Abercorris Slate Quarry

Overview

A slate quarry, also known as Cwmodyn quarry, worked at Corris Uchaf from the mid-1840s through a long series of short-lived companies -- including one whose 1887 collapse produced a still-cited landmark case in English company law -- until commercial extraction finally ended in the early 1950s.

History

Quarrying began on land belonging to Craig-y-Fachddu Farm in the mid-1840s, with the 1851 census recording a quarry agent, John Parry, already in post. Thomas Green of London leased the site in 1863 and began commercial quarrying; in 1874, amid a boom in slate demand, the Cwmodyn Slate & Slab Quarry Company was formed to work it, but the boom proved short-lived and the company was sold at auction in 1878 as demand slumped. J.W. Orchard acquired the quarry and resumed operations, reaching production of 4,173 tons of finished slate worth £11,600 in 1882; under Orchard's direction the Abercorris Slate and Slab Company Limited was established in 1883, but it failed in 1886 and was wound up in February 1887, its collapse producing the landmark case Levy v Abercorris Slate and Slab Co, still cited in English law today on the legal nature of a company debenture. A reconstituted company reopened the quarry in June 1890 with 40 employees but was itself liquidated by November 1891; W. John Lewis and Arthur T. Carr restarted operations in 1893, and by 1909 the quarry's owners were coordinating sales with the neighbouring Ratgoed and Cymerau quarries. Output fell sharply, to just 310 tons in 1910; the quarry closed during the First World War, reopened briefly in 1920 under T.O. Williams and C. Humphries, and was wound up again by 1928. Sporadic small-scale working continued under the owners of Braichgoch quarry in the mid-1930s and early 1950s, marking the site's final phase of commercial slate extraction, which ended in the early 1950s.

Workings

Two hillside workings developing into pits up to 1,000 feet in altitude, accessed by tunnels, with slate lowered by incline to a mill around 600 feet below, powered first by water and later by an oil engine.

Closure

Wound up as a going concern by 1928; sporadic small-scale working under Braichgoch quarry's owners continued into the early 1950s, when commercial extraction finally ended.

What remains

Ruins of the quarry buildings survive on site.

Ruined quarry buildings.

Abandoned workings can be dangerous — unstable ground, uncapped shafts, flooding and bad air are common even where a site looks safe from the surface. This entry describes history and general location only; it is not an access guide.

Recorded claims

Individual factual claims, each attached to the source(s) that support it below. Where sources disagree, both are kept.

• Under J.W. Orchard the quarry produced 4,173 tons of finished slate valued at £11,600 in 1882. ¹
• The Abercorris Slate and Slab Company Limited, established in 1883, failed in 1886 and was wound up in February 1887; the case arising from its collapse, Levy v Abercorris Slate and Slab Co, remains a cited authority in English company law on the legal nature of a debenture. ¹
• The quarry's owners were coordinating sales with the neighbouring Ratgoed and Cymerau quarries by 1909; output fell to 310 tons in 1910, and the company was wound up by 1928, with only sporadic small-scale working under Braichgoch's owners continuing into the early 1950s. ²

Sources

1. (secondary) Abercorris quarry — Wikipedia
2. (secondary) Cwmodyn or Abercorris Quarry — Pugh Family Genealogy — Grant Online

Record created: 30 August 2026 · Last researched: 30 August 2026