Timeline 1860 - 69

 

1860

January:

David Edward Morgan, a Resolven miner and contractor, was declared insolvent by the Insolvents’ Attorney.

May:

At the Annual Easter Vestry, it was unanimously agreed that a Church rate of two pence in the pound be raised to meet the expenses of the current year.

This month James Wittit Lyon relinquished his lease of Resolven colliery. On 24 May, a lease of Resolven Colliery was made out and granted to Richard Hanbury Miers and James Lewis for the unexpired term of seventy- seven years. Specified in the conveyance of the colliery was “(…) to work the Resolven vein and also the next workable vein which may lie within 80 yards below the Resolven vein; 1600 acres being portion of Glyncastle, Ty’n-y-cwm, Hendre Owen, Ffald-y-dre, Heolhir, Cimle, farms (..) all existing tramroads, stockplaces, bridges, smith’s shop, carpenter’s shop, office , tipping place, wharf and bank, dwelling house and workmens’ houses, held and carried on by James Wittit Lyon as part and parcel of Resolven Colliery.” Also written into the conveyance was the stipulation that an annual payment of not less than £30 should be made by the workmen towards the upkeep of the village school as well as the free supply of coal for the school and the schoolmaster’s house.

June:

On the presentation of the Trustees of the late Marquis of Bute and N. V .E. Vaughan, of Rheola, the Rev. David Griffiths read himself in as Vicar of Resolven and Incumbent of Glyncorrwg.

July:

“Members of the choir of the parish church were liberally treated to tea, cakes, buns etc; on Tongarwed hill by a few friends who were much pleased by their singing in Church, and by the improvement they have exhibited under their present training. Some sixty or more persons were to be seen about three o’clock of that afternoon winding their way up (…). In the meantime, the camp fires with the boiling kettles awaited their arrival. After all had partaken, (…) there was a general cry for games, sports and country dances, which they kept up until evening and the ascent of a fire balloon warned them that they must return home.” 

August:

Resolven colliery, among several others, was invited to apply for a contract to supply coals to the steam vessels which were at present docked at the Royal dockyard in Pembroke. The coals were required to be “(…) hand- picked, or properly screened, and made free from small coal and dust”.

On Friday 24 August, at Neath Police Court, “William Morris was accused of unlawfully trespassing in pursuit of game on land belonging to N. E. Vaughan, Esq.  The defendant pleaded guilty. A witness named Evan Griffiths deposed that he had seen the defendant, at about eight o’clock in the evening, set a snare in a bank through which hares ran on to Mr. Vaughan’s land in Resolven. The defendant said that it was a man by the name of Titus who had showed him the hole in the bank and that he should not have gone there.” He was fined twenty shillings, and fifteen shillings and six pence costs, or twenty -one days in prison.

September:

On Monday night, 17 September, Isaac Davies, aged 19, an engine-driver at Melincwrt Colliery, was found dead in a field near Resolven. “On the previous night he was crossing a field and, in the dark, it is supposed he fell over a precipice four yards deep, and received fatal injuries to his head.”

 

1861

April:

Within the last decade, Resolven had witnessed the building of a church (1850), a vicarage (1850), a school (1850), a railway station (1850), a public house- the Vaughan Arms- (1853), as well as a Workingmen’s Club/Reading Room (1856). The 1861 Census taken on Sunday 7 April revealed that, additionally, within the last ten years a second shop, a school-house, and several new rows of houses had been built. The Vaughan Arms was up and running and occupied by Samuel Sims, who was both an innkeeper and a farmer of thirty acres, together with his wife, Margaret, and their son John, a brewer’s clerk. (The Edward’s Arms in Ynysfach, from which Samuel Sims had his licence transferred, was now in use as a house).  Vaughan Arms Row, built behind the new public house, consisted of two dwellings in which lived the family of William Parker, a woodcutter, and that of Benjamin Davies, a collier. The new shop, which formed part of the newly-built Clydach House, was occupied by Evan Rees, a grocer and collier. (As a consequence of the proximity of the shop, Aberclydach Row was now called Shop Row, only to be renamed at a later date as Chapel Row and, later still, as Tan-y- Rhiw).It also showed that there were three houses in Pen-y-cwar, (now Brynhyfryd), one of which was occupied by two lodgers: Margaret and Jennet Davies ‘(…) who filled barges with coal.’ The school-house, built near the National School, was occupied by John Morgan, aged 33, a schoolmaster, and his wife Elizabeth, aged 32, a schoolmistress, and also the family of Frances Jenkins, a widowed former dressmaker. New Inn Row (now New Inn Place) was built as a row of six houses adjoining New Inn. Shoemaker’s Row (now included in Davies Terrace) consisted of two properties, in one of which lived Thomas Davies, a shoemaker.

Details of the existing farms, farmers and the acreage of land held were as follows: Aberclydach: James Lewis, a farmer of 400 acres, employing 4 labourers. The Ton: Morgan Jenkins, a farmer of 90 acres, employing 2 labourers. Pant-y-gelli: Richard Davies, a farmer of 20 acres. Ffald-y-dre: Howell Rees, a farmer of 100 acres. Ty’n y cwm: Mary Jones, a widow and farmer of 56 acres. Hendre Owen Fawr: William Morgan, a farmer of 80 acres. Llwyncoedwr: Catherine Jones, a widow and farmer of 100 acres, employing one labourer. Drehir: Edwin Rees Paddison, a farmer of 95 acres. Heolhir: Morgan Llewellyn, a farmer of 50 acres. Cimla bach: Thomas Watkins, a farmer of 50 acres. Melin-y-Cwrt/ Court Mill: Thomas Evans, a farmer of 30 acres, the property also housing a miller.  The occupant of Tan-y-rhiw farm was described as an agricultural labourer, whilst Clun-y-castell/Glyncastle and Hendre Owen Fach farms were at this time uninhabited, and Nant-y-gleisiaid, Pentwyn, Ty Llwyd, and Pant-y-crybach farms were occupied by people not in the farming industry.

