
| |
Rhondda
coal output was 205,000 tons |
| |
Penarth Docks built to
cope with increased demand in exported
coal from the South Wales coalfields.
|
| 1857 |
Four
month strike lead to 3 days of rioting at
Treherbert with attacks on English &
Irish 'blacklegs' |
| |
David
Davies leased the mineral rights on 500
acres of land in the Rhondda Fach |
| 1858 |
British
[Nonconformist] school; opened at Dinas. |
| |
Two
Levels opened at Blaencwm, 1 level at Pentre
as well as Cynllwyn Ddu [later called Ferndale
No.8] and Tylacoch, Treorchy |
|
1859
|
Bute East Dock at Cardiff
built to meet ever increasing world wide
demand for Welsh coal.
|
| |
Ynysfeio
Colliery, Ynyswen sunk |
| |
Parish
records show 26 public houses in Ystradyfodwg |
|
1860
|
Average annual coal output
for Glamorgan 85 million tons.
|
| |
Horse
drawn bus service introduced between Pontypridd
and Porth |
| |
Ely
Valley Railway opened mineral line between
Penygraig and the South Wales Railway at
Llantrisant |
| 1861 |
The
census shows that the population was 3,857,
a rise of 2884 |
| |
Taff
Vale Railway introduces a passenger service
as far as Ystrad |
| 1862 |
Ferndale
No. 1 Colliery sunk |
| |
National
school opened at Treherbert |
| 1863 |
Archibald
Hood sinks the first 2 pits at Glamorgan
Colliery, Llwynypia and he brings Scottish
miners from Ayrshire with him |
| |
Workhouse
built at Pontypridd for the 3 parishes of
Ystradyfodwg, Llantrisant and Llanwynno
for the poor and destitute |
| |
Taff
Vale Railway passenger service extended
to Treherbert |
| |
Brickworks
opened at Glamorgan Colliery, Llwynypia |
| 1864 |
Bodringallt
Colliery, later called Ferndale No.3 opened.
It later became an important brick works |
| |
David
Davies, Llandinam, acquired the lease
on 8,000 acres at Pentre and Cwmparc |
| |
Rhondda
now raising approx. 500,000 tons of coal
a year was mainly bituminous |
| |
A
two-horse bus service was established between
Treorchy and Treherbert ran by my maternal
great grandfather Frederick Haddrell |
| |
First
major mining combine in the valleys, Powell
Dyffryn formed. |
| 1865 |
Glamorgan
Colliery, Llwynypia started to raise coal |
| |
First
Temperance Society in the Rhondda founded
at Ton Pentre |
|
|
Glamorgan coal output reaches
103 million tons per annum.
|
| |
New docks are opened at
Penarth to meet extra demand of exports
of Welsh coal.
|
| |
Collieries
sunk at Pentre, Abergorki and Blaenrhondda |
| |
14
rows of 200 terraced houses, the 'Scotch
Terraces' built in Llwynypia by Archibald
Hood for his workforce |
| 1866 |
First
chapel in the Rhondda Fach, Nazareth Welsh
Baptist, opened at Blaenllechau and a Primitive
Methodist chapel opened in Treherbert |
|
|
Work begins on Roath Basin
at Cardiff Docks.
|
| |
David
Davies opened the Maindy Colliery where
the rich two feet nine seam was found at
230 yards and the six feet seam at 253 yards.
Davies also leased a further 6,000 acres
in the Upper Rhondda |
| |
First
coal produced at Parc Colliery, Cwmparc |
|
1867
|
Ferndale Colliery, Ferndale.
An explosion kills 178 men and boys and
shocks the nation. As there were no cemeteries
in the Rhondda Fach and only 4 small burial
grounds in the Rhondda Fawr, the majority
of the victims were buried at Llanwynno.
|
| |
An
eisteddford held at Treorchy |
| |
A
colliery school at Blaencwm and Dunraven
had 154 children attending |
| |
Walter
Coffin dies at the age of 82 years |
| 1868 |
Rhondda
First Brass band formed at Penyrenglyn |
| |
Gellifaelog
Colliery, Tonypandy's First Mine
ceases production |
| |
Gas
lighting becomes available for Rhondda homes |
| |
St.
Mary's church, Treherbert built with a grant
from the 3rd. Marquis of Bute |
| |
Rhondda's
First Cooperative store opened
at Treorchy |
|
1869
|
Ferndale Colliery, Ferndale.
An explosion kills 60 workmen.
|
| |
Blaenrhondda
Colliery opened |
| |
Cory
brothers of Cardiff start investing in the
Rhondda with the purchase of Pentre
Colliery |
| |
Rhondda's
First Cymanfa Ganu [singing festival]
held at Cymmer Chapel, Porth. Its success
held encourage the use of the Tonic Solfa
system of musical notation |
| |
New
shaft sunk at Dinas
Middle Colliery |
| |
Eisteddfodau
held at Treherbert |
| |
The
Western Mail newspaper, printed in Cardiff
by the Marquis of Bute on sale from May
in the Rhondda |
| |
British
[Nonconformist] schools opened at Ton Pentre,
Ystrad, Penygraig and Ferndale |
|
1870
|
South Wales coal production
exceeds 13,590,000 tons, 50% of which
is for export and 1.5 million tons from
the Rhondda Valleys
|
| |
The
Rhondda has some 30 pits and levels working
including the Dare
Colliery, Cwmparc and Gelli
Colliery, Fernhill No.1 and No.2 Collieries |
| |
A
report prepared for the Privy Council in
London was extremely critical of Rhondda's
public health arrangements |
| |
Griffith
Rhys Jones [Caradog], the renowned conductor
moved from Aberdare to Treorchy |
| |
Mining by the longwall
method replaces the more traditional pillar
and stall technique.
|
| |
Eisteddfodau
held at Ferndale and Treherbert |
| |
Top
of the Page |
|
1871
|
Pentre
Colliery. An explosion kills 38 men.
|
| |
Rhondda
population reaches 23,950, six times as
many as there were 10 years earlier |
| |
A
successful 3 month strike involving approx.
3,500 men and boys which brought 8 collieries
to a standstill ends with an increase in
wages |
| |
At Gelli
Colliery an accident claims the lives
of 4 men.
|
| |
Over 34,000 coal miners
employed in Glamorgan.
|
| |
St.
Matthew's church, Treorchy opened |
| |
Colliery
wooden head frames are slowly being replaced
with steel |
| |
Amalgamated Association
of Miners forms a strong union amongst
the miners of South Wales.
|
| |
Treorchy
municipal cemetery opened on land purchased
from the Marquis of Bute and was the First
burial ground in the Rhondda not attached
to a church or chapel |
| 1872 |
Eisteddfod
held at Blaenllechau and Tonypandy |
| |
Clydach
No.1 Colliery opened. |
|
|
New legislation introduced
to regulate the operation of coal mines,
which now number 340 in South Wales.
|
| |
The
South Wales Daily News of Cardiff starts
circulating from February. |
| |
Isaac
Jones opens his printing and publishing
business in Treherbert. He was the First
to print Tonic Solfa in the Rhondda |
| |
Some
30 Rhondda singer form part of the South
Wales Choral Union [Y Cor Mawr] conducted
by Caradog which won the Crystal Palace
Festival in London |
|
1873
|
Monmouthshire and South
Wales Coal Owners Association formed.
Some 88 companies which produced approx.
