Hendreladais Colliery

Overview

A steeply inclined anthracite drift mine near Ystradgynlais, developed from around 1840 as part of the Ynyscedwyn Iron Company's works. Six men were killed on 24 August 1892 when a man-riding incline's haulage engine was left unattended and the carriages ran out of control (see Disasters, below).

History

Hendreladais — also spelled Hendreladus or Hendre-ladis — was developed as a steeply inclined anthracite drift mine around 1840 as part of the Ynyscedwyn Iron Company, about a mile east of the village of Ynyscedwyn. George Crane, who acquired the company in the early 1840s, owned five collieries supplying fuel and ore to his furnaces; under the pioneering work of David Thomas, Ynyscedwyn Ironworks became the first ironworks to smelt iron using anthracite coal. After Crane's death in 1846 his son Patrick ran the company, but within a few years it fell into financial difficulty and the bankers Marryett and Pryce took over; the ironworks closed in 1869 and the site was later used by the Welsh Tin Plate Company. The colliery itself was owned by Price & Maryatt in 1858, J. Maryat in 1860–5, and the Yniscedwyn Iron Company in 1869–85. In 1887 it passed to the Hendreladais Colliery Company, working the Brass Vein under manager Enoch Powell. It consisted of the Balance Pit and the Old and New Pits; the New Pit was sunk to 286 feet 7 inches, reaching the Nine-Feet seam, while the Black Vein (3 feet thick) lay at 63 feet 8 inches and the Four-Feet seam at 96 feet 9 inches. On 24 August 1892 six men were killed in a runaway man-riding accident on the drift's incline (see Disasters, below). Hendreladais was later absorbed into the neighbouring Yniscedwyn Colliery. Under the Inspector of Mines' 1896 return, the combined Yniscedwyn workings employed 225 men under the Ystradgynlais Colliery Co.; by 1908, under the South Wales Anthracite Colliery Co., the workforce had grown to 619, falling to 386 by 1918 under the Yniscedwyn Anthracite Co. By 1923 the Gurnos Anthracite Collieries Co. employed 528 at what was by then called Ynyscedwyn Slant, producing from the Big and Peacock seams; Amalgamated Anthracite Collieries Ltd was in charge by 1938 (642 men) and 1945 (504 men).

Geology

Worked the Brass Vein, Black Vein (3ft, at 63ft 8in), Four-Feet seam (at 96ft 9in) and Nine-Feet seam (at 286ft 7in) of the South Wales anthracite field.

Workings

A steeply inclined anthracite drift with a Balance Pit and Old and New Pits; man-riding carriages ("bridles") were hauled up and down the incline by a rope-driven haulage engine.

Closure

Absorbed into the neighbouring Yniscedwyn Colliery; the exact date of the takeover is not recorded in the source read for this pass.

What remains

Unknown.

Related mines

• Yniscedwyn Colliery — Hendreladais was later absorbed into the neighbouring Yniscedwyn Colliery, becoming part of its combined workings.

Nearby mines

• Yniscedwyn Colliery — 1.8 km S
• International Colliery, Abercrave — 2.1 km E
• Henllys Vale Colliery — 2.6 km N, Neath Port Talbot
• Seven Sisters Colliery — 2.7 km SE, Neath Port Talbot
• Abercrave Colliery — 3.2 km E

Straight-line distance, within 15 km. Show on the map.

Disasters & major incidents

• Hendreladais Colliery Man-Riding Accident, 1892
  24 August 1892 · Haulage / Transport · 6 fatalities
  A haulage engine left unattended let man-riding carriages run out of control down the colliery's steep incline at the start of the night shift, killing six men and seriously injuring three more.

Recorded claims

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

• Developed around 1840 as part of the Ynyscedwyn Iron Company, one of five collieries George Crane owned to supply his furnaces; the associated ironworks was the first to smelt iron using anthracite coal, and closed in 1869. ¹
• Consisted of the Balance Pit and the Old and New Pits; the New Pit reached 286ft 7in to the Nine-Feet seam, with the Black Vein at 63ft 8in and the Four-Feet seam at 96ft 9in. ²
• Six men were killed on 24 August 1892 when a runaway man-riding incline accident occurred at the colliery. ¹
• Later absorbed into the neighbouring Yniscedwyn Colliery, whose combined workforce is recorded from 1896 (225 men) through to 1945 (504 men) under a succession of owners including Amalgamated Anthracite Collieries Ltd by 1938. ¹

Photographs & further reading

Sources

1. (secondary) Abercrave (Hendreladus Colliery) — Welsh Coal Mines
2. (secondary) Small collieries of the Swansea Valley: Waunlwyd Colliery — Northern Mine Research Society (read via a 2024 Wayback Machine capture)

Record created: 15 September 2026 · Last researched: 15 September 2026