April (contd):

On Good Friday, nearly a hundred children from the National School attended an Easter service in St. David’s Church and afterwards, at the vicarage, each was presented with a large bun. “The young ones were delighted with their gift and their countenances beamed with joy”.

May:

In the newspapers the following was reported: “On Whit Monday the Church choir of this parish subscribed among themselves a sufficient sum of money to have a treat on the Resolven hills and, as it was fine, upwards of fifty ascended the woods and proceeded to Glyncastle Farm, where Miss Lewis and Mrs Morgan had prepared tea, cake, biscuits, and bread and butter enough to satisfy everyone. Here Mrs Vaughan of Rheola joined them, and had a kind word for each person, so as to encourage them in their attendance at Church and Sunday school. On the hill, all sorts of games were introduced, and when evening closed in, after singing and giving a parting cheer, the scene was forsaken and all left well pleased with their afternoon’s trip.”

September:

Third- class train tickets were available to travel to the Neath Great Fair on 19 September at the reduced fare of 10d, leaving Resolven at 9.15 a.m. and returning from Neath at 6.30 pm.

 

 

 

 

 

1862

January:

On New Year’s Day, about 150 children from the National School and from the church choir were treated to a party held at the school where there was an “abundant supply of tea, cake, buns and oranges (…). The school-room was artistically decorated by the young ladies of the parish with evergreens in various devices. The choir sang several pieces during the evening, and all left well gratified with the scene”.

Advance notice was given of the sale on 12 February 1862 of the Lower Resolven Colliery, Melincwrt, and also of the farm and lands called Pencaer- felin on which the colliery was situated. The sale of the colliery would include all its machinery, plant and effects consisting of a pumping engine, a winding- engine, pumps, pipes, water and coal trams, 2360 yards of iron rails, signal wire, winding chain, weighing machine and blacksmith’s shop and tools. “The surface area of the property is 600 acres, and underneath lie the following veins of coal, viz: the 3ft vein known as the Resolven Steam Coal and nine other valuable veins, amounting in the aggregate to about fifty feet of coal. This colliery is admirably situated for the conveyance of its produce, being only fifty yards from the Vale of Neath Railway, and is connected therewith by a siding made for the purpose, and is also about seven miles distant from the important shipping port of Neath, at which there is now floating accommodation at the Briton Ferry Docks.(…). From the great facilities with which the colliery abounds, it cannot fail, in the course of a short period, to rank with one of the best collieries in South Wales.  The colliery is held under lease, dated the 29 April 1857, for the term of 99 years from the 29 September 1856 at the Dead Rent of £500 per annum and at the Royalty of 7d. per Ton upon all Coal and Culm. The farm is also held under lease at the same date and term, at the Annual Rent of £50”.

February:

The ‘poor people’ of Resolven received a supply of tea and sugar from the Vicar and churchwardens which was distributed by the Vicar’s wife, Mrs Walter Griffiths.

March:

David Rhys Phillips, Resolven’s future eminent Welsh historian and bibliographer, was born on 20 March at Beili Glas, Pontwalby. He was brought up in Melincwrt, educated at Resolven National School and, after a period working as a collier, a proof-reader and a postman, he became a Reader at the Oxford University Press, eventually becoming Welsh and Celtic Librarian at Swansea Borough Library and, in 1923, its Joint-Librarian with W. J. Salter. He published biographies of Owain Glyndwr, Dr Griffith Roberts and Lady Charlotte Guest, but perhaps his best-known work was his prize-winning essay at the National Eisteddfod held in Neath in 1918, subsequently published in 1925 as The History of the Vale of Neath. He died in Swansea in 1952.

Mr. Ebenezer Nicholas, one of Madame Bevan’s Charity schoolmasters, died at Resolven aged 56.

At an auction to be held on 29 April 1862, the Ynysarwed demesne lands were to be sold. These lands and adjoining farms covered some 800 acres, and formed “one of the most eligible residential, agricultural and mineral properties in this favourite district”

 

 

 

July:

At the Summer Assizes held in Cardiff, in the case of Reynolds v Crawley, an action was brought to recover the sum of £1000 through misrepresentation of the value of Ynysnedd Colliery, Resolven. Mr John Williams, a mining engineer, was consulted in relation to the faults in the working of this colliery: it appeared from the evidence given by him that to reach the Resolven, or lowest vein, would cost the defendant from £30,000 to £40,000 and, in fact,  would require a new colliery altogether. From the Venallt vein, which had been worked, to the Resolven vein would be about 200 yards, and, even if that vein were reached, he questioned whether it could be worked at a profit. The jury declared for the defendant believing the plaintiff’s statements were made fraudulently. 

September:

On Saturday 6 September,  ‘The Faithful Friends Society’ of Resolven assembled at the Vaughan Arms to celebrate their annual feast day which included attending a service at Resolven Parish Church and returning to the Vaughan Arms for a dinner which had been prepared for them by Mr. and Mrs. Sims. “It is seldom that such excellent provisions-the best beef, the primest mutton and wholesome vegetables are met with on these occasions. After various speeches, the members dispersed, satisfied with the proceedings of the day, and with their club showing a balance of £400 deposited in the savings bank.”

October:

The anniversary dinner of ‘The Alfred Club’, a local benefit club, took place at the Star Inn,   Blaengwrach. The members, with their red scarves and other badges of their order, marched in procession to Rheola Church, where the Vicar of Resolven officiated. The Lodge was reported to be in a flourishing financial condition, with a balance of £600 in its favour, together with some leasehold properties. 

On 17 October, the Bishop of Llandaff delivered his last confirmation service. It was held at Aberpergwm Church, and about forty candidates from Resolven, Blaengwrach and the new parish of Aberpergwm presented themselves for confirmation. “The Resolven Church choir sang several hymns and an anthem very efficiently. Their singing does them credit, and they were highly spoken of by all who heard them. His Lordship delivered the charge In English and Welsh in a most clear manner, and which was listened to with the utmost attention.”

