Archibald Hood (June 1823 – 27 October 1902) was a Scottish engineer and coalowner who became an important figure in the industrial growth of the
Rhondda Valley
Rhondda , or the Rhondda Valley ( cy, Cwm Rhondda ), is a former coalmining area in South Wales, historically in the county of Glamorgan. It takes its name from the River Rhondda, and embraces two valleys – the larger Rhondda Fawr valley ...
. The son of a colliery official, Hood would make his name as a coalowner of collieries first in Scotland and later in
Llwynypia
Llwynypia ( cy, Llwynypia ) is a village and community (Wales), community (and electoral ward) in Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales, near Tonypandy in the Rhondda Fawr Valley. Before 1850 a lightly populated rural farming area, Llwynypia experienced a popu ...
in
South Wales
South Wales ( cy, De Cymru) is a loosely defined region of Wales bordered by England to the east and mid Wales to the north. Generally considered to include the historic counties of Glamorgan and Monmouthshire, south Wales extends westwards ...
.
History
Early history
Hood was born in June 1823 in
Kilmarnock
Kilmarnock (, sco, Kilmaurnock; gd, Cill Mheàrnaig (IPA: ʰʲɪʎˈveaːɾnəkʲ, "Marnock's church") is a large town and former burgh in East Ayrshire, Scotland and is the administrative centre of East Ayrshire, East Ayrshire Council. ...
, Ayrshire. His father was a colliery foreman.
His mother had died, so Hood's father brought him up alone, and he received little education – aged thirteen he was employed at his father's colliery.
[Carpenter (2000) p. 26] At the age of 17, after his father was promoted to colliery manager, Hood was able to take classes and qualified as a mining engineer.
In 1856 Hood began expanding his business; leasing Whitehill Colliery at
Rosewell (then owned by
Archibald Primrose, 4th Earl of Rosebery
Archibald John Primrose, 4th Earl of Rosebery (14 October 1783 – 4 March 1868), styled Viscount Primrose until 1814, was a British politician.
He was the eldest son of Neil Primrose, 3rd Earl of Rosebery and his second wife, Mary Vincent. Prim ...
). His successes in expanding and improving the Rosewell colliery allowed Hood to expand his operations, and he soon managed several pits in the area (including
Carrington and
Polton
Polton is a village located in Lasswade parish, Midlothian, Scotland, anciently a superiority of the Ramsay family, cadets of Dalhousie. In 1618 David Ramsay of Polton was in possession. (See: ''Analecta Scotica'', Edinburgh, 1834).
Notable res ...
, to which he extended the railway lines).
Hood not only improved the mines in his ownership, he also made provision to improve the living conditions for his workers. He built houses for his workers and their families, and ensured that each house had a garden to provide a small holding.
Hood set up home in Rosewell, living at Rosedale house with his family.
Welsh interests
In 1860, Hood joined the Ely Valley Coal Company in
Tonyrefail
Tonyrefail is a village and community in the Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough, Wales. It is situated at the head of the River Ely; northwest of Llantrisant, about from Trebanog and about from Williamstown. During the second half of the 19th ...
in the Rhondda in Wales, an area which was undergoing a massive industrial coal boom. He bought Gilfach House in
Gilfach Goch
Gilfach Goch is a community, electoral ward and small former coal mining village mostly in the Borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, south Wales, near the larger community of Tonyrefail. Some areas in the North Western part of the village lie within Br ...
, from where he would live during his initial years in the Rhondda.
In 1862 he changed the name of the Ely Valley Coal Company to the
Glamorgan Coal Company and took ownership of it.
In March 1863, after acquiring mineral rights from the local land owners, he sank a pit in
Llwynypia
Llwynypia ( cy, Llwynypia ) is a village and community (Wales), community (and electoral ward) in Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales, near Tonypandy in the Rhondda Fawr Valley. Before 1850 a lightly populated rural farming area, Llwynypia experienced a popu ...
.
In 1864 the pit reached the No.2 seam and 1865 the No.3 seam was reached.
