Local history of the lower Ebbw & Sirhowy Valleys in Gwent, South Wales

		Last update 29th June 2002
70,000 - 8,300 BC		Glacial ice sheet as far south as Abergavenny. Gwent would have been bitterly cold tundra. Sea level dropped by 200 feet - Bristol Channel was mainly dry land. Land Bridge connected Britain to the Continent.
2,500-900 BC Bronze Age		Local tribes migrate from the Gwent levels to the uplands - including Mynydd Maen (Twmbarlwm) , Mynydd Machen, Mynydd y Grug
900-55 BC Iron Age		Iron Age Hill Fort constructed by the Silures (the dominant tribe in South Wales) on Twmbarlwm.
75		Roman fortress established at Isca Silurum (Caerleon). Only two other Legionary fortresses existed in Britannia at this time.
78		Siluria is finally brought under Roman Miltary control by Sextus Julius Frontinus. The Romans take 5 years to control the S.E of Britain *England but take 35 years to achieve the same level of control in the Silurian territories, known nowadays as South Wales. *England did not exist at this time
120		Roman city constructed at Venta Silurum (Caerwent)
5th Century		Romans leave Brittania. Kingdoms of Gwent and Glywysing established. Gwent - the land between the River Usk and the River Wye Glywysing - the land between the River Usk and the River Tawe. The Ebbw & Sirhowy Valleys being situated within the Kingdom of Glywysing
942		Llywarch ap Cadogan gives Villa Treficarn Pont (settlement or estate near the bridge over the Carn ) to Bishop Wulfrith with King Cadell's guarantee ie the place where the Carn meets the Ebbw (now Cwmcarn).
1536		Act of Union created the Welsh County of Monmouthshire
1576		Charcoal-fired Blast Furnace built at Abercarn by Edmund Roberts for smelting iron ore .
1597		The Society of Mineral and Battery Works accuses Richard Hanbury of secretly manufacturing iron at Abercarn, Glenebo (Ebbw) and Monkswood for the previous 20 years.
1606 (1607)		The Great Flood. January 20th. The Bristol Channel floods the Gwent levels of Wentloog and Caldicot. An inscription on St Bride's Church records the height of the flood - 5ft 6inches.
1624		Commencement of registers for Bedwellty
1656		Commencement of registers for Mynyddislwyn
1736		Commencement of registers of Risca
1755		First use of coal for smelting iron instead of charcoal
1782		Charcoal wireworks and a pit coal forge established at Abercarn by Joshua and Samuel Glover
1792		The Monmouthshire Canal Navigation Company was created. The Canal Navigation Act authorised the construction of a Canal from the River Usk (Newport) to Pontnewynydd (Pontypool) and a branch from Crindau Farm (Malpas, Newport) to Crumlin. The Act also authorised the construction of several tramroads to link the canal to various iron works.
1795		Zephaniah Williams born at Gwrhay near Argoed. Chartist leader involved in the Newport Uprising on 4th November 1839
1796		Newport to Pontnewynydd section of the Monmouthshire Canal completed (February) 10.5 miles long, 42 locks, 3 tunnels. Could take barges 64ft by 9ft
1796		Edward Thomas Jones of Bristol, merchant, public accountant and author of Jones's English System of Book-keeping (1796), leases land near Risca for £500 a year from Sir Charles Morgan
1797		Edward Jones begins to sink the Waunfawr Colliery near Risca at Coed Waunfawr on the lower slopes of Mynydd Machen in the Parish of Machen.
1799		The population of Newport was 750
1799		Crumlin Branch of Monmouthshire Canal completed. 11 miles long , 32 locks (April)
1799		Archdeacon Coxe travels through Monmouthshire. He describes it in his "Historical Tour of Monmouthshire"
1801		Parish of Risca population = 240 : Parish of Mynyddislwyn population = 1544 Parish of Machen population = 676
1802		Canal Act of the 26th June sanctioned the construction of the Sirhowy Tramroad. Monmouthshire Canal proprieters to construct a (dual) tramroad from Newport to a point 9 miles towards the Sirhowy Valley (between Wattsville and Cwmfelinfach). Tredegar Iron Company to construct a (single) tramroad from Nine Mile Point to Tredegar. Sir Charles Morgan to construct the "Golden Mile" (dual) tramroad - through his land.