75% of South Wales coal. It was headed
by William Thomas Lewis, later Lord Merthyr
|
| |
Bethany
Chapel, Treherbert opened |
| |
Ferndale
No.4 and Pendyrus collieries opened |
| 1874 |
Riot
Act read in Treorchy after serious disorder
during a General Election campaign. As a
result 13 men were jailed. |
| |
Cambrian
No.2 Colliery opened |
| |
Rhondda
Engine Works opened at Pentre supplying
colliery equipment throughout South Wales. |
|
|
Roath Basin, Cardiff opened
to try and meet the need for exported
Welsh coal.
|
| |
A
lock-out that began at the end of the year
ended in capitulation by the miners who
were forced to take a 12.5% reduction in
wages and bankrupted their Union. |
| |
In
Treherbert, the Rhondda First
rugby team was formed |
|
1875
|
The sliding wage scale
introduced to determine the level of wages
among mineworkers of South Wales. It was
adjusted every 6 months before ending
in 1902. Chairman of the committee was
William Thomas Lewis, later Lord Merthyr.
|
| |
A
number of Rhondda residents emigrate to
Chubut, Patagonia which had been founded
10 years earlier. |
| |
Tynybedw
Colliery, Ystrad opened and the following
year was bought by Cory Bros |
| 1876 |
Tnybedw
Colliery [The Swamp] opened in Pentre |
| |
Taff
Vale Railway's passenger service in the
Rhondda Fach was extended to Ferndale. |
| |
Mardy
No.1 & No.2 [later called Locket's Colliery]
Collieries opened |
| |
The
First performance of The Messiah
in Rhondda |
| |
Standard
Colliery, Ynyshir and No.6
the Glamorgan [Scotch] Colliery, Llwynypia
opened |
|
1877
|
Tynewydd Colliery, Porth.
Flooding in the mine kills 5 miners and
a further death occurs of a member of
the rescue party. Albert Medal first awarded
for gallantry underground to all 22 rescuers
and was the First time it had
been awarded for rescue on land
|
| |
William
Abraham [Mabon] arrived in the Rhondda from
Cwmavon |
| |
Eastern
Colliery, Gelli opened by David
Davies, Llandinam |
| |
Rhondda
Glee Society founded |
| |
Blaenrhondda
and Penygraig rugby clubs formed |
| |
Cambrian
Miners' Association formed in Llwynypia
and had 14,000 members by 1885. |
| |
St.
Andrew's church, Tonypandy opened. It was
named after the Scottish patron saint because
of the nearby Glamorgan
Colliery opened by the Scotsman Archibald
Hood |
| |
Maerdy
cemetery opened |
| |
Ystradyfodwg
Urban Sanitary Authority set up to deal
with the health problems of the ever expanding
population |
| 1878 |
Ystradyfodwg
School Board formed which had responsibility
for all of Rhondda's schools in the year
that school attendance became compulsory |
| |
Mineral
line extension of the Ely Valley Railway
opened to the Cambrian Collieries, Clydach
Vale |
| |
Salem
Baptist chapel, Porth opened |
| |
Gas
street lighting introduced |
| 1879 |
63
miners killed in an explosion at Dinas |
| |
Pandy
Pit of Naval
Colliery, Tonypandy began production,
reaching steam cola at 430 yards |
| |
Branches
of the Workmen's' Emigration |
| |
The
2 Clydach Vale collieries producing over
1,000 tons of coal daily |
| |
Workman's'
Emigration Society formed in the Rhondda
and was supported by Mabon. A number of
Rhondda miners and their families left for
Texas. |
| |
Ystradyfodwg
parish boundaries extended to include parts
of Llantrisant and Llanwynno |
|
1880
|
Naval
Colliery, Tonypandy. An explosion
kills 96 miners.
|
| |
Rhondda
collieries produce 4,000,000 tons of coal |
| |
Despite
a critical report of 1870 only 44% of the
9,000 houses in the Rhondda had a piped
water supply |
| |
Electricity
First used in mining in the Rhondda
- for surface lighting at Dare
Colliery, Cwmparc and for haulage at
the Cambrian
Collieries, Clydach Vale |
| |
A
report of this year states that the River
Rhondda was an open sewer and a serious
hazard to public health |
| |
First Lewis Merthyr Colliery
shaft sunk
|
|
1881
|
New docks at Swansea opened.
|
| |
Cymmer
Colliery Band formed in Porth. It later
changed its name to the Lewis Methyr Band. |
| |
The
census shows the Rhondda population as 55,632
|
| |
Jerusalem
Welsh Calvanistic Methodist chapel opened.
It became known as the Methodist Cathedral
of the Rhondda |
| |
As
a result of the Sunday Closing Act Rhondda
pubs close on a Sunday. However, there was
a massive growth in the number of workingmen's'
Clubs and Institutes to counteract this.
Many of these became centres of self-learning
with shelves full of economic and radical
publications. |
| |
Bertie
Pit at Lewis Merthyr opened as was the National
No.1 at Wattstown |
| |
Top
of the Page |
|
1882
|
Coedcae Colliery. 6 miners
dead.
|
| |
Rhondda
coal production reaches 5,300,000 tons. |
| |
Civiv
Offices opened in Pentre. |
| |
In
October the South Wales Echo of Cardiff
began circulating in the Rhondda |
|
1883
|
Coedcae Colliery. An accident
claims the lives of 5 miners underground.
|
| |
In
Cymmer 4 people die of typhoid |
| |
Holy
Trinity church, Tylorstown dedicated |
| |
Gelli
Colliery. 4 miners dead.
|
| |
Rhondda
Glee Society take First prize
at the National Eisteddfod held in Cardiff |
| 1884 |
Rhondda
coal output 5,500.000 tons was double that
produced by the Cynon Valley |
| |
A
short private railway line with a 1 in 3
gradient opened to connect the Cambrian
collieries with the Taff Vale Railway
at Tonypandy |
| |
The
Cory Band, originally called the Ton Temperance
Band was formed |
| |
First
Higher Grade School, and one of the First
in Wales, opened at Ystrad |
| |
Penrhys
cemetery opened |
| |
71
dissenting places of worship in the Rhondda
compared with 3 in 1850. |
|
|
Penygraig Colliery. An
accident claims the lives of 11 men.
|
| |
20%
of all South Wales coal coming from the
Rhondda |
| 1885 |
Rhondda,
with an adult male electorate of 8,216 became
represented at the Palace of Westminster
by William Abraham [Mabon]. He was the First
working class M.P. to be elected in Wales
and was supported by the Rhondda Labour
and Liberal Association as Members of Parliament
were not paid. |
| |
William
Evans from Fishguard started in Porth what
was to become Thomas & Evans. At its
height the chain had 43 stores in the valleys.
He also started a mineral water [pop] factory
- Corona - in Porth. |
| |
The
Treorchy Male Voice Choir was formed. |
|
|
Maerdy Colliery, Maerdy.
A Christmas Eve explosion kills 81 miners.
|
| |
The
Admiralty decide to use South Wales smokeless
steam coal exclusively in Royal Naval vessels. |
| |
Naval Colliery, Tonypandy.