                                                                                                                                               

1863

January:

A new font, manufactured by Frank Smith and Co; of London, was donated to St. David’s Church, Resolven.

March:

Festivities were held in Resolven to celebrate the marriage of the Prince of Wales to Princess Alexandra of Denmark. “About 150 schoolchildren from the parish of Resolven and Blaengwrach were regaled with tea and cake, and buns and oranges were also distributed by the Vicar on the field adjoining the school. Prizes were awarded to the winners in racing, jumping and other games. In the evening, several fire balloons were set off (…) to the delight of everyone who made the welkin ring again with their cheers. The workmen on the Rheola estate were each presented with ten pounds of beef, whilst the colliers were supplied with beer by the colliery manager, Mr Ommanney, to drink the health of the royal couple. The whole expense of the event was paid for by Mrs Vaughan of Rheola.”

On Monday, 29 March, “(…) the church choir of this parish met in the village school- room to partake of tea, cake, etc; for which they had paid out of their own subscriptions. They numbered about fifty and several excellent pieces of music were sung, while the accompaniment was made on a piano kindly lent by Mr. Samuel Jenkins, churchwarden. Mr. John Morgan, the choirmaster, deserves much praise for the manner with which he has trained the singers, and in time they will be a credit to him, and vie with any in the principality.”

April:

By arrangement with the West Midland Railway Company, the Vale of Neath Railway Company was to have control over the important narrow-gauge rail system which linked Swansea , not only to the principal steam-coal districts such as Resolven and Aberdare, but to the whole of the manufacturing towns of the north. “It is apparent, therefore, that with the increased facilities thus provided, a large increase of our trade and commerce may be speedily anticipated.”

July:

On 20 July, some nine hundred Temperance Society members came by train from Swansea to view Melincwrt waterfall. Tents had been erected on a large field and tea was provided at nine pence per person. The return train fare from Swansea to Resolven was one shilling.

August:

The proprietor of Clun-y-castell/Glyncastle Farm, Mr James Lewis, advertised an auction of his live-stock which consisted of “(…) 21 young and powerful Draught Horses, with their Harness complete; a promising four- year old Filly; a good Chestnut Pony, unsurpassed in action; 12 Mountain Ponies; six four-year old Steers; four three-year old Steers; two three-year- old Heifers; seven fat Cows (all the Cattle being of the Hereford and Short-horn breeds); 250 Sheep, comprising 80 Breeding Ewes; 129 Wethers and 50 fat Lambs (being a cross between the Cheviots and Cardigan breeds). The horses have been proved to be excellent workers, and have been used for above and underground work, and are in good condition.”

September:

At Neath Police Court, “Hannah Rogers accused John Flemming, a farm labourer, of being the father of her illegitimate child, born on 8 July last year. Both parties resided at Resolven. Hannah said that it was her first child, and that Flemming had given her nine-pennyworth of beer when she was ill (laughter in court). The bench of magistrates ordered the defendant to pay eight shillings a month, and ten shillings to the midwife, plus the expenses.”

October:

Resolven Church Choir took part in the recent Llandaff Choral Association Festival.

December:

In his grocer’s shop in Resolven, Evan Rees was selling ‘Kernick’s Herbal Tablets’ (‘Peleni Llysieuol Kernick’). These tablets purported to be an effective cure for all sorts of ailments including digestive problems (diffyg treuliad bwyd), water retention (atalfa dwfr), tape worms (llyngyr), and dropsy (dyfrglwyf).

On the seventeenth of this month, an inquest was held at the New Inn relating to the death of Jonathan Jones of Resolven who had been killed by a fall of coal at Glyncorrwg Colliery. The deceased had gone to work at Glyncorrwg a few days previously because of a colliery strike in Resolven. Ironically, the Resolven colliers shortly afterwards called off the strike and resumed work on the same conditions as were first offered them.

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1864

January:

Members of Resolven Church choir were invited to a supper in the village school-room in appreciation of all their hard work. “The chair was occupied by the Vicar, and the vice-chair by Mr Samuel Jenkins, churchwarden. The Rev. John George, incumbent of Aberpergwm; H.M.Ommanny, Esq, overseer of Resolven colliery; Miss Griffiths; Mr. Morgan Jones, Pentwyn; Mr Samuel Sims and Mr Morgan Jenkins gave their willing aid in carving the beef, pork etc; and also in distributing the plum pudding. (…) The evening passed very pleasantly in proposing the usual toasts, followed by songs and glees”.

April:

At Neath Borough Police Court, “(…) Henry Williams, of Resolven, was summoned for being drunk and riotous on 17 April. He was fined five shillings and expenses.”

May:

At the Neath Petty Sessions, Evan Davies, a collier from Resolven, was summoned by Superintendent Parsons and charged with being drunk and riotous on 16 May. The defendant denied the charge, but the case was proved by Police Constable 21. He was fined five shillings and thirteen shillings costs, or seven days in prison.

Mr James Lewis, of Clun-y-castell/Glyncastle, Resolven was cited as one of the agents supplying specifications for the following contracts put out to tender by the Venallt Steam Coal Company: “Rails: Ninety tons of bridge -pattern rails weighing 28lbs to the yard. Machinery:  three sets of incline-plane apparatus, one adapted for being worked with platform- carriages and the other two for running trams on the inclines. Weighbridges: two for weighing trams and the other for weighing both broad- and narrow- gauge railway trucks”.

June:

In a meeting held with the Lords of the Admiralty, Mr Bruce M.P. for Merthyr and Mr H.H. Vivian M.P. for Glamorgan, advocated the superiority of Welsh coal over coal from the north of England.  Mr Vivian stated that, as a result of a trial, Resolven coal, for example, though “not of the very highest class of steam coal, was still a good Welsh steam coal, and shown to be the most economical.”

On Monday 23 June,  “(…) the annual picnic of the Swansea Temperance Society was held near the celebrated waterfalls of Resolven in the Vale of Neath, for which a special train left Swansea at ten o’clock in the morning, returning at half past eight in the evening. The Society’s Drum and Fife Band accompanied the excursion. (…) The committee of the society had engaged a field belonging to Mr. Jenkins, near Resolven station, where the excursionists availed themselves of various amusements. Refreshments were here plentifully supplied by Mr. Brooks, of Oxford Street, Swansea.”