1804		Colliery at Tonypistill farm Abercarn. Produced 40 tons of coal a day from a small shallow level.
1805		Construction of Halls Road Tramroad begins. Built by Benjamin Hall. His son, aslo named Benjamin Hall (later Lord Lanover) was responsible for the famous clock tower of the Houses of Parliament known as "Big Ben"
1806 (1810?)		Sirhowy Tramroad completed (Tredegar to Newport) Long Bridge Viaduct constructed of stone at Risca - approx 50 feet high consisting of 33 arches (the largest number built in Wales).
1807		Union Copper Company constructs a smelting plant at Risca (Danygraig)
1808		Iron works at Abercarn sold to Richard Crawshay
1809		The beginnings of the Darren Colliery at Risca
1810		Iron Works in operation at Pontymister
1811		Halls Road tramroad completed - from a location in what is now called Crosskeys via Pentwynmawr to Waterloo Colliery in Gwrhay
1812		Brecknock and Abergavenny Canal opened and linked to the Monmouthshire Canal.
1814		Extension of Hall's Road tramroad to Manmoel level completed.
1816		First strike of it's kind. Ironworkers at Tredegar protest at reduction in wages.
1822		Desperate battle took place on the hills of Monmouthshire, on Thursday the 9th of May between a detachment of the Scotch Greys, and several thousands of colliers and miners
1822		First Passenger service intoduced on Sirhowy Tramroad by John Kingston. Horse drawn vehicle known as the Caravan.
1823		Newport becomes the most important coal port in Wales
1824		Llanarth and Penllwyn Tramroads built. (Lanarth - Blackwood to 9 Mile Point, Penllwyn - Ynysddu to 9 Mile Point)
1827		Tramroad constructed by Monmouthshire Canal Co. to link Risca with the Halls Tramroad at Hall's Road Junction (Crosskeys)
1829		Monmouthshire Canal Co. completes Tramroad from Risca to Crumlin (Ebbw Valley)
1829		First Steam Engine "Brittania" travels on Sirhowy Tramroad (December 17th) only two months after the famous Rainhill Trials and the appearance of Stephenson's "Rocket"
1830		Gwent miners strike in protest against the company "Truck Shops"
1831		Cholera Epidemic
1832		William Thomas born in Ynysddu - Islwyn the Poet - April 3rd
1836		John Frost Mayor of Newport and Magistrate until 1839. Chartist leader involved in the Newport Uprising on 4th November 1839
1836		The Monmouthshire Iron and Coal Company plan to sink 6 Collieries in the Abercarn and Cwmcarn districts.
1836		Waunfawr Colliery purchased by John Russell and Co. Site covered over 1000 acres. The Risca House was included in this purchase and was where John Russell resided for a time.
1838		Monmouthshire Merlin publishes an article claiming " Chartism in Monmouthshire is now extinct " (2/11/1838)
1839		Monmouthshire Iron and Coal Company goes into liquidation. Only 2 ,of the 6, planned Collieries are completed ie the Abercarn & Gwyddon Collieries
1839		Chartist Uprising in Monmouthshire On November 3rd 1839 seven thousand men from the valleys of Monmouthshire set out to march on Newport.There were three main contingents one from Blackwood , one from Ebbw Vale and Nantyglo, and one from Pontypool. The first two contingents converged at Risca and then pressing on to the assembly point at the Welsh Oak in Pontymister before the final advance on Newport. They were an organized force, armed, angry, and intent on inaugurating a brave new world. The rising proved to be the most serious clash between people and government in modern industrial Britain. In the confrontation between Chartists and troops in Newport more than twenty men were shot dead,and subsequently more than 250 people were put on trial for treason. "British Authorities inflicted greater casualties on the civilian population than at any other time in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries" (The Last Rising - D.J.V.Jones)
1841		Risca population = 1072 : Mynyddislwyn population = 6000 Machen population = 1577
1841		John Russel had a new shaft sunk at the Coed Waunfawr near (what is now known as) Cross keys. The beginnings of the new Blackvein Colliery
1841		Royal Comission reported that more cases were recorded of the employment of children in pits in South Wales than anywhere else
1842		Two Explosions at the Blackvein Colliery - 2 killed (1st explosion) -3 killed (2nd explosion)
1842		Blackvein Colliery obtains contracts to supply its steam coal to the Royal West India Steam Packet Company, the Peninsular and Oriental Company and the East India Company
1842		Mines Act. Prohibited employment of girls and boys under 10 to work underground.
1843		Tinplate works erected in Pontymister by T.G. Lewis (Messrs. T & G Lewis ?)
1843		55 Collieries in the West of Monmouthshire. 46 in the Western Valleys (24 Collieries in the Ebbw Valley, 21 Collieries in the Sirhowy Valley) and only 8 in the Eastern Valley
1844		Factory Act limits working hours for children to 6.5hrs and 12hrs a day for teenagers and women.
1845		Abercarn and Gwyddon Collieries re-opened by by Messrs Alfrey of Newport
1845		David Morris of Risca takes over the Abercarn Ironworks and starts to manufacture tinplate.
1845		Monmouthshire Canal Navigation Company changes name to Monmouthshire Railway and Canal Company (MR&CCo)
1846		Act of Parliament forbids the teaching of the Welsh language in schools. All Welsh teachers replaced with English ones. Any child caught speaking Welsh was punished.
