18. • 1813 - Sold Pen-y-darren Ironworks.
• 1813-14 - High Sheriff of Monmouthshire.
• 1816 - Harassed William Wilberforce on a coach journey
and, ‘with stentorian voice left me no peace till his whole
tale was told. Inventor of tram roads, founder of all great
iron works in Monmouthshire, etc.’
• 1817 – Samuel Homfray Jr manager of Tredegar Ironworks
• 1818 - MP for Stafford. Moved to Coworth House,
Berkshire
• 22 May 1822 – died aged 61
18
19. “I was born,
bred and reared
in commerce
and trade, and
it has always
been my study
to promote it.”
Samuel
Homfray Senior,
1818
19
22. Walter Conway (1873-1933)
• 1915 - appointed secretary to the Tredegar
Workmen’s Medical Aid Society.
• Served 20,000 local people - surgeries employing 5
doctors, 2 dentists, nurses & support staff.
• 1920 – Query Club, debating society & member
insurance scheme.
22
25. Aneurin Bevin (1897-1960)
• MP for Ebbw Vale constituency, which included Tredegar
and Rhymney, from 1929 until his death in 1960.
• Inspired by Tredegar Workmen's Medical Aid Society,
which was his model for the National Health Service.
• Remembered as Minister for Health in the post-war Labour
Government as architect of the NHS created in 1948.
“All I am doing is extending to the entire population of
Britain, the benefits we had in Tredegar for a
generation or more. We are going to 'Tredegarise' you”
25
26. 8. Mary Elizabeth Davis (née Bramwell) 1825-1857
or Mrs R.P. Davis!
26
29. • Mary was wife of Richard
Powell Davis - manager of
Tredegar Ironworks after
the retirement of Samuel
Homfray Junior in 1853.
• Mary was niece of
Alderman William
Thompson MP, ('Billy ready
money‘) who was married
to Amelia, sister of Samuel
Homfray Junior).
• Mary died before clock
was completed in 1858.
29
30. 72 feet tall
6 sections of cast
iron
Minute hands 26”
long.
Tallest freestanding clock
made of iron in UK
Courtesy of
Tredegar Museum &
Archive Group
30
40. Evan Powell, History of Tredegar, 1884, pp.61-62:
‘When the project was under consideration, it was intended
to get a lump of coal to weigh about 20 tons, but it became
obvious that such a massive lump would require more space
to be brought to the surface than the Yard level afforded.
At length a lump weighing about 15 tons was got, and loaded
safely upon low carriages that were made for the purpose of
conveying the "big lump" but, unfortunately, it broke, and the
idea of sending it to the Exhibition was abandoned.
The remainder of the lump, which weighs about 10 tons, is
carefully preserved in the Bedwellty House park.’
40
41. Approximate measurements on 20 February 2013:
Average Height - 103 cm
Average Width - 150 cm
Average Depth - 561 cm
Volume: 8,679,600 cm3
Density of 1.346 g per cubic centimetre for bituminous coal
Mass = 11.5
Imperial ‘long tons’
41
45. Thomas Ellis (1804-1869)
• Chief engineer at Tredegar Ironworks for 25 years.
• 1829 - drove the first steam locomotive, called the
'Brittania‘, on the Sirhowy tramroad.
• 1st locomotive journey on rails in Wales since
Trevithick's trials at Penydarren in 1804.
• Built 11 locomotive engines: Saint David, Tredegar,
Jane, Fanny, Charlotte, Lady Sail, Lord Rodney,
Prince Albert, Dispatch and Bedwellty.
45
46. Thomas Ellis (right) & Isaac Thomas (left) on footplate of the
Saint David locomotive, rebuilt by Ellis in 1848.
46
47. • Son of Ann & Thomas Ellis – a carpenter by trade.
• Born in Tredegar
• Baptism at Bedwellty Church on 2 June 1804.
47
48. Eldest son, also known as Thomas Ellis, became well-known engineer.
48
58. Inquiry into the Condition of Children
employed in Mines, 1841:
58
59. 13. & 14. William
Williams, 'Myfyr Wyn'
and,
Sarah Jones, iron piler
59
60. William Williams ‘Myfyr Wyn’ 1849-1900
1851 census
Father worked at Bryn Bach as ironstone miner
1849 - Born at Twyn-y-Star, Dukestown, Tredegar
1860 - William working underground with father when he was
killed by rockfall
60
62. • Competed in eisteddfodau; published 2 volumes of poetry
• Articles, which were written in the Gwent dialect, ‘Llythyra
Bachan Ifanc’ were very popular
• William's brother, David (‘Myfyr Ddu’), published work
posthumously, including reminiscences of Sirhowy in C19th
62
64. Inquiry into the Condition of Children
employed in Mines, 1841:
“I shall be 16 years old in June. I came here to work when I was 11 years
old. My work is piling iron bars together for them to put into the heating
furnace.