July:

The Rev. David Griffiths, Vicar of Resolven and Incumbent of Glyncorrwg, was present at the re-opening of Glyncorrwg Church. “The Resolven Church choir chanted the versicles in good time, and Jackson’s ‘Te Deum’ was sung admirably.” Luncheon after the service consisted of “(…) fowls, tongues, roast and boiled beef, hams and legs of mutton.” This was supplied free of charge thanks largely to the generosity of the Dowager Countess of Dunraven.

August:

Two benefit clubs had, for some years, been meeting regularly in the Vaughan Arms and members of these clubs had been accustomed to contribute a half crown each year towards the cost of their Annual Dinner. This year, instead of a Dinner, it was decided to hire a train on 20 August and go on an outing to Swansea. Meanwhile, on 22 August, “(…) the Methodists of the village organised a tea-party for its Sunday School members after which they processed round the village singing as they went and with their banners held aloft. This was followed at seven o’clock by an evening of recitation and singing in the chapel. Thanks were paid to Mr William Rees for his work with the choir, and the wish was expressed that he would form a Band of Hope soon”.

November:

Representatives from the parish of Resolven were among those who were legally obliged to attend the audit of accounts of the Neath Union Workhouse to be held on 18 November at the Neath Workhouse.

Month unknown:

Sardis Chapel was erected this year, Resolven Baptists having had no permanent place of worship since the inception of the Cause in the village in 1848.The building, rebuilt in 1892, became the chapel vestry in 1904 when a new chapel was erected. The chapel catered for both Welsh-speaking and English-speaking Baptists; the former eventually splitting off in 1875 to build a chapel of their own in Railway Terrace. During the period 1864-1875, T. Jones from Neath became minister in 1868, to be followed in March 1869 by D. R. Jones, from Clydach.

 

1865

February:

On 20 February, James Lewis, of Clun-y-castell/Glyncastle, Resolven, a colliery overseer, was presented with a gold watch and chain as a token of appreciation for all his work at the Venallt colliery, Cwmgwrach. The watch was inscribed “Cyflwynedig i Mr James Lewis gan ei weithwyr, fel tystiolaeth o’i aidd, a’i allu, a’i fedr yn y gorchwyl o agor Glofaoedd Venallt.” In his speech of thanks, Mr. Lewis, who had also been overseer of the Resolven collieries for twenty-one years, expressed his indebtedness to Mr N. V. E. Vaughan, Rheola, and maintained that, in his opinion, the total yield of coal from the seven coal-veins in the locality could be as much as 11, 200,000 tons, with sufficient work for 120 years.

 

 

 

April:

On Easter Monday, the Sunday- school children, together with the Church choir, were invited to a tea-party at which (…) “oranges and buns were freely distributed and the children had prizes awarded to them according to merit (…).” In the evening, a penny reading was held in the schoolroom.

May:

An excursion by train to the Bath and West of England Agricultural Show at Hereford had been organised. The train would leave Resolven at 7.37a.m. and arrive in Hereford at 11a.m. A first- class ticket would cost seven shillings and sixpence, and an ordinary ticket three shillings and sixpence.

June:

Resolven church choir held their annual party on Henllan hill, a short distance above Melincwrt waterfall. “A brass band had been provided, to the strains of which, with banners unfurled, all marched up to partake of tea, cake etc.”

July:

The Lower Resolven Colliery at Melincwrt was to be sold by auction at the Castle Inn, Neath on 10 August. “The taking comprises the Resolven Vein and all Seams of Coal below it, under 605 acres or thereabouts, held under Wm. Jones Esq; of Ty’n-yr- heol. The royalty is 7d. per Ton. Dead Rent £500 a year. Term 99 years from September 1856; power to the Lessees to determine the lease on Twelve Months’ notice. Engine Coal and Workmen’s Coal free of Royalty. There are also Surface Lands held with the Colliery at a Yearly Rent of £50 10s. The Coal is won by a drift from the surface and driven in coal for 800 yards or thereabouts in the Resolven Seam. The Colliery is immediately upon the Vale of Neath Railway. This seam of coal is largely worked in the adjoining Colliery of Messrs. Ommanney; it stands high in the Admiralty List for evaporative power. The seam of coal proves three feet thick in the face of the drift, where it is of first-rate quality. The lower seams are of great value, and are worked in neighbouring collieries. The Engines, Pumps and Plant to be taken at a valuation.”

An excursion by train to the Carmarthen Musical Eisteddfod was organised for 25 July. The train could be boarded at Resolven, with a first- class ticket costing five shillings, and a covered- carriage ticket costing three shillings and ninepence.

September:

Extracts from the Annals of Margam 1066-1232 were published In the Cardiff and Merthyr Guardian. An extract relating to Resolven in the year 1227 read “(…) they (the native Welsh) depopulated the grange of Rossaulin (Resolven); and burnt many sheep there, drove off some cows, and killed some of the servants.”

John James, of the Ale and Porter Stores, Aberdare, was summoned for infringing his license. Three men had been found drinking there at 3.45 pm on the afternoon of Sunday, 27 August. Two of the men caught were said to be from Resolven and were travellers.

October:

Revd. T. E. James expressed his thanks for the financial support extended to Sardis Chapel by three local ladies: Miss Moses, Miss Sims, and Miss Lewis. These young ladies were not members of that church but had worked hard to collect money for the Baptist Cause in the village.

November:

Penny Readings at Resolven: “These instructive meetings are held fortnightly in the school- room and are much valued in the parish. (…) Mr. Ommaney occupies the chair, and we have had various opportunities of observing the interest taken by him in the welfare of the workmen engaged under his superintendence at Resolven Colliery, where they are dependent upon him for their daily employment.”

