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Abercanaid ( cy, Abercannaid) is a small village in the
, See Page 22 and 23. and another 34 on 20 December 1865 Gethin Pit Disaster 1865
, See Pages 41 to 44. The village has three
series, 'Coming Home' and was greeted by the pupils including Robyn Williams who performed a selection of songs for her, including her own hit-song Downtown.
Another former Abercanaid pupil and resident is synth, FX and sampler Lyndon Jones of the now disbanded band Midasuno.
At the time of the disaster which occurred in 1862, the mine was being managed by John Moody and various others such as his Son ( Thomas Pearson Moody). Thomas Thomas, the fireman who ran the safety checks of the mine. reported: “All is right, but there is a little gas in John Jones’ heading, "No.20 about 10 yards back from the face there had been a bit of a fall above the timbers and gas was lodged there.”
John Moody, after testifying, was acquitted of 2 charges, however he was found guilty of manslaughter by the jury. Later, a grand jury heard the evidence and produced the verdict of "No true bill".
Old Merthyr Tydfil: Abercanaid
- Historical Photographs of Abercanaid.
www.geograph.co.uk:
photos of Abercanaid and surrounding area {{authority control Villages in Merthyr Tydfil County Borough
Abercanaid ( cy, Abercannaid) is a small village in the county borough
County borough is a term introduced in 1889 in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, to refer to a borough or a city independent of county council control, similar to the unitary authorities created since the 1990s. An equivalent te ...
of Merthyr Tydfil, Glamorgan, Wales
Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...
, United Kingdom with a population of about 5,060. It is situated south of Merthyr town centre and is west of Pentrebach
Pentrebach (, sometimes written Pentre-Bach, literally: ''small village'') is a village in Merthyr Tydfil County Borough, Wales and is formed from the original settlements of Lower Pentrebach, Tai-bach and Duffryn.
It lies on the east side of th ...
, across the River Taff
The River Taff ( cy, Afon Taf) is a river in Wales. It rises as two rivers in the Brecon Beacons; the Taf Fechan (''little Taff'') and the Taf Fawr (''great Taff'') before becoming one just north of Merthyr Tydfil. Its confluence with th ...
and north of Troedyrhiw
Troed-y-rhiw (, translation: foot of the slope) is a large community (Wales), community village in the county borough of Merthyr Tydfil County Borough, Merthyr Tydfil, Wales. Its population at the United Kingdom Census 2011, 2011 census was 5,296 ...
. The Taff Trail
The Taff Trail ( cy, Taith Taf) is a popular walking and cycle path that runs for between Cardiff Bay and Brecon in Wales. It is so named because it follows the course of the River Taff. Along much of its length, it follows the National Cycl ...
runs through the village, adjacent to the path of the disused Glamorganshire Canal
The Glamorganshire Canal in South Wales, UK, was begun in 1790. It ran along the valley of the River Taff from Merthyr Tydfil to the sea at Cardiff. The final section of canal was closed in 1951.
History
Construction started in 1790; being ...
, which was an important in transporting iron and coal during the industrial boom in which the South Wales Valleys prospered.
It forms part of three villages in the Plymouth Electoral Ward, along with Pentrebach
Pentrebach (, sometimes written Pentre-Bach, literally: ''small village'') is a village in Merthyr Tydfil County Borough, Wales and is formed from the original settlements of Lower Pentrebach, Tai-bach and Duffryn.
It lies on the east side of th ...
and Troedyrhiw.
History and amenities
Most of the Housing Estate was built in 1860 to sustain the collieries. The Waun Wyllt colliery was opened as a level mine in 1824 and was later renamed the Abercanaid Colliery. Gethin Colliery was located close to the canal and was sunk in 1849. There were two serious accidents at the colliery where 47 men and boys died on 19 February 1862 Gethin Pit Disaster 1862, See Page 22 and 23. and another 34 on 20 December 1865 Gethin Pit Disaster 1865
, See Pages 41 to 44. The village has three
public house
A pub (short for public house) is a kind of drinking establishment which is licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term ''public house'' first appeared in the United Kingdom in late 17th century, and wa ...
s, The Colliers Arms, The Richards Arms and Llywnyreos Inn respectively. The Richards Arms boast the football side for the village, whereas The Colliers Arms and Llywnyreos are more notable for their involvement in local league darts. At one time, Abercanaid had a total of seven pubs: the aforementioned three, The Duffryn Arms, The White Hart, The Glamorgan Arms and The Gethin Inn.
The Glamorganshire Canal
The Glamorganshire Canal in South Wales, UK, was begun in 1790. It ran along the valley of the River Taff from Merthyr Tydfil to the sea at Cardiff. The final section of canal was closed in 1951.
History
Construction started in 1790; being ...
passed along the edge of the Village. This was constructed around 1800 and fell into decline following the construction of the railways and eventual became disused. Abercanaid was one of the stations on the Quakers Yard and Merthyr Railway. The line and the Station became disused in the 1960s and now the village is served by the nearby Pentrebach Train Station.
Chapel Street was so named because of the three chapels that once stood in it, the only existing one left being the Zion Chapel on the corner of Cardiff Street. Graig Chapel was demolished in the late 1990s, being replaced by houses. The local church is St. Peter and Paul.