14 die underground.
|
| |
Tylecoch Colliery , Treorchy
closes
|
|
1886
|
An amendment made to the
Coal Mining Act of 1872.
|
| |
Mabon
return as M.P., unopposed, at this year's
General Election. |
| |
Treorchy
Rugby club could afford to spend £200
on ground improvements. |
| |
Passenger
rail service started between Porth and Barry |
| |
Ystrad
Library opened. It was destroyed by German
bombs during World War II. |
|
1887
|
The Coal Mines Regulation
Act.
|
| |
At
the National Colliery, Wattstown, and explosion
underground claims 39 lives. |
| |
Still
some 4,000 houses, the homes of 25,000 people
- about 3 in 10 of the Valleys houses -
not connected to the mains sewer. |
| |
Rhondda
linked to Newport's Alexandra Docks with
the competition of the Pontypridd and Caerphilly
Railway |
| |
David
Davies's Ocean Coal Company formed |
| |
Ferndale
rugby ground temporarily closed by the Welsh
Rugby Union as the result of violence in
a game with Mountain Ash. |
| |
Population
now at 103,445 with the distinction of having
Britain's highest infant mortality rate
- 204 deaths per 1,000 live births. |
| |
Rhondda's
First hospital, the Ystradyfodwg
Cottage Hospital, opened at Tyntyla, Ystrad. |
| 1888 |
First
horse drawn trams came into service between
Porth and Pontypridd |
| |
A
Temperance League was formed to counteract
drunkenness in the Rhondda |
| |
The
coke oven at Glamorgan
Colliery, Llwynypia producing 1,400
tons of highest quality coke per week. |
| |
The
house coal miners broke away from the Cambrian
Miners' Association to form their own Association. |
| |
Mabon's
Day, a miner's holiday on the First
Monday of every month introduced. |
|
1889
|
Barry Docks built to ease
the pressure on the docks at Cardiff.
|
| |
Whilst
digging the tunnel through from Treherbert
to Port Talbot and Swansea 7 workmen were
killed. |
| |
Cambrian
No.3 and Ferndale No. 5 [The Blaenllechau]
collieries opened |
| |
First
elections for the newly formed Glamorgan
County Council took place in January with
the Rhondda represented by 10 councillors. |
| |
The
Welsh Intermediate Education Act allows
ratepayers' money to be used for secondary
education. |
| |
Treorchy
Male Voice Choir won First prize
at the Brecon National Eisteddfod |
| |
On
18th. July the First
Rhondda coal was shipped to the new dock
at Barry |
| |
Taff
Vale Railway passenger service was extended
to Maerdy. |
| 1890 |
The Rhondda Tunnel completed and at just
under 2 miles the 7th. longest tunnel in
Britain and the 2nd. longest in Wales. |
| |
Treorchy
Rugby Club formed |
| |
The
building of St. Peter's Church, Pentre,
the Rhondda's largest, completed |
| |
The
Trevor shaft of the Lewis
Merthyr Colliery, Trehafod, sunk |
| |
Glenrhondda
Silver Band formed in Treherbert |
| |
Penygraig
beat Llanelli Rugby Club at Penygraig to
win the South Wales Challenge Cup |
| 1891 |
First
burials took place at Llethrddu Cemetery,
Trealaw, Rhondda's fourth cemetery |
| |
The
Glamorgan Free Press, the First
newspaper aimed specifically at Rhondda
readership was launched |
| |
The
census shows the population at 88,351 of
whom some 60% were Welsh speaking. However,
it showed at the Rhondda was one of the
worse areas in Britain for overcrowding
with an average of 6.5 person living in
each of the 13,500 houses. It also showed
that there were 25,744 miners with approx.
50,000 men to 38,000 women |
| |
Rugby
clubs established at Llwynypia & Ferndale
and the Rhondda became represented on the
Welsh Rugby Union Match Committee |
|
1892
|
Great Western Colliery.
An explosion underground kills 58 men.
|
| |
The
Nantgwyn colliery of the Naval Colliery
Company opened |
| |
The
First Lodge of the new Miners'
Federation of Great Britain was formed at
Gelli
Colliery. |
| |
A
new main sewer through the Rhondda with
an outfall between Cardiff and Newport help
contribute to better health in the Valleys. |
| |
A
2nd. higher grade school opened in Ferndale |
| |
The
Ferndale No.8 Pit at Ferndale, later called
the Tylorstown, reached the six feet seam
at 456 yards. |
| |
The
Town Hall, later known as the Theatre Royal,
was opened in Tonypandy |
|
1893
|
Dinas Lower Colliery Closes
|
| |
The
Rhondda Glee Society competed at the World's
Fair Eisteddfod in Chicago |
| |
A
pupil teacher training centre opened in
Porth |
| |
Mardy
No. 3 pit sunk |
| |
The
Parc & Dare Silver Band was formed in
Treorchy |
| |
The
First Catholic pilgrimage to St.Mary's well,
Penrhys since the C16th. |
| |
A
16 week hauliers strike, caused by their
opposition to the sliding scale, ended in
mid-August which caused some 15,000 Rhondda
miners to be idle. Soldiers of the Devonshire
Regiment were based at Pentre |
| |
The
First evening class course in
the Rhondda launched at Ferndale |
| |
22
people on a Sunday School excursion through
the Rhondda Tunnel drown when their pleasure
boat was swamped off Aberavon Beach. |
|
|
Dinas Middle Colliery Closes
|
| 1894 |
As
result of local Government reorganization
Ystradyfodwg Urban District Council formed
and the council was firmly under Liberal
control |
| |
Parc
& Dare opened in Treorchy |
| |
Rebuilding
of Ystradyfodwg parish church completed
which doubled its size |
| |
Porth
Cottage Hospital opened |
|
1895
|
Llwyncelyn Colliery, Porth
closes
|
| |
At
Gelli
Colliery a library was opened for the
miners |
| |
David
Lloyd George, the future Prime Minister
gave a series of lectures in the Rhondda
whilst campaigning for Welsh Home Rule |
| |
In
September 6 men dies in a shaft accident
at the Tynybedw colliery, Pentre. |
| |
Treorchy
Male Voice Choir sang before Queen Victoria
at Windsor Castle, the First Rhondda choir
to be so honoured and subsequently allowed
to use the title 'Royal'. The choir also
won First prize at the National Eisteddfod
at Llanelli |
|
1896
|
Tylorstown Colliery. 57
men killed underground.
|
| |
Treorchy
Rugby Club able to spend £200 on ground
improvements |
| |
Rhondda
Intermediate School, later to become Porth
County School, opened with 200 boys and
girls attending |
| |
Three
Anglican churches dedicated - St. Thomas's,
Clydach Vale; St. George's, Trealaw; and
St. Stephen's, Ystrad. |
| |
Rugby
League scouts spotted at Llwynypia and frog-marched
to the railway station |
| |
At
Porth a passenger rail service began operating
the Barry |
| |
Ystrad
Library opened. It was destroyed by German
bombs during World War II. |
| |
Ystradyfodwg
Urban District Council renames itself the
Rhondda Urban District Council |
|
1898
|
Barry New Docks constructed.
|
| |
Port Talbot docks opened.
|
| |
Miners
locked out and the South Wales coalfield
at a standstill. After 6 months the miners
are defeated. South Wales Miners Federation
founded. The owners can celled Mabon's
Day, the monthly Monday holiday.
|
| |
Top
of the Page |
| 1899 |
Brickworks
Glamorgan Colliery, Llwynypia producing
approx. 10,000 bricks a day with a mainly
female workforce |
| |
In
December the valleys had their own paper
when the Rhondda Leader was launched. |
| |
A
higher grade school opened in Porth |
| |
There
are now 35 schools in the Rhondda |
| |
The
Fernvale Brewery opened in Potygwaith |
| |
Mabon
once again elected to Parliament though
his opponent, the first Conservative to
stand in the Rhondda received 20% of the
vote. |
| |
First
free library in the Rhondda opened at Tonypandy
by local businessmen. |
| |
Three
Italian Bracchi cafes opened in the Rhondda,
the first one at Tonypandy Square. |
|
1900
|
Coal
production in South Wales increased to
39,320,000 tons.
|
| |
In
November 4 miners killed in an engine house
explosion at the Cambrian
Colliery, Clydach Vale. |
| |
Rhondda
Valleys dominated by large public limited
companies - Cory Brothers, Naval, Ocean
and Powell Dyffryn. |
| |
In
Trehafod the Bertie, Hafod, Trevor and Coedcae
pits merged to become the Lewis Merthyr
Colliery producing almost 1,000,000 tons
of coal annually. |
|
1901
|
Tynewydd
Colliery, Porth closes
|
| |
The
census shows that the population was 113,
735 living in 19,200 house and all males
aged over 10 years some 69% were employed
in mining. The census also shows that an
increasing number from outside Wales were
moving to the Rhondda, though the majority
were still born in Wales. |
| 1902 |
The
Sliding Scale - or 'starvation scale' -
which was introduced in 1875 was abolished
and replaced by a Conciliation Board on
which both sides of the mining industry
were represented. |
| |
Tyntyla
Hospital extended to 52 beds. |
| |
Archibald
Hood, the owner of the Glamorgan
Colliery [Scotch] at Llwynypia dies. |
| |
The
horse-drawn tram service between Porth and
Pontypridd ends. |
| |
First
symphony concert given in the Rhondda with
the Pontypridd Orchestra performing in Pentre.