There is one girl here younger than me and she is fast asleep down
there. She does not work at night this week. The girls stay at the work
until they go away and get married.
Why do you ask me my age? I have heard that you want the boys to go
for soldiers and the girls to go and take care of their clothes and wash
for them, that you want to take us all away.
I was never in school before I came here and I can’t read. I can’t go to
school and come to work. I sometimes go to the Sunday School. We
work at night every other week.”
64
66. ‘Jack the fifer’
• John Rees - mason by trade.
• 1835 - Texan War of independence
• San Antonio de Bexar
• Goliad massacre of 352 Texans
• Chartist Rising of 1839.
• Led attack on Westgate
66
73. Philip Weekes (1920-2003)
• Nantybwch, Tredegar
• 1948 - Oakdale colliery
• 1950 – Nigeria - ‘rather well for a grammar school boy’
• 1973 – 1985 - Director for South Wales coalfield
• Miners' strike of 1984-85
• Garden Festival Wales
• Tower colliery
73
76. • 1820 – Dolgellau
• Independent minister
and journalist.
• 1845 - Saron Chapel
• 1847 - ‘Blue Books’ Inquiry into the State
of Education in Wales
• 1848 – Left Tredegar
• 1852 – Buried at
Groeswen, Caerphilly
76
79. ‘Er cofarwydd am John, mab David ac Ann
Williams, o Dredegar, yr hwn a fu farw
Medi 13 1849 yn 4 mlwydd a 2 fis oed’
79
80. John Williams’ family, 7 Heater’s Row, Tredegar
Cholera - claimed 203 lives in 1849 in Tredegar
80
81. 1884 - Evan Powell’s History of Tredegar:
'In August, 1849, another visitation of cholera was at our
doors … in less than a month there was scarcely a street in
the town that had not been visited by the king of terrors.
The death rate rose so rapidly, the fatal cases were so
numerous, and the symptoms so terrible, that the doctors
were completely bewildered.
When a funeral procession proceeded towards the cemetery,
doors were closed, passers-by hurried out of sight, and
scarcely sufficient number in many cases were found to
convey the victims to their resting places.'
81
Baptised Margaretta Charlotte, daughter of Lorenzo and Margaret Stable, at Westminster, London on 5 Dec 1800.
In 1824, she married Samuel Homfray Junior at St. Pancras, London then managing partner of the Tredegar Ironworks.
As a married couple, Samuel and Margaret lived at Bedwellty House until Margaret’s death at the age of 52
Margaret and Samuel had 7 children together:
Charlotte Jane (1829),
Samuel George (1830),
Lorenzo Augustus (1832),
Charles Gould Morgan (1837),
Watkin William Wickey (1838 – died in infancy),
William Henry Wickey (1839), and
Octavius (1842).
Norah worked for the Medical Aid Society all her working life and during this time, a short verse was penned about her!
Taken from evidence provided by the girls to Rhys William Jones, Sub-Commissioner for inquiring into the Condition of Children employed in Mines, 1841:
Children often lied to the visiting commissioners about their ages, often stating that they were 2 or 3 years older than was actually the case.
They also downplayed the severity of the conditions that they experienced at work.
One shilling would have bought 1 pound in weight or 450 grams of butter in 1841.
Born 1762, youngest son of Francis Homfray, ironmaster, of Wollaston Hall, Worcs. by 2nd wife, Catherine, daughter and co-heiress of Jeremiah Caswell, ironmaster, of The Hyde, Staffs.
Associated with his brothers in the pioneering iron industry of South Wales during the late 18th and early 19th centuries.
In 1789, he became sole manager of the Penydarren ironworks.
In 1793 he married the widowed Jane Ball in Westminster. She was the eldest daughter of Sir Charles Morgan (né Gould) and Jane Morgan, heiress to the vast Tredegar estate.
Samuel, in partnership with Richard Fothergill and Matthew Monkhouse of the Sirhowy Ironworks and William Thompson and Forman family, leased 3,000 acres of land in the Sirhowy valley from his father-in-law, Sir Charles Morgan (né Gould), 1st Baronet of Tredegar, to develop a new ironworks.