December:

Another meeting of ‘Penny Readings’ took place on Wednesday 6 December, “(…) where Mr. James Lewis, Glynneath, occupied the chair. The reading and the singing of several of those present gave great satisfaction, and the meeting was as successful as any that had hitherto taken place in the parish.”

 

1866

January:

Mrs. Walter Griffiths made a presentation to St. David’s Church, Resolven of “(…) two very handsome fauld- stools (kneeling-benches) of elegant designs. The whole of the covering has been enbroidered, and the wood is carved oak.”

July:

Available to let this month was: “ (…) all that long-established free colliery called Ynysarwed Colliery, worked by level, and very cheaply, situated in the Vale of Neath near, and having cheap access to, two of the first shipping ports, viz: Briton Ferry and Swansea. Capital required very small.”

A train travelling between Resolven and Glynneath was struck by lightning in the recent thunderstorms. The lightning struck one of the boxes at the side of the engine shattering it to pieces. The box contained two suits of clothes belonging to the engine-driver and “(…) though a vigorous search has been made down the line, no remnant of the clothes, nor even the splinters of the box, could be found.”

August:

On Wednesday evening, 23 August “(…) a collier, by the name of Thomas David Jenkin, proceeded as usual to his work at the colliery and, after having been at work for a few hours, a large quantity of stones fell and broke his right leg in the thigh, and also his right arm above the elbow. Medical aid was soon on the spot, and there is every hope of his recovery.”

September:

Members of The Iestyn ap Gwrgant Friendly Society held their annual dinner in the Vaughan Arms, Resolven. Before their meal, they processed in orderly fashion to hear a sermon preached at Sardis Baptist Chapel by Mr Mathews, of Neath.

The last train excursion of the season to London left Resolven at 9.34 a.m. The cost was twenty -five shillings first class, and sixteen shillings in a covered carriage.

 

December:

In a meeting held at the Academy, Green Street, Neath, a presentation was made to Rev. Levi Thomas, a local Baptist minister. During the meeting, the Rev. T.E. James, Glynneath, made the following statement: “At Resolven, the few Baptist colliers for sixteen years worshipped in a cow-house, after which a small chapel was built; by this time they got into debt, and Mr Thomas kindly undertook to go to Bristol without a regular call, and succeeded in collecting forty-one pounds and five shillings to assist them, every penny of which they received.” (The Baptist Cause in Resolven began in 1848, whilst the first purpose-built building (Sardis) was erected in 1864. This was the present-day vestry, prior to its re-building in 1892).

 

1867

April:

On Monday 15 April, the funeral took place at St. David’s Church, Resolven, of Morgan Howells who died at the age of eighty-eight. “He enlisted in the army some seventy years ago, and was employed as a Sapper during the Peninsular War in Spain. He was engaged in the sieges of Badajoz and Ciudad Rodrigo; he was also present with Sir John Moore during his retreat from Corunna, and took part in the battles of Vittoria, Salamanca, as well as other engagements fought by our armies in Spain. He was a kind-hearted old soldier and very interesting were the stories and heroic deeds which he related to his neighbours and friends that occurred both on the battle- field and during many a toilsome march they had to endure.”

June:

The farms of Clun-y-castell/Glyncastle and Drehir were advertised to let. The former, vacant through the death of the tenant, covered upwards of 300 acres, whilst the latter, covering some 100 acres, was excellent arable and pasture land. “The Houses on both Farms are large and commodious, and the Buildings, which have been recently erected, are most convenient.”

Members of Resolven church choir and the Sunday School children of Resolven were “(…) liberally treated to a bountiful supply of tea and cake on Whit Monday in the open air upon a spot kindly given for their use by Mr. Samuel Jenkins, churchwarden. The choir sang several pieces in good tune, and for which they were highly commended, while the children amused themselves in various games. The party, after parading with flags and banners through the village, returned home well-pleased with the proceedings of the day.”

August:

Margaret Davies, of Resolven, was shopping in Neath when she had her purse stolen. The purse contained two sovereigns, two sixpences, a threepenny bit, (£2. 1s.3d. in total), and a return railway ticket. A certain Selina Gordon confessed the theft to Police Constable Lewis Jones stating: “I had a quarrel with a mate of mine this morning; she knew about the affair, and threatened to give me into custody; I therefore came myself to save her the trouble. (…) I spent the money on drink and I threw the purse down some grating.” She also said that she had spent three shillings in taking out from pawn a shawl which belonged to her friend, and sold it for two shillings to John Williams, landlord of the Rummer Tavern. The prisoner, after being cautioned, was committed to take her trial at the next Quarter Sessions.

 

September:

Drehir Farm, Resolven, was to be put up for sale by auction on 23 September, on the departure of E. R. Paddison, its present occupant. Among the farm implements to be sold were: “(…) a useful wagon, cast by Fry of Bristol; four iron ploughs; two pairs of barrows; two rollers; a chaff-cutter and an excellent threshing machine by Bryant of Bridgend.”

About one hundred and twenty- five school pupils were treated to “(…) an abundance of tea and cake after the wedding of Osborne Sheppard of Brynawel, Resolven to Miss Gray.”

December:

Resolven Colliery was advertised for sale by auction. “The coal from this Colliery ranks amongst the highest on the Government List. The lease extends under an area of 1.600 acres, and is granted for seventy years unexpired, at a dead rent of £250 per annum. The colliery is now in very good working order, with steam power to work the tramway, and great facilities for screening the coal; about 30,000 tons per annum are raised at present; but this can be greatly extended. There are railway sidings for broad and narrow gauge.”

In a published letter, Mary Hopkins, wife of William Hopkins, a cordwainer (shoemaker) of Resolven, acknowledged that an accusation she had made against Mary Rees of having robbed her of £20 was entirely false. “I hereby express my sincere regret that I should have made such a charge and undertake to defray all expenses which the said Mary Rees may be put in consequence of such charge.”

 

1868

January:

A lease dated 7 January 1868 revealed that Resolven colliery had been assigned from Miers and Lewis to Sir Ralph Howard, for the unexpired term of 69 years at a rental of £250 a year. The plant of the colliery now consisted of one incline plane and chain; two weighing machines; a smith’s shop; a carpenter’s shop; an office; two sheds (one at the docks, the other at the screens); and fifteen barges.

