IRON
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COAL
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COAL
In 1815 the 12 mile long Bryn Oer tramroad was constructed from Nantybwch, Princetown, Bryn Brith, Bryn Oer Patch and Trevil Quarries to connect to Talybont on the Brecknock and Abergavenny Canal which went from Brecon to Newport. A little later a tram branch line was connected to the Rhymney Iron Works. It carried lime and pitwood from Talybont and iron and coal in the reverse direction..
An early tramroad from Bassaleg (Newport) to the Bute Iron Works in Rhymney was opened in 1826 to convey the iron and coal to Newport docks for export.
The Rhymney Union Iron Works was formed in 1835 with 10,000 shares at £50 each and a capital of £500,000.
An early tramroad from Bassaleg (Newport) to the Bute Iron Works in Rhymney was opened in 1826 to convey the iron and coal to Newport docks for export.
The Rhymney Union Iron Works was formed in 1835 with 10,000 shares at £50 each and a capital of £500,000.
The Rhymney Iron Company was formed in 1837 and was consolidated by a deed settlement on 14 November 1837 under agents Henry Bowles, W Taylor Copeland, W Thomson and John Pirie.
In 1855 the Castle Hotel, Rhymney, was built to house some of the workforce that was moving to the area.
The Use of Charcoal in the Making of Iron
Charcoal was used to smelt the iron, with the result that the woodlands were being rapidly destroyed and measures were taken to conserve what remained of the trees. The iron-masters, in their search for new virgin timber areas, came to the remote and sparsely-populated districts of Glamorgan and Monmouthshire.
In the northern part of the Rhymney Valley coal, ironstone and limestone appear abundantly in outcrops. In the earlier ironworks wood was used for fuel and the hillsides were stripped of trees for making charcoal. The manufacture of charcoal used to be an extensive industry and traces of the old charring sites abound and some of these are in evidence in the woodland slopes of Groesfaen and Brithdir.
It is thought that charcoal was used in great quantities in the local smelting process from the outset, however, this has now been disproved since insufficient trees were available in the area, the Dowlais and Rhymney areas being located at approximately 1000 ft above sea level and thus above the local tree line.
The following is further evidence to support the above regarding the production of charcoal.
8 tons of wood are required to produce 1 ton of charcoal
1.5 tons of charcoal are required to melt 1 ton of pig iron. (12 tons of wood)
The following is further evidence to support the above regarding the production of charcoal.
8 tons of wood are required to produce 1 ton of charcoal
1.5 tons of charcoal are required to melt 1 ton of pig iron. (12 tons of wood)