They were conducted by Percie Smith, Mabon's
son-in-law. |
| |
As
a result of this year's Education Act Rhondda
Urban District Council became responsible
for all elementary education in the area. |
| |
The
Lyceum Theate, Pentre opened. |
| |
South
Wales Miners' Federation is Britain's largest
trade union. |
|
April
13 1903
|
Mid-Rhondda
playing field, built by Mid-Rhondda Athletic
Company Limited opens. A crowd of 10,000
watch Bert Howard of London attempt to
break his own one mile cycle record.
|
| |
Steel
arches used underground for the first time
in a Rhondda mine at the Glamorgan Colliery,
Llwynypia |
| |
Tylorstown
Rugby club formed |
| 1904 |
The
last great religious revival to affect Wales
reaches the Rhondda which now had 151 Nonconformist
chapels, some which could seat over 1,000
people and with a total capacity of 85,000.
Noddfa Chapel, Treorchy could seat 1,450
and was the second largest chapel in Wales. |
| |
The
South Wales Challenge Cup won by the Ystrad
Stars. |
| |
Lady
Lewis Colliery opened in Ynyshir |
| |
The
building of Llwynypia Homes, later Llwynypia
Hospital finished having been started in
1900 |
|
1905
|
Cambrian
Colliery, Clydach Vale. An accident
leaves 31 men dead.
|
| |
In
March 33 men killed at Cambrian
Colliery, Clydach Vale |
| |
Tylorstown.
2 men killed in a shaft explosion.
|
| |
Maerdy
Workmen's' Institute opened |
| |
In
July National Colliery, Wattstown. Tragedy
claims the lives of 119 men and boys.
|
| |
Treorchy
Rugby Club committee suspended as a
result of inquiry by the Welsh Rugby Union
into bribery in match between Treorchy and
Aberdare. Also, a number of players were
banned for life. |
| |
In
January there was an increase of 3,000 recorded
Baptist membership stimulated by the religious
revival. However, less than 40% of the population
were members of a church or chapel. |
|
1906
|
The
Notice of Accidents Act.
|
| |
Ynyshir
Miners' Hall opened. |
| |
William
Walker Hood, son of Archibald Hood,opened
the Llwynypia Baths which was Rhondda first
indoor swimming pool but due to mining subsidence
it was classed in the 1920s. |
| |
Bethesda
Independent chapel opened in Ton Pentre. |
| |
Tom
Thomas of Penygraig won the British Middleweight
boxing title in May. |
| |
Tynewydd
Colliery, Porth closed and dismantled. |
| |
In
Llwynypia a statute of Archibald Hood was
unveiled by Mabon. |
| 1907
|
Ferndale
No.9 colliery opened |
| |
The
famous hymn 'Cwm Rhondda' was composed by
John Hughes and first heard in public at
Hopkinstown. |
|
|
David
Alfred Thomas, later Lord Rhondda, began
the consolidation of the Cambrian
Combine of Collieries - employing over
10,000 miners - by amalgamating with the
Glamorgan Colliery. Miners' looked at this
move with district and prepared themselves
for action. |
| |
Llwynypia
Prize Flute Band won the World Championship
in Belfast. |
| |
Ferndale
Workmen's' Hall completed at a cost of £12,000.
It had seating for 1,000 and was one of
the mot expensive ever built in South Wales. |
| |
Top
of the Page |
|
1908
|
The
new Coal Mine Regulations introduced to
increase safety in pits.
|
| |
The
first ever Australian rugby league side
to tour Britain played Mid-Rhondda at Tonypandy
beating them 20-6. |
| |
An
electric tram service - the first in the
?South Wales valleys - was introduced by
the Rhondda Tramway Company - with 50 tramcars
and 300 employees providing a service between
Trehafod and Treorchy and Trehafod and Ferndale. |
| |
A
20-bed isolation hospital was built at Penrhys
for smallpox victims. |
| |
First
ever Rugby League international held at
Mid Rhondda ground when Wales beat England
35-18 and was watched by a crowd of 13,000
|
| |
The
Cambrian
Combine absorbed the Naval Collieries |
|
1909
|
New
docks at Swansea opened to cope with the
demand for Welsh coal.
|
| |
Lady
Margaret Colliery, Treherbert closes
|
| |
First
Mines Rescue station in South Wales opened
at Abernant. |
| |
Ynyshir
Colliery, Ynyshir closes
|
| |
The
Treherbert Workmen's' Institute was founded. |
| |
A
branch of the Plebs League was formed in
Tonypandy. This was at a time when Marxist
socialism and the theory of class conflict
was gaining strong support. |
| |
Llwynypia
Prize Flute Band won the Irish Championship
at Waterford. |
| |
The
Empire Theatre, Tonypandy opened |
| |
Judge's
Hall, Trealaw opened. It was paid for by
the family of Judge Gwilym Williams and
dedicated to his memory. It soon became
a popular venue for political meetings,
boxing matches, concerts and dances including
the Christmas dances for Porth County Boys
and Girls School during my time there. |
| |
Royal
Treorchy Choir started a tour of Australia,
New Zealand and South Africa. |
| |
Moriah
Calvanistic Methodist chapel opened in Wattstown
and Beulah Baptist chapel in Treorchy. |
|
1910
|
Riots
at Tonypandy During this some 60 shops
were damaged. Some 12,500 miners were
involved and some 1,500 Police Officers
were deployed from Cardiff, Swansea, Bristol
and London together with soldiers of the
Lancashire Fusiliers, The West Riding
Regiment and the 218th. Hussars.
|
| |
Anthony
Pit at Penygraig started production and
was the last part of the Naval Colliery
to be opened. |
| |
The
Pavilion
Skating rink in Tonypandy opened |
| |
Trehafod
coke oven opened to produce ammonia and
tar. |
| |
The
Rhondda Golf Club founded at Penrhys, the
only 18-hole course in the Rhondda. Each
of the holes was named after a colliery. |
| |
The
destructor's plant at Dinas opened to dispose
of household waste. |
|
Nov
7, 1910
|
More
than 8,000 miners at Mid Rhondda ground
to listen to Will John plead to stop blacklegs
in Cambrian
Dispute
|
| |
Concern
about the disease of Tuberculosis [TB] which
affected hundreds of people in the Rhondda
led to the founding of the Welsh National
Memorial Association. By the 1920s 17 sanitariums
had been built in Wales |
| |
Mabon,
now a Labour M.P. not a Liberal was returned
in the 2 General Elections held this year. |
| |
In
March an old colliery dam collapsed in Clydach
Vale drowning 5 children and 1 adult |
|
1911
|
Coal
miners minimum wages favorably affects
the South Wales mining area.
|
| |
The
census shows the Rhondda population at 152,781
- almost 9,000 being born in the west of
England - 55.2% Welsh speaking and living
in 29,259 houses, about 20% of them being
owner occupied. An average of 5.8 persons
resided in each house. The mining workforce
totalled 41,145 of 55,784 in employment.