Work began on construction of a new, modern school, known as Abercanaid Community School in October 2001. The school is situated on the site of Abercanaid Park and is run by long-time headteacher Mike Sullivan. The school officially opened on 22 January 2003. The school acts as a feeder school to Afon Taf High School, Cyfarthfa High School
Cyfarthfa High School is a comprehensive school, based in Merthyr Tydfil County Borough, Wales, that was established in 1970. Cyfarthfa means "Place of the barking (dog)" in Welsh and the school crest reflects this.
Origins
The school was ...
and Bishop Hedley High School
Bishop Hedley High School is a Roman Catholic secondary school, established in 1967, and located in Penydarren, Merthyr Tydfil, South Wales. The vast majority of the pupils of the school stem from the Heads of the Valleys, serving parishes from ...
.
A famous ex-pupil of the school is Petula Clark
Petula Sally Olwen Clark, CBE (born 15 November 1932) is an English singer, actress, and composer. She has one of the longest serving careers of a British singer, spanning more than seven decades.
Clark's professional career began during the ...
, who spent sometime as a child in the village living with family. She returned to Abercanaid on 24 January 2007 as part of the BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...Gethin Pit disaster
The Gethin Pit, pictured on the right, was established in 1849, when sunk byWilliam Crawshay II
William Crawshay II (27 March 1788 – 4 August 1867) was the son of William Crawshay I, the owner of Cyfarthfa Ironworks in Merthyr Tydfil, Wales.
William Crawshay II became an ironmaster when he took over the business from his father. He wa ...
. The Pits' remains can be found two and a half miles from Merthyr Tydfil, situated next to the Merthyr Canal. Gethin Pit was a supplier of coal for Crawshay's other business ventures. Two major mining disasters occurred at Gethin Pit, one in 1862 and another in 1865. The disasters, although seen as dangerous in the modern day perspective, were a regular occurrence in the 19th Century.
At the time of the disaster which occurred in 1862, the mine was being managed by John Moody and various others such as his Son ( Thomas Pearson Moody). Thomas Thomas, the fireman who ran the safety checks of the mine. reported: “All is right, but there is a little gas in John Jones’ heading, "No.20 about 10 yards back from the face there had been a bit of a fall above the timbers and gas was lodged there.”
Cause
This disaster occurred in Pit 1 at Gethin Pit 1. One of the potential causes for the disaster was a build-up of gases, which eventually met with the naked flame. Due to the size of the pit, it was seriously lacking ventilation. Therefore, when the built up gases hit the naked flame; It ignited the gas causing the explosion in Pit 1. The insufficiency of theventilation
Ventilation may refer to:
* Ventilation (physiology), the movement of air between the environment and the lungs via inhalation and exhalation
** Mechanical ventilation, in medicine, using artificial methods to assist breathing
*** Ventilator, a m ...
as well as the poor design of the Pit, for example, with not enough air pits (as pictured below), contributed to the increased risk and probability of a gas explosion. The cause of the explosion is known as firedamp
Firedamp is any flammable gas found in coal mines, typically coalbed methane. It is particularly found in areas where the coal is bituminous. The gas accumulates in pockets in the coal and adjacent strata and when they are penetrated the releas ...
, as mentioned in the Gethin Colliery Account.
Official Inquiry
In the Inquiries of the disasters of 1862 and 1865, there is evidence of negligence against the colliery's manager, John Moody. The Inquiry into the 1862 disaster took 9 days. On both accounts the presence of poorventilation
Ventilation may refer to:
* Ventilation (physiology), the movement of air between the environment and the lungs via inhalation and exhalation
** Mechanical ventilation, in medicine, using artificial methods to assist breathing
*** Ventilator, a m ...
, fire-damp and the irresponsible use of naked flames for lighting are found as the root causes of the explosions. Detailed inquest can be found in the 1863 (103) Gethin Colliery accident. Copy of report of Mr. John Kenyon Blackwell on the subject of the accident at Gethin colliery, South Wales, in the early part of 1862. Information from eyewitnesses of the court inquiries and the disasters can be found 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 ...
and Merthyr
Merthyr Tydfil (; cy, Merthyr Tudful ) is the main town in Merthyr Tydfil County Borough, Wales, administered by Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council. It is about north of Cardiff. Often called just Merthyr, it is said to be named after Tydf ...
newspapers.Cardiff and Merthyr newspapers Explosion in Gethin Pit’, The Abadare Times, 1 March 1862 The colliery today
As it stands today, there is no memorial or marker for the remains of the pit, as disasters like this were not out of the ordinary at the time period at question. This was evident due to the fact that in 1865 another disaster took place for the same reasons and once again John Moody was again acquitted of manslaughter at the trial.List of Casualties
Notable people
*Petula Clark
Petula Sally Olwen Clark, CBE (born 15 November 1932) is an English singer, actress, and composer. She has one of the longest serving careers of a British singer, spanning more than seven decades.
Clark's professional career began during the ...
— singer, actress, and composer.
References
External links
Old Merthyr Tydfil: Abercanaid
- Historical Photographs of Abercanaid.
www.geograph.co.uk:
photos of Abercanaid and surrounding area {{authority control Villages in Merthyr Tydfil County Borough