cynon valley mine records

[Rik7]

Hi, I have ancestors who moved from London to the Cynon valley area sometime in the 1915 to 1925 ish period, but the reason is as yet unclear. I'm wondering if perhaps during and after the war there was a need for more labour in the mines, prompting families to make a move. How true that is historically I've no idea. So, my question is, does anyone know if records exist of the workforce for that period in the mines of the Cynon valley, in particular around Mountain Ash?
Any input will be most welcome, Rik.
PS. If there are any Lamberts, or relatives through marriage, still in the area with roots in Middlesex please get in touch. |wave|

[Jan1954]

Hello Rik,

I have had a bit of a google and found this interesting snippet about the development of the coal industry (http://www.cymmerafan.co.uk/collieries/economy.htm) in South Wales.

It says that the decline of the coal industry during the period 1919-39 turned South Wales into an area of mass unemployment.

So maybe coal mining was not the reason that your family moved there.

[Rik7]

Hi Jan, thanks for that, a very interesting article, harsh times indeed. It may be possible though that the boom war years, and up until '23, might have been a big enough draw. Without knowing the time of the move, or who went first, it's hard to say. Maybe sons went first for work and met and married some of those pretty Welsh girls, then others followed. I know the mother was widowed by this time, and that Mountain Ash is where they were in the 1940's and earlier. In fact she died there in 1955.
Searching this era is very difficult, especially without exact dates, which is why I thought to check mining records. With the safety issues at mines it's hard to see why they wouldn't keep precise records of personel. So if there's any mining historians out there who know about this, I would love to hear from you. :)

[pipsqueak]

The National Union of Mineworkers (http://www.num.org.uk/?p=home) has a history section. Someone there might be able to help with some background, or even tell if any of your family were members. There are a lot of other websites that deal with the history of mining in south Wales, so you might be able to dig around those for a hint of why there might have been an influx of workers at a time when unemployment was high.

[Ladkyis]

Try the National Archives. There could be something there. My thought process went something like this.

The mines were nationalised and therefore the reords would possibly have been centralised - this was the government afterall. The National Coal Board, as the overall body was known would need somewhere to put all that paperwork and it looks like the National Archives are the place.

Take your time and use lots of obscure words in the search box - or hope that someone who is used to kew will point you in the right direction.

[brianb]

Hi Rik

have you looked at this site ?

south wales coalfields:
http://www.swan.ac.uk/swcc/


this is a nice site too:
http://www.data-wales.co.uk/index.htm

there is a few parish registers here:
http://www.cefnpennar.com/church_list.htm

Hope this gives you some insight

Regards

Brian

[Rik7]

Hi Pipsqueak, Ladkyis and Brianb, thanks for replying, I was hoping that the NUM might have members lists on record, but no luck so far. Coal Board records may be a bit too late, they were formed after WW2, and I'm searching 1925 +- 10 ish, but will try NA anyway when I've got a few hours spare to search their indexes! I've located 1936 electoral rolls for that area (apparently many are missing) so I'll go through those and maybe get some names. Rik

____________________
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