In recognition the works were called the 'Tredegar Ironworks'.
Best remembered as the instigator and champion of Richard Trevithick’s historic locomotive journey on 21 February 1804 between Penydarren and Abercynon – the first journey of a locomotive engine on rails anywhere in the world.
1813 - Sold his stake in Penydarren. Appointed High Sheriff of Monmouthshire.
Harassed William Wilberforce on a coach journey in 1816, and ‘with stentorian voice left me no peace till his whole tale was told. Inventor of tram roads, founder of all great iron works in Monmouthshire, etc.’
In 1818 he was elected as MP for the borough of Stafford. Moved to Coworth House, Berkshire
Died on 22 May 1822, aged 61
Samuel's eldest son (also called Samuel) redesigned Bedwellty House and Park when he became managing partner of the Tredegar Ironworks after 1817 - possibly after his marriage to Margaret Stable in December 1824.
“I was born, bred and reared in commerce and trade, and it has always been my study to promote it. I have employed more than 2,000 men for thirty years, but since that cursed corn bill they have been starving and since then it has cost me ... £150 a month to supply them with bread, beef and flour; and, gentlemen, my men never wanted in their lives.
Walter Conway was secretary of the Tredegar Workmen's Medical Aid Society - the model used to establish the NHS.
Born in 1873, Walter was orphaned at a young age and was sent to live at Bedwellty Workhouse.
After leaving the workhouse, he became a collier and an active member of the Labour Party.
In 1915, Walter was appointed secretary to the Medical Aid Society - over the next 18 years, he helped develop to provide medical services to 20,000 local people. The society operated surgeries which employed 5 doctors, 2 dentists, nurses and support staff.
In 1920 Walter and his friends, including a young Aneurin Bevan, formed the Query Club, which was a socialist debating society.
Norah was the last secretary of the Tredegar Workmen's Medical Aid Society.
Medical Aid Society provided affordable health care and treatment in this area to over 90% of the population before the National Health Service was created in 1948.
MP for Ebbw Vale constituency, which included Tredegar and Rhymney, from 1929 until his death in 1960.
He was the son of a coal miner, a champion of social justice and the rights of working people.
From 1959, Bevan became Deputy Leader of the Labour Party
Remembered as Minister for Health in the post-war Labour Government as architect of the NHS, which was created in 1948.
He was inspired by the Tredegar Workmen's Medical Aid Society, which he claimed was his model for the National Health Service.
“All I am doing is extending to the entire population of Britain, the benefits we had in Tredegar for a generation or more. We are going to 'Tredegarise' you”
Mary Davis championed an idea to raise money towards erecting a large illuminated clock in the centre of the Circle at Tredegar.
Born in Westmorland in 1825, Mary Bramwell married Newport-born ironmaster, Richard Powell Davis in 1848.
Her husband became manager of the Tredegar Ironworks after the retirement of Samuel Homfray Junior in 1853.
Mary was the niece of Alderman William Thompson MP, one of the wealthiest industrialists and landowners of the 19th century. (Known in the City of London as 'Billy ready money', he was married to Amelia, Samuel Homfray Junior's sister).
Mary died a year before Tredegar’s clock was completed in 1858.
The clock is 72 feet tall and is made of 6 sections of cast iron - the minute hands on each face are 26 inches long.
It is believed to be the tallest free-standing clock made of iron in the United Kingdom.
Taken from evidence provided by the girls to Rhys William Jones, Sub-Commissioner for inquiring into the Condition of Children employed in Mines, 1841:
Children often lied to the visiting commissioners about their ages, often stating that they were 2 or 3 years older than was actually the case.
They also downplayed the severity of the conditions that they experienced at work.
One shilling would have bought 1 pound in weight or 450 grams of butter in 1841.
Thomas Ellis worked as chief engineer at the Tredegar Ironworks for over 25 years.
Between 1832 and 1854, he built 11 locomotive engines whose names included: Saint David, Tredegar, Jane, Fanny, Charlotte, Lady Sail, Lord Rodney, Prince Albert, Dispatch and Bedwellty.
After a brief spell working for Thomas Hill at Garnddyris Ironworks near Blaenavon he returned to Tredegar in 1828.
In 1829, he drove the first steam locomotive, called the 'Brittania‘ (built by the Stephensons), on the Sirhowy tramroad from Tredegar to Newport.
It's believed that this was the first locomotive journey on rails in Wales since Richard Trevithick's trials at Penydarren in 1804.
However this journey did not pass without incident - whilst the engine was speeding through Tredegar Park, its chimney hit an overhanging tree branch and was knocked off the locomotive!