Unlike Cardiff or Merthyr which had a significant
Irish population less than !% were Irish-born
but over 2,000 were foreign born. |
| |
The
Theatre Royal in Tonypandy was converted
to a cinema |
| |
The
Glenrhondda Colliery [Hook and Eye] in Blaencwm
was opened |
| |
The
Socialist Plebs League appointed a full-time
organiser in the Rhondda |
| |
37
Police Officers injured during the Cambrian
Dispute |
| |
In
a train crash at Hopkinstown 11 people were
killed including 3 moderate members of the
South Wales Miners' Federation. They were
replaced by three militants - John Hopla,
Noah Rees and Tom Smith. |
| |
The
Rhondda Labour Party is formed |
| |
In
October the Cambrian
Dispute ends in failure for the men,
some 3,000 of who were not re-employed.
|
| |
Due
to the political unrest Mabon did not attend
the Investiture of the Prince of Wales at
Caernafon. |
| |
Rhondda
Socialist newspaper founded but it later
changed its name to the South Wales Worker. |
| 1912 |
The
Miners' Next Step is published. It was
a radical syndicalsit programme calling
for workers' control - not nationalisation
- of the mines and a reorganisation of the
Miners' Federation of South Wales. It was
the work of the Unofficial Reform Committee. |
| |
A
two and half mile pipeline from Llyn Fawr
on the Rhigos mountain to Blaenrhondda drift
mine [ The Gorky] was opened. It is the
only one of its type in the world as the
water is collected on one side of the mountain
and then piped to the other side for consumption. |
| |
Mabon
stands down as president of the South Wales
Miners' Federation after 17 years. |
| |
During
a royal
visit King George V opened the Rhondda
Mines Rescue Station. |
| |
Ystrad
Labour Club and Tynewydd Labour Club founded. |
| |
The
Miners' Federation of Great Britain called
for Britain's first national coal strike.
It led to the passing of the Minimum Wage
Act by the Liberal Government |
| |
As
a result of their alleged involvement in
the Cambrian
Dispute Will John - a future Rhondda
M.P. - and John Hopla were sentenced to
12 months imprisonment. However, this was
reduced to 6 months after the intervention
of Mabon. |
| 1913 |
The
Cambrian
Combine employs 4,113 men and boys producing
3,000 tons of coal daily |
| |
William
Evans, founder of Thomas & Evans, built
Bronwydd House in Porth. |
| |
Blaenrhondda
Workmen's' Institute opened |
|
|
Total
output of coal from South Wales is 57
million tons, of which 70% is for export.
|
| |
Parc
& Dare Hall, Treorchy considerably extended |
| |
Glamorgan
County Council have devolved responsibility
for secondary education in the Rhondda to
the Rhondda Urban District Council, the
only such arrangement in Wales. |
| |
Approx
3,500 horses
employed underground |
| |
The
depth of some mines have now reached 500
to 600 yards over twice the depth of 40
years previously and 12 to 15 times deeper
than Rhondda first shaft mine in 1812. |
| |
The
Royal Navy bought 1,750,000 tons of Welsh
coal |
| |
The zenith
of the South Wales coalfield. Over 17,000
horses were employed in the south Wales
coalfield to draw coal. There were 48,000
men and boys employed in 55 collieries,
39 in the Rhondda Fawr and 16 in the Rhondda
Fach. The 2 valleys produced 9.6 million
tons of coal this year - approx 20% of
the South Wales output, and of this some
66% came from the Cambrian
Combine.
|
| 1914 |
Outbreak of World War I.
Half the total amount of coal used by
the Royal Navy was from the Rhondda.
|
| |
Porth
Secondary School, formerly a teacher training
centre was opened |
| |
Nearly
all of Rhondda's housing is now connected
to the main sewer. |
| |
Lord
Merthyr [ William Thomas Lewis] the man
behind the formation of the Monmouthshire
and South Wales Coal Owners' Association
dies. |
| |
Jimmy
Wilde of Pontygwaith won the European
flyweight boxing title |
| |
Porth
County Girls' School established |
| |
Over
2,000 Rhondda miners enlist in the Armed
Forces, over half from the Cambrian
Combine. |
| |
There
are now 40 elementary school in the Rhondda
but Pentre Higher Elementary school became
a secondary school and in Tonypandy a higher
elementary school was opened. |
|
1915
|
Strike
by South Wales miners results in a better
wage agreement. This was defying the wartime
anti-strilke legislation
|
| |
Llew
Edwards of Porth won the British and British
Empire featherweight boxing title. |
| |
Rhondda
Miners' agent David [Dai] Watts Morgan helped
to raise a Welsh labour battalion to serve
in France. The volunteers were mainly miners
and mining officials. |
|
1916
|
The
South Wales coalfield comes under Government
control.
|
| |
The
Rhondda Valleys produce 7.6 million tons
of coal this year |
| |
A major landslip in Pentre cuts off the
upper Rhondda Fawr showing the need for
an alternative road to be built.
|
| |
Wartime
shortages lead to food prices increasing
by 50% |
| |
In
April Jimmy
Wilde wins the world flyweight boxing
title and holds it until 1923 - a record
|
| |
Union
membership became compulsory for employment
in the mines under wartime conditions. |
|
1917
|
Serious
conflict of views in the South Wales coalfield
between unions and owners.
|
| |
Tylacoch
pit in Treorchy reopened after being closed
in 1892. |
| |
Arthur
Horner, a future miners' leader, together
with some Rhondda miners cross to Ireland
to join the Irish Citizens' Army which was
in rebellion against British rule in Ireland.
He was imprisoned for 3 months, for sedition,
on his return. |
| 1918 |
Due
to the growth in population the Rhondda
now has 2 Members of Parliament. In both
constituencies Mabon and Dai Watts Morgan,
both Labour, were returned unopposed. |
| |
Hundreds
of Rhondda people die during the worldwide
Spanish flu epidemic. |
| |
Mabon
is made a Privy Councillor, becoming only
the second trade union leader to be given
the honour. |
| |
Lord
Rhondda [D.A.Thomas] the head of the Cambrian
Combine dies. |
|
1919
|
The
Prince of Wales descends pit at Cymmer.
|
| |
In
August the Ocean Coal Company provided entertainment
for 2,000 ex-servicemen at Ystradfechan,
Treorchy. |
| |
In
March Britain's biggest teacher's strike
to date occurred in the Rhondda when 1,130
members of the Rhondda Class Teachers' Association
came out on a month long strike in a wage
dispute. |
| |
Rhondda
Urban District Council comes under Labour
Party control. |
| |
The
Bute estate began selling its 8,000 acres
of land in the valleys, largely concentrating
in the Upper Rhondda Fawr. |
| 1920 |
Introduction
of the First motor bus service
in the Rhondda from Tonypandy to Clydach
Vale, a very steep route which electric
tramcars had been unable to negotiate. |
| |
Fernhill
No. 5 opened at the head of the Rhondda
Fawr. |
| |
The
Church in Wales became disestablished and
separate from the Church of England. The
Rhondda was divided into 10 parishes, each
with its own church. |
| |
Mabon,
aged 77, stands down as M.P. for Rhondda
West and the by-election is won by Will
John who had served 6 months imprisonment
for his alleged role in the Tonypandy
Riots. This was the First election in
which women had been able to vote. |
| |
From
a tax on every ton of coal raised a Miners'
Welfare Fund was established to provide
indoor and outdoor leisure facilities in
the British coalfield. |
| |
Rhondda
Education Committee gave strong support
to the Welsh language by classifying Alaw,
Clydach Vale, Maerdy, Treherbert, Treorchy
and Ton Pentre elementary schools as bilingual. |
|
1921
|
Coal
production ceases following a lock out
at South Wales pits.
|
| |
There
was an unsuccessful 3 month strike in the
coalfield as a result of Lloyd George's
government giving the mines back into private
ownership. Part of the result was that miners'
earnings fell by about 50%. |
| |
A
2nd. shaft is sunk at Glenrhondda
Colliery [Hook & Eye] in Blaencwm. |
| |
In
Blaenrhondda, the Rhondda's First
War
Memorial to the dead of World War I
is unveiled |
| |
A
new bus service between Cwmparc, Treorchy
and Ystrad over Penrhys to Ferndale is introduced. |
| |
The
census shows that the Rhondda population
of 162,717 an increase of 50% over 50 years.