April:

A newspaper correspondent reported that there were now about one hundred houses in Resolven, about five hundred inhabitants, two collieries, one brick-works, two pubs and four places of worship.

After meeting together in farmhouses from 1799 to 1803, then in the unconsecrated and unused Anglican Church at Penydarren for some eighteen years, the Calvinistic Methodists of Resolven had built Seion Chapel in 1821, and this became their first permanent place of worship. It was now decided, however, to dismantle this building because it had become too small to hold all the congregation and to build a new one on the same site. Whereas, up to this point, members of the chapel had been paying a shilling a year for ground rent, the land owner, N. E. Vaughan Esq; had offered the land for the proposed new building free of charge. A collection was made amongst the chapel members and congregation, and the sum of £108 was raised towards the cost of the new building. An approach was made for temporary accommodation in one of the outhouses which the Anglican Church (“yr hen fam”) had in the community, but this was refused, and the Methodists joined in worship with the Independents in their chapel in Melin-y- Cwrt, “ac y maent yn byw gyda’u gilydd yn unol a chytun fel plant yr un tad”.

Work at both the Resolven Higher and the Lower Resolven collieries had been on stop for some weeks and this had caused serious poverty and distress in the village.

A sale by auction was to be held on Wednesday, 15 April of all the plant of both Resolven Colliery and Cefn Mawr Colliery, Melincwrt. Among the items to be sold were: “(…) one weighing machine; three tons of pitwood; three tub iron trams;  six iron-riddle trams; one double iron gate; twenty- one iron weights (each weighing one hundred and twenty-two pounds); about ten thousand slates; a carpenter’s bench;   a grindstone; windows and window frames; planks; an office table; a copying press; nine tons of rails and several lots of old iron, wheels, grease etc.”

May:

Thomas Jones of Resolven, the putative father of the illegitimate child of Margaret Rees, was ordered to pay two shillings and sixpence per week towards the support of the child.

William Hopkins, the landlord of the Farmers’ Arms, was charged with permitting drunkenness on his premises, and was fined forty shillings and costs, or one month’s imprisonment. Police Constable John Johns stated: “I visited the house at 9.45 a.m. on Sunday last. On entering, I saw the landlord stripped, as if for the purpose of fighting; his wife and another person had hold of him; there were three other men in the house drunk, and they were about to renew a fight between two other men named Duncan and Thomas; the landlord was taking Thomas’s part; I ordered him to clear the house.”

In accordance with the provisions of the Turnpike Act, Philip Thomas, of Resolven, was charged by Mr. B. Campion, a road surveyor, “(…) with hauling a quantity of timber on a sledge without wheels, thereby injuring the road at Resolven.” The case was dismissed, since no material injury could be proved.

June:

The Rev. David Griffiths, Vicar of Resolven, represented the parish of Resolven at a meeting of the Board of Guardians of the Neath Workhouse. It was reported at the meeting that there were now 123 inmates in the Workhouse including 26 children and 16 imbeciles.

In the case of a burglary at Resolven, the following evidence was given by Elizabeth David : ”I am the wife of Jenkin David , collier, and we live at Resolven; I saw my husband lock up our house on the night of Tuesday, the 9^th of June .The next morning I missed some bread and butter, plain bread, and a little cheese; I also missed two loaves of bread, and a little cheese; I  missed a piece of cheese about 4lbs. weight, and a basin containing 1lb. of fresh butter; I also missed in the course of the same day a pair of boots worth nine shillings.” Jenkin David, her husband, said: “In consequence of something I heard, I went to look for the prisoner. I found him in a hay-loft at Blaencwm Farm, which is now vacant; there is hay in the loft now, about two tons I should think. William David was with me when I went to the loft; we could see nothing of the prisoner, but we tumbled over the hay and William Davies found the shoes, which have been produced, as well as his hat, and at last got hold of his head and pulled him out of the hay, and asked him what his name was; he said they called him William Elias, but Whitelock was his name; we searched the loft, and found bread in the hay, and we afterwards found the bread and  cheese (…). We handed the things and the prisoner over to Police Constable Johns.” The prisoner pleaded guilty to the charge and was committed to the Assizes. He said: “ I suppose I shall have seven years for this job, and when I come out I’ll carry on ten times more and then I’ll have fourteen years, and I shall be satisfied.”

At a meeting of the Resolven Vestry held on 25 June it was proposed by John Woodward and seconded by Thomas Reece of Drehir Farm that a Poor Rate of eleven pence in the pound be set for the present quarter ending on 29 September, and that a Highway Rate of four pence in the pound be set for the half- yearly period ending on 25 March 1869.

August:

Members of the Resolven Junior Benefit Club held their annual dinner this month at the Vaughan Arms. “There are upwards of one hundred on the club roll, and its present position, as regards funds, is announced to be highly satisfactory.”

An inquest was held on the body of William Jones, the illegitimate child of Sarah Jones of Resolven, whose death certificate stated that he had died as a result of convulsions. Sarah Jones gave the following evidence: “I am a single woman and the deceased was my son. He was four months old last Monday. (…) The deceased was crying and sighing all night; I never saw him do so before; he had the bottle before he went to bed; he commenced crying and sighing on Monday night, and he was in my sister’s arms when he died; he was quite livid and foaming at the mouth.” The jury at the inquest returned a verdict of death by natural causes.

A petition, dated 22 August, was sent by inhabitants of Resolven to officials of the Great Western Railway, having been signed by one hundred and twenty of the village’s traders, travellers and others who used the rail service. It included the following: “(…) we are much inconvenienced by the alteration to the timetable this month, and by the discontinuing of the 11.45 a.m. up-train from stopping as usual at Resolven, thus there being no train in that direction for a period of seven hours.”

