The history of Welsh mining is littered with tragic accidents that scarred villages and valleys, destroyed families and cut a swathe through the life of so many tiny communities. But in those days there were no mining inspectors to check on aspects of safety; some reports say the miners had already left the pit once that day because they were concerned about safety, only to be sent back to finish their shifts. The cause of the disaster was put down to the pressure of the water - that particular heading had not, previously, been worked at high water. Many of the dead miners were related to each other and one of the most heart rending facts about reading the memorial plaque, erected by local people in 2002, is how often the same names occur - Llewellin, Picton, Davies, Cole, Hart and John. Welcome to the BBC Wales History blog, a place to explore both celebrated and lesser-known incidents in Welsh history, watch rare clips from BBC Wales' own archive, find out about history events in Wales and get tips to help you delve into your family history. By 1844 Colonel Sir John Owen had succeeded to the estate and quickly developed the infrastructure needed for such an enterprise. This page is best viewed in an up-to-date web browser with style sheets (CSS) enabled. The season ticket booking form, with details of all the concerts... Last week most of Wales enjoyed a taste of summer. In particular he built a quay at Landshipping from which most of the coal was shipped to a wide variety of destinations. Soon, over 10,000 tons of coal and culm were being produced each year. One man, Joseph Picton, died along with three of his sons, leaving behind a widow and five more children. BBC © 2014 The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. One miner later gave an account of his escape and this was paraphrased in the local press: The water had broken into Garden Pit relatively close to the shore, cutting off 33 miners working at the far end of the pit. In one case a person is listed simply as "child". And the Pembrokeshire coalfield was not exempt from disaster. Nobody else managed to get out, 40 miners being drowned or crushed in the fall of rock and mud that accompanied the flooding. As numerous as this list (over 6,000) it still represents only a small proportion of Welsh miners killed at their workplace. Most of those disasters took place in the industrial belt of the south east, in the Rhondda and other valleys. The real tragedy of the disaster, of course, was the human one. For the latest updates across BBC blogs, visit the Blogs homepage. The Aberfan disaster wiped out a generation of Welsh school children and devastated the nation. The Landshipping disaster was a terrible tragedy for the region - I certainly don't know of another disaster of similar magnitude in Pembrokeshire. Although disasters are large and dramatic in number they only account for less than 17% of mining deaths in Wales. His blog posts provide a distinctly Welsh perspective on major events in world history, as well as revealing some little-known events from the Welsh past. There had been mining in the area since the Middle Ages but, in the main, this was low-key and seasonal, the mines being worked by agricultural labourers in the quieter times of year. The tragedy in Aberfan became one of the United Kingdom’s worst mining disasters. For anyone who has been underground, the prospect of such an occurrence is the stuff nightmares are made of. Please consider upgrading your browser software or enabling style sheets (CSS) if you are able to do so. It is important to note that coal was loaded at Landshipping Quay - not Landshipping Ferry (further up-river). Four men and 14 boys were quickly hoisted up the shaft in the buckets that normally carried the coal, swirling water pulling at their boot tops as, behind them, the pit filled up at a rate of seven fathoms a minute. The names, where known, of those who perished in the disaster are listed on the memorial (image: Roger MacCallum). The horror of such a death can only be imagined. Garden Pit Memorial (image: Roger MacCallum). However, in February 1844 it was considered safe to again open the workings and, on the afternoon of 14 February, 58 miners were employed in digging for coal and transporting the product back to the pit shaft. The pit workings extended out under the river, and when water suddenly burst through the walls of the mine 40 miners were overwhelmed and drowned before they had time to escape. Read more. A period of heavy rain led to a build-up of water within the tip which caused it to suddenly slide downhill as a slurry, killing 116 children and 28 adults as it engulfed Pantglas Junior School and other buildings. You can stay up to date with Wales History via these feeds. You are right about the sheer horror of this disaster Phil. The history of Welsh mining is littered with tragic accidents that scarred villages and valleys, destroyed families and cut