1846		Gas explosion at the Blackvein Colliery - 35 killed (3rd explosion)
1849		Explosion at the Blackvein Colliery - 2 killed (4th Explosion)
1849		Horse drawn vehicles prohibited from using tramroads.
1849		Cholera Epidemic
1850s		The early beginnings of the Village of Cross keys
1850		Western Valley line from Newport via Crosskeys to Blaina opened for passenger traffic. 10 mph speed limit. (21st December)
1850		British School opened (25th February) near the Blackvein Colliery, at Coed Waunfawr. This was the first school to be opened for the Parish of Risca but was built in the Parish of Machen
1853		Explosion at the Blackvein Colliery - 10 killed (5th Explosion). Colliery becomes known as the "Death Pit"
1853		Long Bridge Viaduct at Risca bypassed - OK for trams but unsuitable for rail traffic
1854		Brittania Foundry opened at Pontymister (Jordan & Co)
1855		MR&CCo relaid the main Western Valley Lines (including Risca to Nine Mile Point) to that of a standard guage rail.
1855		Railway line from Nine Mile Point to Newport was complete as a rail way
1857		Crumlin Viaduct officially opened - The highest railway Viaduct in the UK The third highest bridge of its type in the world.
1860		Explosion at the Blackvein Colliery - 142 killed (6th explosion)
1860		Sirhowy Tramroad converted to a standard guage rail. Name changed to Sirhowy Railway Company (S. R. Co.)
1861		Parish Popuplation Houses Acres   Voters (1867) Machen 2377 520 4460   60 Machen Upper 1414 315       Machen Lower 963 205       Mynyddyslwyn 6877 1456 15938   169 Clawrplwyf 2409 515       Mynyddmaen 1782 355       Penmaen 2686 586       Risca 2744 642 1877   58
1865		Brecknock and Abergavenny canal purchased by Monmouthshire Railway and Canal Company
1865		S. R. Co. granted running powers over the Nine Mile Point to Newport section. Enabled a service from Tredegar to Newport. 19th June.
1865		Monmouthshire Railway and Canal Co. starts it's passenger service (June) to Dock St. Newport
1867		Act passed for lighting with Gas the Parishes of Risca, Mynyddyslwyn, Abercarn and Machen.
1867		Nine Mile Point railway station opened
1870		Trinity Congregational Church - Pontywaun - Officially opened (6th April)
1870		"Riscatype" type foundry established by Yendall & Co. Ltd in Risca
1871		William Henry Davies the Poet born in Newport (1871-1940) His first major success, The Autobiography of a Super-Tramp was published in 1908