September:

The erection of Resolven Bridge went out to tender. Two tenders had been received: that of John Williams and William Lane (eight shillings per cubic yard), and that of James Davies (£45). It was agreed that the tender of Williams and Lane be accepted, with the stone and timber to be supplied by Mr. Vaughan, of Rheola.

The death occurred at his estate in Scotland of Nash Edwards Vaughan, Squire, of Rheola. His heir was Major Vaughan Lee.

Members of Sardis chapel, after their annual tea party, had intended to hold an evening of recitation, but unfortunately no preparations had been made for this and, instead, younger members were allowed to go outside to entertain themselves. The reporter of this event warned other people to take care when following this example as they, as believers, were against any lowering of moral standards.

On Sunday and Monday, 20 and 21 September, the new Calvinistic Methodist Chapel, also named Seion, was opened. On the Sunday, the following ministers led the inaugural services: Rev. E Edmunds, Aberdare (10a.m.); Rev. R. Morgan, Glynneath (2p.m.); Rev. E. Edmunds (6p.m.); and on Monday, Rev. D. Howells, Swansea and P. Griffiths, Alltwen, (10a.m.); Rev. J. H. Jones, M.A; Ph.D;  Trefecca (2.30pm.); and Rev. Dr.  A. P. Griffiths  (6.15p.m.). John Davies, a member of the chapel, reported that the cost of erecting the building was £500. The sum of £139.5s.7d. had been collected during the past year, and £21.17s.4d.on the opening days. The amount owing was £338.18s.0d. (“Ac os bydd y ddwy flynedd ddyfodol mor lwyddianus mewn casglu a’r un a aeth heibio, ni fyddai y ddyled yn niwedd y flwyddyn 1870 ond rhyw 17p. Ati o ddifri yntau medd.”) At the end of 1868, the congregation numbered 33, whilst the new chapel had a seating capacity for 400 people. It was this second Seion which would eventually be transformed into Resolven Community Centre, after having been home to the Salvation Army during the period, 1910-1999.

October:

William Rhys Herbert, who would become one of Resolven’s three doctors of music, was born on 3 October at 6 Ffwrnes/Furnace Row, Melincwrt, to Rees Herbert, a collier, and to his wife, Ann.

From 2 October of this year to 2 March 1869, the Overseers of the parish of Resolven collected the sum of £308 -17d in rates from ratepayers in the village. Out of this sum, £304 was paid to the Treasurer of the Neath Union and the remaining £4.17.6 was paid to the Overseers to cover their expenses for attending meetings, such as that convened for the purpose of appointing a Constable for the village; twelve shillings was paid out for the hire of a room for the Resolven Parish Vestry meeting and four shillings and sixpence was spent on postage stamps. The two Overseers for Resolven at this time were John Rees and William Jones.

November:

At the beginning of this month, at 10.30.p.m.on a Friday, the town of Neath and its neighbourhood experienced a severe earthquake. “At Resolven and Aberdulais the effect of this shock was more personally felt than in other localities, the alarm created by the noise which preceded the occurrence having produced considerable excitement among the more timid of the inhabitants.(…)  At the Bryncoch pits it was thought that an explosion had taken place; at the Roman Catholic chapel the bells were violently rung; at the Vale of Neath Junction one of the massive signals was split from the bottom upwards, and at Briton Ferry the noise heard outwards towards the sea resembled that of heavy gun firing, while in several houses the rooms were seen to move and the chairs appeared to be lifted from the floor, as if by  the explosion of a mine underneath.”

December:

The Rev. David Griffiths , Vicar of Resolven, attended a meeting of the Board of Guardians of the Neath Union Workhouse at which the following tenders for provisions for the Workhouse to cover the next three months were accepted: “Groceries and  flour ( Mr. Robert Jones, of Old Market Street, Neath); meat  (Mr Francis Smerdon, of Neath); coals , 9s3d large and 8s3d small  (Neath Abbey Company); boots and shoes  (Mr Charles Swach, of Wind Street, Neath); coffins ( William Morgan, of Neath and Evan Jones, of Aberafan); milk, 9d per gallon (Mr David Evans, of Cefndon) ; potatoes, 4s 6d per cwt ( Mr David Rees);  ale, stout, wine etc; ( Mr James Thorne , of the Greyhound public house.)”

At a meeting of Resolven Vestry held on 21 December it was agreed that “(…) a review of the Paupers in the parish should be made in order to examine their condition and whether their pay should continue as at present or be decreased.

 

 

 

 

1869

January:

Over the Christmas period, the interior of St. David’s Church, Resolven, had been appropriately decorated for the season. “The chancel has the letters ‘A’ and ‘O’ (for ‘Alpha’ and ‘Omega’: the ‘Beginning’ and the ‘End’) worked with laurel leaves and also the motto, ‘Unto us a Child is born’; while the nave has several other mottoes, such as ‘Glory to God in the Highest’, with crosses and triangles intermixed.” The work was carried out by Miss Griffiths, Miss Moses, Miss Jenkins and Mr. and Mrs Morgan.

The long-awaited Resolven eisteddfod took place on 12 January and was held in the schoolroom in front of a crowded audience. There were fifteen prizes for the winning entries in reading, elocution, recitation and music. The judges were the Rev. David Griffiths and the Rev. John George, while Mr. Parry and Mr. Thomas were appointed judges of the singing. The arrangements for the event were made by Mr. John Morgan, the schoolmaster. ”The speeches, recitations, and singing did credit to the various parties. The poetry was not equal to the singing, and one prize was withheld on account of the poor compositions sent in. (…) Such gatherings must have a beneficial effect on a locality, and are worthy of the support of all people interested in the working classes.”

February:

A donation was made to St. David’s Church of three stained- glass lancet windows, the work of Joseph Bell, Bristol, which were set in the east chancel wall. On the base of the windows was the inscription: “In grateful remembrance of Mr. Samuel Jenkins, of Ton, who was 19 years churchwarden of the parish. This window was erected by his friends. A.D. 1869.” The central lancet- window depicted the Crucifixion, with the three Marys in grief; whilst the two others depicted Saints Andrew and Peter, and Saints Phillip and James.

