Events Affecting the Rhondda Valleys From My Tribute to the Rhondda Valleys

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
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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
	1^st 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
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1854	1^st branch of Odfellows Friendly Society formed in Dinas to provide sickness & death benefits
	1^st 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
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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
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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 18^th. 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.
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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.
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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 2^nd. 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.
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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 11^th. 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.
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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 3^rd. 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 4^th. 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.
	11^th. 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. 28^th. 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 50^th. 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
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