1872		Blackvein Colliery purchased by Edmund Hannay Watts.
1873		Monmmouthhshire & South Wales Coal owners Association formed
1873		Edmund Hannay Watts forms the London and South Wales Coal Company (LSWCC)
1873		Celynen South Colliery - Abercarn - shafts first sunk in June
1873		Over 60,000 Coal Miners on Strike in the Monmouthshire Valleys. 12,000 Iron Workers locked out.
1875		Disastrous Floods in Monmouthshire - Flannel Factory Disaster at Cwmcarn - 14th July
1875		North Risca Colliery sunk near Crosskeys (in the Parish of Mynyddislwyn)
1875		Great Western Railway (G.W.R) takes over the Monmouthshire Railway and Canal Company (MR&CCo)
1876		Rugby first played at Crosskeys - one of the four original Welsh Clubs.
1876		Coal production commences at the Celynen South Colliery - Abercarn
1876		London & Northwestern (L&NW) takes over the Sirhowy Railway line.
1877		Great Western Railway (GWR) takes over Hall's tramroad (Crosskeys to Manmoel)
1878		The Parish of Risca is governed by a "Local Board" from 1878 until 1894. The "Risca Local Board" takes over parts of the Parishes of Upper and Lower Machen and Mynyddyslwyn
1878		Explosion at the Prince of Wales Colliery - Abercarn - 268 killed (3rd explosion)
1878		North Risca Colliery (near Crosskeys ) - officially opened in the Mynyddislwyn Parish. Originally constructed in the Parish of Mynyddislwyn but now located in the Parish of Risca The New Town of North Risca (situated near the Colliery) is listed as being in the Parish of Mynyddislwyn on the 1881 Census
1878		Islwyn dies and is buried at Babel Chapel (Cwmfellinfach) 2th November
1878		John Oliver and Robert Britton start a Baptist Sunday School at Woodland Place Crosskeys. Simple services were held at the home of Henry Shipton (A grocer at Woodland Place - probably located at what is now the Post Office (1881 Census & O.S Maps)
1880		Risca and Mynyddislwn Joint Board School opened at Western Terrace, Crosskeys
1880		Foundation stone of Hope Baptist Chapel at Crosskeys laid by E.H Watts 4th March
1880		July 15th Explosion at North Risca Colliery - Crosskeys - kills 120 men and boys
1881		The Risca "Local Board" takes over the administration of further portions of the Mynyddislwyn Parish .
1881		The South Wales area becomes the foremost coal exporting district in Britain
1882		Hope Baptist Chapel at Crosskeys officially opened - February 18th
1885		Crosskeys Rugby Football Club founded
1885		Abercarn Colliery reopened by Abercarn Coal Company (ACC)
1890		William Brace of Risca was elected miners' agent for the Monmouth and South Wales District Miners Association
c.1890		First Postcards of local views printed. Very popular with the public 1890-1920
1891		Parish of Risca population = 5647 : Mynyddislwyn population = 14,364 Machen population = 3161
1894		Risca Urban District Council formed under the Local Government Act
1895		ACC & LSWCC amalgamate to form United National Collieries Ltd (E.H. Watts Chairman)
1897		Waunfawr School opened in Crosskeys
1898		South Wales miners locked out for four months by the coal owners (April - August) . Compelled to accept owners terms in September.
1898		South Wales Miners Federation setup
1899		South Wales Miners Federation had 104,000 members
1900		154,571 employed in South Wales Coal Mines
1902		124 working mines in Western Monmouthshire
1902		Sinking of Coronation Colliery (Nine Mile Point) begins. West Shaft 392 yards east shaft 383 yards.
1902		Survey estimates that 225 Million tons of Coal exists between Crosskeys and Pontllanfraith.
1908		The Great Hurricane of 1908. 31st August - 2nd September. In Gwent it was considered "the worst storm in living memory"
1911		Miners' Institute constructed in Crosskeys out of Lodge funds. It contained one of the most up-to-date libraries in Monmouthshire
1916		Miners' Institute constructed in Risca
1918		Serious gob fire at the Blackvein Colliery (12th July - 9th August)
c. 1920		First Bus Services begin in the valleys
1923		Risca and Crosskeys Advertiser first published by Yendall & Co. Ltd (12th May) The "Advertiser" - a free journal - was later renamed the Risca & Blackwood Advertiser.
1926		General Strike and lock-out - time of mass demonstrations and riots.
1926		May 22nd Massive demonstration in the Western Valleys - thousands of people from Abercarn, Crosskeys, Pontymister, Risca, Wattsville, Bedwas and Machen marched on Newport to protest on the lack of poor relief.
1930		Commercial use of the Crumlin branch of the Monmouthshire Canal ceases
1930		Pithead Baths opened at the North Risca Colliery - August
1935		"Stay down strike" at Nine Mile Point Colliery and the North Risca Colliery near Cross keys. 186 miners stage a stay down strike at the "Risca Pit" for 72hrs. 177hrs underground at the Nine Mile Point Colliery.
1947		Nationalisation of the Coal Mines
1952		Crumlin Viaduct scheduled for preservation.
1964		Nine Mile Point Colliery closed.
1967		North Risca Colliery at Cross keys closed. (or July66?)
1967		Crumlin Viaduct demolished
1970		Nine Mile Point coal tip and colliery removed - now known as Nine Mile Point Industrial Estate.
1972		1630th edition of the "Advertiser" was published and printed by The Starling Press Ltd
1974		Local goverment re-organisation - "Monmouthshire becomes Gwent"
1974		Miners Strike
1979		Ten pits left in Gwent
1984		Miners strike
1985		Celynen South Colliery at Abercarn closed
1996		Gwent (Old Monmouthshire) is broken up into five Unitary Authorities Blaenau Gwent, Caerphilly, Monmouthshire, Newport and Torfaen