The following advertisement was published: “Curacy required, by a Clergyman in Priest’s Orders. Experienced; single; knows Welsh. Immediate. References good. Apply to Sigma, Post Office, Resolven, near Neath.”

March:

The Calvinistic Methodists of Resolven met at Aberdulais for an evening of singing, readings and recitations. Miss Gwen Jones, Ty’nyrheol, sang ‘Ferch y Melinydd’, whilst Miss Moses played several pieces on the harp. ”Yr oeddem  wedi clywed yn flaenorol bod y foneddiges yma yn chwareu mor feisirolgar ar y delyn. A theimla pawb awydd am ei chlywed yn fuan eto.”

At a meeting of the Resolven Vestry held on 4 March, police constables for the village were appointed, as well as two overseers: John Rees of Heolhir and William Jones of Ty’n-y-cwm.

May:

Evan Rees, of Resolven, was fined £5 for selling produce at his shop in the village at the incorrect weight.

Under the auspices of the United Cricket Clubs of Resolven and Pont-nedd- fechan, an ‘Athletic Sports’ Day’ was organised at Resolven. “The arrangements for the day were in every respect admirable, so far as regards the accommodation for visitors, strong barriers having been erected around the entire course; a judicious system of ticket-taking also keeping the reserved and unreserved portions of the ground well marked. The course was marked out by red flags, and the distance in yards was also marked by white flags bearing the yards’ figures on them”. Among the twelve events were: throwing the hammer, with nine contestants (the first prize was won by J. Long with a throw of 66 feet); the sack race for a silver watch had only three entries, a dispute between the contestants leading to “(…) high words and rather unmeasured threats, but the managers were firm, and Sweet took the first prize of a watch, Joseph Rees taking the second prize ”;  the half-mile race open to boys under fifteen (won by Walter Jenkins with a time of 2 minutes 43 seconds);  and the 250 yards race over ten flights of hurdles (won by C. Ford who ran in 40 and a half seconds).

On Whit-Monday, members of Resolven Church choir visited Porth Mawr, Ystradfellte for their annual outing, where “all sorts of vehicles, from a wagon with four horses to the spring cart, were pressed into service, and with flags etc; the cavalcade reached their halting place, the Cave where refreshments had been provided for the party.”

David John Matthews, a six-year old boy from Cory Street, Resolven, suffered serious burns from playing with a box of matches, and subsequently died as a result of his injuries.

June:

At the Petty Sessions held at Neath, four Resolven men were charged with being drunk and disorderly. Police Constable John Jones stated: “I stopped when I got within fifty yards of them, and watched their proceedings a few moments; they were shouting, not laughing; they shouted as people do when drunk, not merrily, but disturbing the whole place.” Each defendant was fined five shillings and costs.

July:

An inquest was held at Resolven into the death of Thomas Roberts on the Vale of Neath railway. David Ogilvie stated that he was the driver of the 4p.m. train from Monmouth which comprised eight carriages beside the engine. All went well until the train reached Resolven at 7.42p.m. and passed over a crossing. ”He then observed a man on the down- line walking on the left- hand side of the rails. The brake whistle was blown but the man took no notice of it, and as the train was going at the rate of thirty miles an hour round a sharp curve, it was impossible to stop before it went past him. The step of the van caught the poor fellow’s legs and his head came in contact with the uprights, killing him on the spot.” The jury returned a verdict of accidental death.

A friendly cricket match was played between Resolven and Neath juniors. “The Resolven team had the assistance of Mr W.H. Moseley, of the Neath and Cadoxton clubs, Mr. C. Williams and other ‘foreign’ bats. The game was very creditably played, the Neath Juniors losing the first innings through Moseley’s score of 22, but winning the second by two runs, although terribly overmatched by the gentlemen pressed into service against them. The ground was ‘bumpy’ and the play consequently difficult, but the fielding on both sides was good, the only drawback being the disproportionate strength of the elevens.”

August:

The Resolven Fire Brick and Clay Works were put up for sale by auction at the Vaughan Arms. The Works included some 400 acres of clay ground, a railway about 700 yards long, and “ (…) a spacious yard, weighbridge, two kilns for 20,000 and 18,000 bricks each, 2 stoves, 2 sheds, a fourteen horse-power horizontal engine and boiler, double mill, pug mill, hay and chaff room, stable, 2 cottages with gardens, and an abundant supply of excellent water; all held under lease for an unexpired term of about 90 years at a rent of £86 per annum, merged in Royalties of 6d per ton of clay worked. The clay, of which there are two seams three and four feet thick, is worked by water-free level. (…) The whole is connected with the Great Western Railway by a siding for 6 waggons into which the bricks are transferred by hand direct from the kilns and yard. The bricks are the best of the kind manufactured in the district, and command  a ready sale for iron, copper and zinc smelting, and for the purposes of tin-plate manufacture. For the clay, also, there is a large demand in the coarse and fine states, and it is found to be well adapted for the manufacture of glazed drainage pipes, chimney pots, and other articles of terracotta. (…)The present capabilities of the concern are: 300 tons of Lump Clay per week; 50 tons of coarse Clay per week; 30 tons of Fine Clay per week; 15,000 Bricks per week; 100 Hollow Fire-doors per week; 100 Slabs; 100 Bearers”.

September:

The District Surveyor reported that the bridge at Melin-y- cwrt was in a very dilapidated condition.  A tender from James and John Herbert for a new structure costing eight shillings per cubic yard was accepted, and an arrangement with Mrs. Sims to grant a piece of garden to enable the road to be widened was confirmed by the Highways Board.

At a Resolven Vestry meeting held on 17 September it was proposed by Mr. John Sims and seconded by Mr. Thomas Rees that the ‘Poor Rate Assessment and Collection Act 1869’ be adopted in the hamlet of Resolven.”

October:

An excursion by train from Resolven was advertised to view the Channel Fleet currently harboured at Milford Haven. The train was to leave Resolven at 7.34 a.m. and the fare for the excursion was five shillings and sixpence.