a swathe through the life of so many tiny communities. But there was a time when it was a major employer. The other seven casualties, men and children working nearer the shore, had been overtaken by the deluge before they could get out. This list may not reflect recent changes (). These are some of the popular topics this blog covers. Post categories: Read more. The disaster at Garden Pit, Landshipping, has been largely forgotten by history. https://landshipping.webs.com/miningheritage.htm, tom_pryce_35th_anniversary_formula_one_south_african_grand_prix. Get close to the loose material and a water seepage is likely, get too close and the solid rock will no longer bear the weight of the loose material, plus the water column above, and a catastrophic event like that at the Garden Pit is likely where a seepage becomes a flood. The tip was the responsibility of the National Coal Board (NCB), and the subsequent inquiry Other names on the plaque give ages as low as nine or 11. Garden Pit, like several of the mines around the Cleddau, suffered badly from waterlogging, but even so the shaft was still some 67 yards deep and most of the workings ran out for as much as a quarter of a mile beneath the river. The tip had been created on a mountain slope above the village of Aberfan, near Merthyr Tydfil, and overlaid a natural spring. https://landshipping.webs.com/miningheritage.htm has more on this story....it is good to see the Landshipping disaster mentioned here. Several of the names on the memorial plaque say simply "Miner" - these were probably women, employed and killed in the disaster even though legislation preventing their employment below ground had recently been passed in parliament. To carry out mining beneath the estuary in those days was always courting disaster, since although they may have been able to chart the depth of the water above the workings they would have had no idea of the depth of the silt, mud and gravel beneath the sea bed and hence how close it was to the solid rock in which they were mining below. The Aberfan disaster was the catastrophic collapse of a colliery spoil tip in Wales on 21 October 1966. This page has been archived and is no longer updated. The whole area - Landshipping, Loveston, Begelly, Saundersfoot and Hook played an important part in the coal-mining industry of south and west Wales. On 14 February 1844, 58 men, women and boys were working in Garden Pit at Landshipping on the eastern branch of the Cleddau River when disaster struck. Complain about this comment (Comment number 1). Complain about this comment (Comment number 3). The level where the disaster occurred had not been worked for two or three years as miners had reported a significant leak in the roof of the tunnel. Then, in 1800, Sir Hugh Owen installed the first steam engine in the Pembrokeshire coalfield, at his mine in Landshipping, and the industry transformed itself into an altogether different beast. All too often the mining industry of Pembrokeshire is forgotten, perhaps in the wake of greater industrial enterprise further east or perhaps over shadowed by the shipbuilding of Pembroke Dock. Phil Carradice is a broadcaster, writer and poet. If you aren't sure what RSS is you'll find our beginner's guide to RSS useful. The first inkling that something was wrong came when, just before 4pm, a powerful current of air suddenly shot up the shaft. For many modern-day visitors to beautiful, sea-girt Pembrokeshire it comes as something of a surprise, therefore, to realise that this tiny county in the far west of Wales also once had a mining industry. It was powerful enough to force the hands and arms of men working on the surface high into the air. Here in Wales we are used to news about mining disasters. Then spectators noticed a series of violent eddies, almost like whirlpools, in the water close to shore. The next thing they knew, several miners appeared at the bottom of the shaft, screaming for assistance. Complain about this comment (Comment number 2). If miners did evacuate the workings earlier in the day because of safety, they were right, they usually are. The total number (including those who died because of mining related illnesses) would be very much greater. But it remains just one more terrible tragedy in an industry that has taken such an horrendous toll of life, right across Wales. Pages in category "Coal mining disasters in Wales" The following 18 pages are in this category, out of 18 total. While you will be able to view the content of this page in your current browser, you will not be able to get the full visual experience. 19th century , History, Mining, South West Wales, Phil Carradice | 10:12 UK time, Wednesday, 2 November 2011. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. locally the incident is commemorated each year and the now sleepy hamlet of Lanfshipping shows much evidence of its coal-mining heritage.

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