Of these some 68,000 were Welsh speaking.
Also only approx. 12.5% of women were in
paid employment. |
|
1922
|
First electric
powered coal cutting machines to be used
in South Wales were installed at Bwllfa
No. 3
|
| |
The
Taff Vale Railway is absorbed by the Great
Western Railway. |
| |
William
Abraham [Mabon] dies and the streets of
Treorchy are lined by thousands of miners. |
| |
Ton
Pentre - The Bulldogs - reach the semi -finals
of football's Welsh Cup for the First time. |
| |
Rhondda
Education Committee dismiss 63 married women
teachers to give employment to their male
counterparts. |
| |
In
April the Wattstown Memorial Park is opened. |
| |
Nantdyrus
Pit, Treorchy, sunk. The last one in the
Rhondda. |
| |
William
Evans, the founder of Thomas & Evans,
gave the 22 acres Bronwydd Park, Porth as
well as its fine house, to the Rhondda Urban
District Council. |
| 1923 |
A
strike in the United States coalfield allows
a slight recovery in the rapidly failing
demand for South Wales coal. |
| |
Rhondda
Blind Institute formed in Llwynypia. |
| |
The
Central Hall, Tonypandy, a 1,000 seat building
was opened to replace the earlier Methodist
church. A regular member and speak was George
Thomas, later Lord Tonypandy, the speaker
of the House of Commons. |
| |
Two
of the Ty Mawr shafts at Trehafod are abandoned. |
| |
Cory
Band became the First brass band
to perform on the radio. |
| |
In
June Jimmy
Wilde of Pontygwaith lost his world
flyweight title in New York. |
| |
Rhondda
Junior Technical School opened in Llwynypia. |
| |
G.T.
Clark, a wealthy South Wales businessman
sets up the Talygarn Miners' Convalescent
Home in the Vale of Glamorgan. |
| 1924 |
The
French army's occupation of the Ruhr coalfield
trigged strikes by German miners leading
to a coal shortage which postponed, briefly,
the economic catastrophe about to overwhelm
the Valleys. |
| |
Pentwyn
Cottage Hospital, Treorchy opened for victims
of colliery accidents |
| |
The
Rhondda Education Committee abolish fees
in the secondary schools at Ferndale, Pentre,
Porth and Tonypandy easing the financial
burden on parents. |
| |
Lewis
Methry Workmen's' Institute in Porth and
the Glenrhondda Workmen's' Hall and Institute
in Blaencwm were opened, both with well
stocked libraries. |
| |
A.J.
Cook of Maerdy becomes the General Secretary
of the Miners' Federation of Great Britain
and held the post until 1931. |
| |
Pendyrus
Male Choir founded in the Rhondda Fach |
| |
The
population of the Rhondda is estimated to
have reached its peak at 169,000, about
two-thirds of the population of Cardiff. |
| 1925 |
In
1913 the Royal Navy bought 1,750,000 tons
of Welsh coal but in this year only about
20% of that total. |
| |
At
a rugby match between Penygraig and Llanelli,
which Penygraig won, about 1,000 unemployed
miners were unable to afford the entrance
ticket and climbed over the fence to watch
the game for nothing. |
| |
The
post war boom was over and Rhondda spiralled
into economic depression. It was worse here
than other parts of Britain due to the total
reliance on the coal industry. Also coal
was rapidly replace coal and cheaper sources
of coal were becoming available. |
|
1926
|
In
May the General Strike lasts for 9 days.
The miners, led by A.J.Cook,whose
slogan was 'Not a penny off the pay, not
a minute on the day', held out for 9 months
after other workers had returned to work,
but were eventually forced back on lower
pay than they had before the strike.
|
| |
The Rhondda Education Committee
decide that Welsh was to be taught in
all secondary schooling the Rhondda
|
| |
As
a result of the recession, Cwmparc Football
Club closes. |
| |
The
Quaker Education Settlement at Maes-yr-Haf,
Trealaw provides education and training
for unemployed men whose numbers were increasing
rapidly. |
| |
Lady Lewis Colliery, Ynyshir,
Locketts' Colliery in Maerdy and Bute
Colliery, Treherbert close
|
| 1927 |
Some
250 Rhondda men take part in the First South
Wales 'Hunger March' to London in November
to urge the Government - without success
- to tackle the area's problems. |
| |
Treherbert
Cottage Hospital opened |
| |
In
May unjustified and unfair criticism of
the Maerdy footballer, Dan Lewis, who played
in goal for Arsenal when they lost 1-0 to
Cardiff City in the Football Association
cup final at Wembley. |
| |
Morlais
Male Choir founded in Ferndale |
| |
The
Llwynypia Homes becomes Rhondda's First
general hospital |
| |
It
is estimated that approx, 2,500 Rhondda
children are suffering from malnutrition. |
| |
Top
of the Page |
|
1928
|
Industrial depression causes
distress amongst the mining communities
of South Wales.
|
| |
The
Mid Rhondda Football Club - 'The Mush'[Mushrooms]
was disbanded. |
| |
Rhondda's
transport infrastructure improved dramatically
in February with the opening of the Bwlch
mountain road connecting the Rhondda with
the Afan and Ogmore valleys, a project that
had given work to unemployed miners. It
was one of the highest roads in Wales reaching
1,790 feet [546 metres] and was linked with
the new road running from Ton Pentre to
Cwmparc and Treorchy |
| |
Average miner's take home
pay was £1/17/4 for a 5 day week (£1.86)
|
| |
A
Community House was established at Trealaw
by the Wesleyan Methodists of Tonypandy
Central Hall to provide a place were the
employed and the unemployed could meet. |
| |
The
only National Eistddfod of Wales ever to
take place in the Rhondda was held at Treorchy
with Caradoc Pritchard winning the Crown
while the Chair was withheld. Amongst the
visitor was David Lloyd George, a very unpopular
figure after handing the mines back into
private ownership in 1921. |
| |
The
War Memorial at Porth Square was unveiled.
It was recently moved due to a new road
layout. |
| |
The
Pontypridd Poor Law Board of Guardians -
who also covered the Rhondda - was abolished
with the repeal of the C19th. Poor Law legislation. |
|
1929
|
Depression continues to
cause severe distress in the mining districts
of South Wales.
|
| |
The
Mid-Rhondda War Memorial at Tonypandy was
unveiled. |
| |
Treorchy
Rugby Club won the Glamorgan League |
| |
The
Rhondda's First pithead baths financed by
the Miners' Welfare Fund were opened at
the Parc Colliery, Cwmparc. Meanwhile the
majority of Rhondda miners still had to
wash in a tin
bath in front of the kitchen fire, one
of the many household duties of the valley's
mothers, daughters, wives and sisters. |
| |
Winding
stops at the Coedcae Colliery |
| |
In
November the Rhigos mountain road from Treherbert
to Hirwaun was completed. At its highest
point it is 1,582 feet [482 metres]. it
also gave work to unemployed miners. Three
weeks after being opened to traffic it was
temporarily closed when torrential rain
caused a landslide. |
| |
Paul
Robeson, the great black American singer
and actor, made his First visit
to the valleys to sing. He donated the proceeds
of a concert in England to a relief fund
for Welsh miners. |
|
|
Pentre Colliery, Pentre
closes
|
| |
At
Maes-yr-Haf, Trealaw, an Allotment Association
was founded for the whole of South Wales
to encourage local men to take up growing
fruit, vegetables and flowers. |
| |
Treherbert
Rugby Club, the oldest in the Rhondda disbands
and 3 Rhondda football clubs, Maerdy, Porth
and Ton Pentre had to withdraw from the
Southern League. |
| |
On
November 11th. a record 8.31
inches [211 mm] of rain in one day was recorded
at the Lluest Wen Reservoir above Maerdy
and 400 people had to be evacuated because
of flooding at Gelli, Trehafod and Pontygawith. |
| |
Rhondda's
First two district nurse appointed |
| |
South
Wales which had once supplied one-third
of the world's coal exports now provided
just 3% |
| |
The
Lewis
Merthyr Colliery was taken over by Powell
Dyffryn. |
| 1930 |
A
medical report of this year drew attention
to the existence of slum houses in the Rhondda
where there were 400 basement cellar dwellings. |
| |
In
February the Maerdy Lodge of the Federation,
which was affiliated to the Labour Party,
was expelled because of its backing for
Arthur
Horner who lived in Maerdy and had been
a Communist Party candidate for the Rhondda
East constituency in the 1929 General election.