His colliery at Llwynypia was known for the high level of Scottish workers who followed Hood to the area and for the quality of the coke from the site. To protect his interests in the Welsh coalfields he moved permanently to Wales in 1867, residing with his family at 'Sherwood' on Newport Road in
Cardiff
Cardiff (; cy, Caerdydd ) is the capital and largest city of Wales. It forms a principal area, officially known as the City and County of Cardiff ( cy, Dinas a Sir Caerdydd, links=no), and the city is the eleventh-largest in the United Kingd ...
, though he kept ownership of Rosedale in Rosewell.
As he had done so in Scotland, Hood also ensured that homes were built for his workers. Following the model in Rosewell, Hood ensured the buildings each had their own garden, and these building in Llwynypia became known as the 'Scotch Houses'.
Hood also ensured that an education system existed for the children of his workers, he built a
miners' institute
Miners' institutes, sometimes known as ''workingmen's institutes'', ''mine workers' institutes'', or ''miners' welfare halls'' are large institutional buildings that were typically built during the height of the industrial period as a meeting and ...
, which housed a library and a swimming baths for sporting interests.
[Carpenter (2000) p. 27]
During the 1880s Hood became a leading promoter in the construction of a new railway line to
Barry, Vale of Glamorgan
Barry ( cy, Y Barri; ) is a town in the Vale of Glamorgan, Wales, on the north coast of the Bristol Channel approximately south-southwest of Cardiff. Barry is a seaside resort, with attractions including several beaches and the resurrected Bar ...
, in a bid to find an alternative route to the monopoly controlled by the
Taff Vale Railway
The Taff Vale Railway (TVR) was a standard gauge railway in South Wales, built by the Taff Vale Railway Company to serve the iron and coal industries around Merthyr Tydfil and to connect them with docks in Cardiff. It was opened in stag ...
and
Cardiff Docks
Cardiff Docks ( cy, Dociau Caerdydd) is a port in southern Cardiff, Wales. At its peak, the port was one of the largest dock systems in the world with a total quayage of almost . Once the main port for the export of South Wales coal, the Port ...
.
He and other pit owners persuaded
David Davies of
Ocean Collieries, to develop a dock at Barry, which Davies saw to fruition in 1889. Davies placed himself as Deputy Chairman of the newly formed
Barry Railway Company
The Barry Railway Company was a railway and docks company in South Wales, first incorporated as the ''Barry Dock and Railway Company'' in 1884. It arose out of frustration among Rhondda coal owners at congestion and high charges at Cardiff Dock ...
, but died just a year after its completion in 1890. Hood took over as Deputy chairman on Davies' death and saw through line expansions as well as the construction of the number 2 dock in Barry.
Despite now being based in Wales, Hood ensured that his businesses in Scotland continued to grow. In 1890 he arranged for the amalgamation of his Whitehall colliery in Midlothian with the Newbattle pits owned by
Schomberg Kerr, 9th Marquess of Lothian
Schomberg Henry Kerr, 9th Marquess of Lothian, (2 December 1833 – 17 January 1900), styled Lord Schomberg Kerr until 1870, was a British diplomat and Conservative politician. He served as Secretary for Scotland under Lord Salisbury betwee ...
. The resulting company was known as Lothian Coal Company.
Around this time his son, James Hood (1859–1941), became general manager of the Lothian Coal Company, moving back to Scotland.
Death
Hood died in Cardiff on 27 October 1902.
Due to the high esteem in which he was held, his workers decided to fund a memorial in his honour. The miners contributed to a statue to be built, amassing over £600 for its construction. The 7ft6inch bronze statue was erected on the grounds of Llwynypia Library, pointing towards his colliery and was unveiled in July 1906 by
William Abraham William Abraham is the name of:
* William Abraham (Irish politician) (1840–1915), Irish Parliamentary Party Member of Parliament in the British House of Commons
* William Abraham (trade unionist) (1842–1922), Welsh Liberal-Labour Member of Parl ...
(Mabon). It was the first public statue in the Rhondda.
References
Bibliography
*
*
External links
The Gazetteer for ScotlandArchibald Hood entry
Archibald Hood profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hood, Archibald
1823 births
1902 deaths
Scottish engineers
British businesspeople in the coal industry
People from Kilmarnock
19th-century Scottish businesspeople
19th-century British engineers