Gorsgoch Colliery

Overview

An early anthracite mine, worked jointly with Cross Hands Colliery before 1830 and then by rival owners, who drove down to the lower seams, struck heavy water and pumped it into the old upper workings until a court order stopped them because it was flooding Cross Hands. It changed hands repeatedly, reaching 30 tons a day by drift and shaft in the 1870s, and was abandoned in 1885 by the Gorsgoch Coal, Brick and Lime Company.

History

Gorsgoch was working in the early 1800s in joint ownership with the Cross Hands Colliery, sharing roadways with it; its owners included Major Evans and Sir William Paxman. By 1830 it was under different owners from Cross Hands, and they decided to drift down to the lower measures. They met copious water and installed a pumping engine to pump it into the old workings of the upper level, which caused problems for Cross Hands, and they were forced by court order to pump elsewhere. William Sayes owned it from 1854 to 1859, and Benjamin Jones between 1860 and 1862; he abandoned it in 1864, reopened it in 1865 and worked it until 1867. The Gorsgoch and Rhos Colliery Company had it in 1869, and it was back with Benjamin Jones by 1871. In 1872 the Carmarthenshire Anthracite Coal and Iron Company took it over and worked it through a drift and a shaft, producing 30 tons of coal a day, but closed it in 1875. The Gorsgoch Coal, Brick and Lime Company reopened it in 1881 and abandoned it in 1885. Its abandonment plans record the Upper Six Feet, Upper Nine Feet (Stanllyd or Big), Middle and Lower Nine Feet, Bute and Upper Gellideg seams, and some are drawn together with Emlyn No. 1 slant and the old Gilfach slant.

Geology

Anthracite: the Upper Six Feet (Upper Trichwart), Upper Nine Feet (Stanllyd or Big), Middle Nine Feet (Gras Uchaf), Lower Nine Feet (Gras Isaf), Bute (Charcoal) and Upper Gellideg (Lower Trichwart) seams.

Geological setting: Sedimentary Beds and Seams (historical documentary reference)

Workings

A drift to the lower measures with a pumping engine, and in the 1870s a drift and a shaft; some plans are combined with Emlyn No. 1 slant and Gilfach slant.

Closure

Abandoned in 1885 by the Gorsgoch Coal, Brick and Lime Company, after earlier closures in 1864 and 1875.

What remains

Unknown.

Unknown.

Redevelopment

Unknown.

Related mines

• Cross Hands Colliery — Worked jointly with Cross Hands before 1830; a court order stopped Gorsgoch pumping its water into workings that affected Cross Hands.
• Emlyn Colliery — Gorsgoch's plans are combined with Emlyn No. 1 slant.

People

• Benjamin Jones · owner, 1860–1871 — Owner of Gorsgoch 1860-67 and again in 1871.
• William Sayes · owner, 1854–1859 — Owner of Gorsgoch Colliery 1854-59.

What's uncertain

Points where sources disagree or the record could not be settled; both accounts are kept. All open questions in the archive.

• NMRS gives Gorsgoch a Brynamman grid reference (706132), but its association with Cross Hands and its plans shared with Emlyn Colliery point to the Gors-goch area near Penygroes; the position is left unset. (disputed) ^1,3

Recorded claims

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

• Around 1830 Gorsgoch's owners drove to the lower measures, struck water and pumped it into the old upper workings; this affected Cross Hands Colliery and a court order forced them to pump elsewhere. ¹
• Owners included William Sayes (1854-59), Benjamin Jones (1860-67 and 1871), the Gorsgoch and Rhos Colliery Co. (1869), the Carmarthenshire Anthracite Coal and Iron Co. (1872-75) and the Gorsgoch Coal, Brick and Lime Co. (1881-85). ¹
• In the 1870s it was worked through a drift and a shaft, producing 30 tons of coal a day. ¹
• Mining Remediation Authority plans titled Gorsgoch cover six anthracite seams from the Upper Six Feet to the Upper Gellideg, and others combine Gorsgoch with Emlyn No. 1 slant and Gilfach slant. ^2,3
• NMRS gives Gorsgoch a Brynamman grid reference (706132), but its association with Cross Hands and its plans shared with Emlyn Colliery point to the Gors-goch area near Penygroes; the position is left unset. (disputed) ^1,3

Photographs & further reading

Sources

1. (secondary) Gorsgoch Colliery — Northern Mine Research Society (Ray Lawrence)
2. (primary) BGS / Mining Remediation Authority mine plans: GORSGOCH (Upper Six Feet to Upper Gellideg) — British Geological Survey / Mining Remediation Authority
3. (primary) BGS / Mining Remediation Authority mine plans: EMLYN NO 1 SLANT, GORSGOCH, GILFACH SLANT OLD — British Geological Survey / Mining Remediation Authority

Record created: 18 September 2026 · Last researched: 18 September 2026