The Lodge was not re-admitted to the union
until 1934 |
| |
The
Hafod No.2 pit at Lewis Merthyr now closed. |
| |
In
the First Three Valleys Festival for the
Rhondda, Cynon and Merthyr Valleys 3,000
singers participate in maintaining the strong
local choral traditions. |
|
1931
|
Coal dispute in South Wales
puts 150,000 men out of work in protest
at wage reductions following the introduction
of a 7-hour day. There were disturbances
at Maerdy which resulted in 29 men and
4 women receiving prison sentences.
|
| |
At
Lockett's Colliery, Maerdy 3 men die is
a shaft accident. |
| |
Maerdy
is now being referred to as 'Little Moscow'
due to its support of the Communist Party |
| |
The
census shows that the Rhondda is loosing
people at a similar rate to the earlier
spectacular growth, a 21,000 decline since
1921 with just over 1/2 who left in the
15 to 29 age group. This was the First census
to show a decrease in the Rhondda population
which now stood at 141,346 - a 13.5% fall
in 10 years. |
|
|
Nos. 2, 4 Collieries Ferndale
close
|
| |
At
Maes-yr-Haf, Trealaw and Unemployed Mens'
Club started and the idea quickly spread
throughout South Wales. |
| |
1
in 3 families were on the 'dole' having
to seek national assistance to through the
hated means test of family income. |
| |
In
September a hunger march to the annual T.U.C.
Conference in Bristol hoped to press delegates
to take action about unemployment. About
a third of the 100 marchers were from the
Rhondda. |
| |
Top
of the Page |
|
1932
|
Nos. 1, 2 Collieries, Mardy
close but Lockett's Colliery re-opens.
|
|
The
Rhondda is once again represented in the
2nd. Hunger March to London during which
one of the Valley's miners' leader, Will
Paynter, was arrested. |
|
There
were 790 in the Rhondda from tuberculosis
[TB], a disease particularly associated
with a deficient diet, inadequate clothing,
poor general health and bad housing |
|
The
former General Secretary of the Miners'
Federation of Great Britain A.J.
Cook |
|
Hundreds
of Rhondda men befit in training in a variety
of skills at the Salvation Army's hotel
'House 'f the Trees' at Penrhiwceiber. |
|
Of the 150 members of the Pendyrus Male
Choir, some 60% are unemployed.
|
|
During
a visit to the Rhondda the Plaid Cymru founder,
Saunders Lewis, described it as 'the worse
hell in Europe' and was moved to attempt
to organise a decent weekly meal for the
unemployed |
|
In January at the Glamorgan
Colliery, Llwynypia . 11 men die in
pit explosion..
|
| |
13
weeks of temporary work is provided at Penrhys
Park for men to excavate a rugby pitch from
the hillside for Tylorstown Rugby Club. |
| |
This
is the peak year for unemployment in the
2 valleys with a record 53% registered as
out of work. This made the Rhondda one of
the blackest spots in Britain despite many
thousands of mainly young people who were
fleeing the valleys to find work, particularly
in light industry centres like Birmingham,
Coventry, Dagenham and Slough. |
|
1933
|
The Rhondda East Member
of Parliament and former miners' agent,
Dai Watts Morgan, dies and in the ensuing
by-election was won for Labour by William
[Bill] Mainwaring. He was one-time secretary
of the Unofficial Reform Committee which
had produced The
Miners' Next Step in 1912. The Communist
Party candidate, Arthur
Horner came a close second who was
now editor of the fortnightly militant
paper the South Wales Miner until it ceased
publication in 1935.
|
| |
The
First Plaid Cymru candidate for
a local council, anywhere in South Wales,
stood in the Rhondda. |
| |
Unemployed
men were given 13 weeks of temporary work
building a new bridge across the river at
Blaenllechau. |
| |
The
Hafod No.1 at Lewis Merthyr in Trehafod
and Tynybedw Colliery [The Swamp], Pentre
close |
| |
The
Rhondda Labour College closes because of
difficulties in funding it. |
| |
The
Quakers of Maes-yr-Haf, Trealaw aquire The
Malthouse at Wick on the Glamogan coast
to provide short holidays for Rhondda people. |
| |
Tylorstown
Welfare Hall opens |
| 1934 |
Maerdy
Lodge re-admitted to the union after being
expelled for supporting Arthur
Horner who had stood as a Communist
in the 1929 General Election. |
| |
Rhondda
mines now employed 26,750 men and boys,
as similar number to the total of miners
40 years earlier. |
| |
Blaenrhondda
Football Club founded. |
| |
In
February the last tram in the Rhondda Fawr
and the Rhondda Tramway Company was renamed
the Rhondda Transport Company. |
| |
The
Trehafod Miners' Institute is opened with
cash from the Miners' Welfare Fund. The
Fund also gave a £900 grant for the
Maerdy Workmen's' Institute to install a
complete sound system for films. |
| |
The
3rd. Hunger March to London takes
place to highlight the plight of South Wales
miners. |
| |
Cory
Brothers close Pentre
Colliery, Pentre |
| 1935 |
Llwynypia
Hospital Out Patients department opened |
| |
Standard
Colliery, Ynyshir closes. |
| |
A
mass demonstration by tens of thousands
protesting against the 'dole' took place
in Tonypandy supported by both religious
leaders and the local Chamber of Commerce. |
| |
Arthur
Horner is the editor of the fortnightly
militant paper the South Wales Miner until
it ceased publication in this year |
| |
Rhondda
Communist Party launched its own newspaper,
the Rhondda Vanguard, whilst the Labour
Party launched its own newspaper, the Rhondda
Clarion |
| |
A
'stay down' strike occurred at Dare
Colliery, Cwmparc when 200 men stayed
underground for 200 hours over the right
to belong to the Miners' Federation of Great
Britain and not the so-called 'scab' union,
the South Wales Miners' Industrial Union. |
| |
Ferndale
Nos. 2,4,6,7 and 8 Pits were closed leaving
a workforce at the collieries of 1,991 compared
with 5,654 just 20 years earlier. |
| |
The
Rhondda became part of a Special Area under
the Special Areas Act of 1934 and a Special
Commissioner was appointed to tackle the
dire economic situation. |
| |
The
expanded Cambrian
Combine merges with Powell Dyffryn to
become the largest coal company in Britain. |
| |
Last
electric tram in the Rhondda ran to Maerdy |
| |
There are more cinemas per head of population
in South Wales than any other part of
Britain. The Parc & Dare could seat
1,100 and the Ferndale Workmen's' Hall
1,000.
