MineArchiveNorth Duffryn Colliery
| Also known as | North Duffryn Pits |
|---|---|
| Location | Troedyrhiw, south of Merthyr Tydfil — 51.7220, -3.3499 (approximate) |
| Commodity | Coal |
| Type | Coal |
| Worked | 1837–1908 |
| Maximum depth | 213 yards |
| Operators | Hill's Plymouth Company (1837–?), Powell Duffryn Associated Collieries (1935–?) |
Overview
Two pits at Troedyrhiw, south of Merthyr Tydfil, sunk by the Plymouth ironworks company from 1837 to the Nine Feet and Five Feet seams. By 1869 No. 1 was only an upcast for South Duffryn; the colliery was abandoned in 1908, but its shafts were still ventilating neighbouring workings in 1947.
History
The Plymouth Iron and Coal Company sank North Duffryn No. 1 Pit at Troedyrhiw in 1837, reaching the Nine Feet seam at 162 yards. No. 2 Pit was sunk to the Lower Five Feet seam at 213 yards.
The Plymouth collieries featured prominently in the Royal Commission's inquiry into children's employment underground. Their pits and levels then employed 90 boys and 25 girls under 13, as well as 80 women. Susan Reece, aged 6, had worked underground for six or eight months, and Mary Davies, also 6, told the commissioners that she sometimes fell asleep and thought the rats stole her bread and cheese. Evidence like theirs led directly to the Mines Act of 1842, which banned women and children under ten from working underground.
By 1869 No. 1 Pit served only as an upcast shaft for South Duffryn and Taibach. The colliery was put up for auction in August 1882 and abandoned in 1908, but both shafts were still used for ventilation in 1947. Powell Duffryn took over the Plymouth collieries in 1935.
Geology
The Nine Feet seam at 162 yards and the Lower Five Feet at 213 yards.
Workings
Two shafts: No. 1 to the Nine Feet at 162 yards, used only as an upcast for South Duffryn and Taibach by 1869; No. 2 to the Lower Five Feet at 213 yards.
Closure
Abandoned in 1908; both shafts were still used for ventilation in 1947.
What remains
Unknown.
Redevelopment
Unknown.
Related mines
- South Duffryn Colliery — North Duffryn No. 1 served as an upcast for South Duffryn from 1869; joint plans.
Nearby mines
- Graig Colliery, Pentrebach — 0.4 miles (0.6 km) NW
- Castle Pit, Troedyrhiw — 0.6 miles (0.9 km) SW
- South Duffryn Colliery — 0.6 miles (1.0 km) SW
- Ffos-y-Fran — 0.7 miles (1.1 km) NW
- Clynmill Colliery — 1.1 miles (1.8 km) NW
Straight-line distance, within 9 miles (15 km). Show on the map.
Recorded claims
Individual factual claims, each attached to the source(s) that support it below. Where sources disagree, both are kept.
- No. 1 Pit was sunk in 1837 to the Nine Feet seam at 162 yards, and No. 2 to the Lower Five Feet at 213 yards. 1
- In the early 1840s the Plymouth pits and levels employed 90 boys and 25 girls under 13 and 80 women. 1
- By 1869 No. 1 Pit was used solely as an upcast for South Duffryn and Taibach. 1
- Abandoned in 1908; both shafts were still used for ventilation in 1947. 1
- The North Duffryn pits are recorded on joint plans with Taibach, the Graig pits and South Duffryn. 2,3
Photographs & further reading
Sinking, the 1842 children's evidence from the Plymouth collieries, and the shafts' later use for ventilation.
View sourceSources
- (secondary) Welsh Coal Mines: North Duffryn, Merthyr — Welsh Coal Mines
- (primary) Plymouth Graig, Taibach, North Duffryn, South Duffryn (Mining Remediation Authority abandonment plan, via BGS catalogue item 21843368) — British Geological Survey / Mining Remediation Authority
- (primary) BGS / Mining Remediation Authority mine plan: TAIBACH / GRAIG PITS / NORTH DUFFRYN PITS — British Geological Survey
Record created: 10 October 2026 · Last researched: 10 October 2026