|
| |
There
are still 30 mines in the Rhondda Fawr and
12 in the Rhondda Fach employing 24,000
men - half the number in the Valleys peak
year of employment. |
| 1936 |
Rhondda
Urban District Council pioneer free milk
for children in low income families. |
| |
Rhondda
men volunteer to fight on the Republican
side in the Spanish Civil War. Of the 32
who joined the International
Brigades, 7 lost their lives. The Rhondda
contributed more volunteers than any other
British mining area. |
| |
The
number of miners employed in the Rhondda
now number just under 20,000 - half the
total of 10 years previous. |
| |
The
documentary film Today We Live was shot
partly in Pentre, Treorchy, Cymmer and Tylorstown
and it showed the tragic consequences of
mass unemployment and created a considerable
impression when shown in 1937. |
| |
The
Prince of Wales makes a summer visit to
the Rhondda and he opens a Recreation Ground
at Dines |
| |
The
South Wales Bible Institute founded at Porth
in 1916 closes. |
| |
The
Valley's youth movement was helped by grants
from the National Council for Social Service
to build huts for use of youth groups at
Treorchy and Maerdy. |
| |
The
4th. and final Hunger March to
London takes place with 82 Rhondda men taking
part. |
| |
The
Government's First effort at doing
something for the valleys came with the
establishment of the Treforest Trading Estate.
|
| |
There
are now 7 Communist Party members of the
Rhondda Urban District Council |
| |
The
annual Urdd Gobaith Cymru Goodwill Service
is broadcast from Treorchy by the B.B.C. |
|
|
Nos. 6, 7, 8 Collieries,
Tylorstown close
|
| |
At
Fernhill
Colliery there was another 'stay down'
strike by 64 men for a record 292 hours
during a wage dispute. [One of these was
my maternal grandfather - to whom this site
is dedicated. As a result of this action,
like the majority of strikers, his health
was very badly affected] |
| |
Arthur
Horner of Maerdy is elected the First
Communist president of the Miners' Federation
of Great Britain. |
| |
11th.
June 36 demonstrators arrested at fascist
[Blackshirt] rally, led by Oswald Mosley,
held at De Winton Field, Tonypandy.
6 men and 1 woman were jailed as a result.
|
| 1937 |
There were 1,030 deaths
from Tuberculosis [T.B.] recorded in this
year, a 30% increase in 5 years though
the disease was declining elsewhere in
Britain.
|
| |
The
number of children in Rhondda schools in
1936-37 had fallen to 25,000 compared with
34,000 in 1928-29 - a decrease of 26%. |
| |
The
Miners' Welfare Fund provides a grant for
the building of a new hall at Maes-yr-Haf,
Trealaw for concerts and plays. |
| |
Tommy
Farr of Tonypandy who had won the British
and British Empire Heavyweight boxing titles
in March failed on points in August to add
the world title. |
| |
One-fifth
of all Workers' Educational Association
classes in South Wales are being held in
the Rhondda |
| |
The
death rate of mothers and infants of the
Rhondda was 13.4 per 1,000 compared with
an average of 9.4 per 1,000 for England
and Wales. |
|
1938
|
Abergorki
Colliery, Treorchy closes with Rhondda
unemployment at 12,956
|
| |
The
Rhondda population is estimated at 122,500,
a fall of 25% since 1925. |
| |
Disastrous
flooding at Trehafod in October which caused
2 deaths. |
| |
An
estimate states that Rhondda chapels had
lost approx 70% of their membership between
1921 and 1935. |
| |
Glamorgan
(Scotch) Colliery, Llwynypia which had employed
3,960 in 1907 and only 1,135 by 1935 was
run down. |
| 1939 |
Unemployment
stands at 11,118 but there appears to be
light at the end of the tunnel with the
opening of light industry factories - a
clothing factory[Alfred Polifoff at Ynyswen],
Flex Gastenings at Dinas[manufacturing zips]
and Porth Textiles |
| |
The
South Wales Miners' Industrial Union, the
so-called 'scab' union, is absorbed by the
Miners' Federation of Great Britain. |
| |
The
film Proud Valley, starring Paul Robeson
was partially shot on location in the Rhondda. |
| |
Lewis
Jones of Clydach Vale, a Communist Party
councillor and novelist dies of a heart
attack at Cardiff after making a series
of speeches in the city in support of the
Republican side of the Spanish Civil War. |
| |
In
July flooding over several days badly affects
Tynewydd, Porth and Trehafod. |
| |
The
Rhondda has a greater proportion of children
attending secondary school than anywhere
else in Wales. |
| |
The
South Wales Coal Dust Research Committee
is formed to seek ways of reducing dust
in mines. |
|
1940
|
Production ceased at Cymmer
Colliery, Porth. In 1914 this colliery
employed some 2,331 miners.
|
| |
Ordnance
factories established at Bridgend, Hirwaun
and Treforest creating thousands of jobs
for Rhondda men and women. |
| |
Rhondda
coal output now less than 4 million tons
per year, just 40% of its output in 1913.
Partially as a result of losing markets
in Germany, Denmark, Norway, the Netherlands,
Belgium, France and Italy. |
|
|
Thousands of children and
some mothers were evacuated
to the Rhondda from London and the south
east. Five community centres were established
for them.
|
| 1941 |
In
April a German plane dropped bombs on Cwmparc,
Treorchy and Ystrad causing the deaths of
28 people, including 3 London evacuees. |
| |
The
Tonypandy Silver Band formed. |
| |
The
public Library at Ystrad, which was opened
in 1896 was totally destroyed as the result
of a German air raid. |
| 1942 |
Despite
being the centre of the coal producing area,
Rhondda residents enjoyed the pleasures
of coal rationing. |
| 1943 |
Coal
mining made a reserved occupation and many
former Rhondda colliers were released from
the armed forces. |
| |
The
EMI factory opened in Treorchy after being
transferred from Middlesex. |
| |
Treorchy
Male Voice Choir disbands, again. |
| |
A
'Wings for Victory' campaign during the
summer raised £250,000 in the Rhondda
Valleys. |
| 1944 |
In
March Rhondda mines closed as result of
a wage dispute |
| |
Hundreds
of American troops of the U.S. 28th.
Division were billeted in the Rhondda during
April and May to train for preparation for
the D Day landings. |
| |
In
June the first 'Bevin Boys' began training
for work underground as opposed to the armed
forces. |
| |
A
second wave of evacuees come the the Rhondda
as the result of London and the south east
being targeted by V1 and V2 rocket bombs.
|
| 1945 |
In
the General Election, called after the defeat
of Germany but before the defeat of Japan,
the Labour candidate for Rhondda West, Will
John, was returned unopposed. |
| |
The
Glamorgan
[The Scotch] Colliery closed. |
| |
Ferndale
Football club formed. |
| |
The
Miners Federation of Great Britain absorbed
into the National Union of Mineworkers |
| 1946 |
Treorchy
Male Choir reformed |
| |
Rhondda's
First intermediate school, Porth
County, celebrated its 50th.
anniversary |
| |
Ynyshir
Band founded. |
| 1947 |
The
coal industry is nationalized. Of the 25
mines in the 2 valleys only 15 were actually
producing coal and employing just over 13,000
of the 110,000 South Wales miners. Despite
this mining was still by far the Rhondda's
biggest employer. |
| |
The
National Eisteddfod of Urdd Gobaith Cymru
was held in Treorchy. |
| |
Unemployed
men were given work removing the huge Ynyscynon
tip in the mid Rhondda. |
|
|
From January to March normal
valleys life was disrupted by the coldest
winter in 60 years and miner volunteered
to work on Sundays due to the extreme
fuel shortages.
|
| 1949 |
The
N.C.B. reopened Mardy Colliery with a £5
million investment. |
| |
Tylorstown
Silver Band formed. |
| |
The
Ealing Studio comedy "Run For Your
Money" starring the Tonypandy actor
Donald Houston
was shot partially on location in Treorchy
and Cwmparc |
| |
Then
Imperial Glee Singers were formed in Porth. |
| 1950 |
Two
Welsh bilingual schools were opened, one
in Ynyswen and the other in Pontygwaith. |
| |
AFC
Porth was founded at Dinas |
| |
Top
of the Page |