Mistakenly attributed with having been sent by Homfray to the Stephensons in Newcastle to inspect and purchase locomotive engines. This was another Thomas Ellis who was also an engineer by trade!
According to Oliver Jones, this early photo shows Thomas Ellis (right) standing next to engine driver, Isaac Thomas (left) on the footplate of the Saint David locomotive rebuilt by Ellis in 1848.
Above is the 1861 census for nos.1 and 2 Plummer’s Row, Tredegar.
At no.1, look for Ann and Mary Morgan (both aged 18) whose job was unloading iron ore (called iron mine) from drams. Eldest sister Elisabeth also did the same work.
At no.2, Margaret, Catherine, Mary and Rebecca Lewis gathered iron ore (iron mine). These women and girls, also known as ‘patch girls’, worked outside during all weathers, all year!
Patch girls were described in 1841 by the Commissioners inquiring into the Condition of Children employed in Mines as follows:
William Williams (‘Myfyr Wyn’) was born at Twyn Star, Tredegar in 1849. His father worked at Bryn Bach as an ironstone miner and William was at his side, working underground at the age of 10, when he was killed by a rock that fell upon him.
William served an apprenticeship as a blacksmith alongside Ezechial Davies (‘Gwentwyson’) under Joseph Bevan (‘Gwentydd’) at Sirhowy Ironworks.
John Rees, better known as Jack the fifer, (a fife was a small, high-pitched flute), was a mason by trade.
He was heavily involved in the Chartist Rising of 1839.
In 1835, Jack fought in the Texan War of independence before returning to Wales.
Part of an ill-equipped group of fighters that captured San Antonio de Bexar from regular Mexican soldiers.
His military experience led to him being chosen to lead the Chartist attack on the Westgate Hotel in Newport, at the head of a column of Tredegar pikemen and gunmen!
At 7pm on 3 November 1839, five to six thousand men assembled at Twyn-y-Star, ready for the march to Newport via Ebbw Vale.
Tredegar men were chosen to lead the frontal assault on the Westgate.
The attack on the Westgate ended in failure but Jack evaded capture and escaped to Texas where he allegedly re-joined the Texan army.
Later it is said that he migrated to California at the time of the gold rush (1848-1855).
According to research by John Humphries, Jack lived out the rest of his days in Northern California where he was buried in 1893.
Zephaniah Williams lived here at Dukestown before moving in early 1839 to Coalbrookvale, Blaina.
Lodge HQ was the Star Inn (Twyn-y-Star). Meetings of South Wales’ rebel command were held here before the rising.
Chartist lodge in Dukestown was earliest in Sirhowy valley.
The Star field (now built over) was the site of one of the largest public gatherings anywhere in Wales during the 19th century.
On 12 August 1839, Chartist speakers called upon Queen Victoria to dissolve Parliament and accept the People's Charter as the basis for electing a new Government of the country.
Born at Nantybwch, Tredegar in 1920, Philip Weekes gained a scholarship from Tredegar Iron and Coal Company to study mining engineering. After the war he was appointed manager of Wyllie colliery and by 1948, became manager of the vast Oakdale colliery near Blackwood.
Philip showed a talent for negotiating and in 1950 the Colonial Office sent him to Nigeria following riots in a mining district in order to restore peaceful relations between management and workers. A later colonial report stated that he had done ‘rather well for a grammar school boy’.
In 1964, Philip became director of studies at the National Coal Board and in 1971, he was appointed Director-General of mining. From 1973 to 1985, he served as area director for the south Wales coalfield during periods of strained relations between governments, management and labour unions and the eventual destruction of the deep-mining industry.
In contrast with the uncompromising styles of the leaders on both sides in the year-long miners' strike of 1984-85, he worked with police and unions to ensure that violence was minimised and that essential maintenance work continued so that work could re-start quickly once the strike had finished.
During retirement, Philip became chairman of Garden Festival Wales and acted as chairman at Tower colliery following the workers’ buy-out.
Evan was a prominent critic of the Report of Commission of Enquiry into the State of Education in Wales published in 1847.
The report was produced in blue books and later referred to by its many critics as 'The Treachery of the Blue Books'.
It exaggerated and blamed the poor state of education and schools in Wales upon the Welsh language, the influence of non-conformist chapels and the alleged, low morals and coarse habits of the Welsh people.
Evan wrote and published many letters and pamphlets attacking the report and its conclusions. His arguments, always strongly presented, were based on careful study of the facts.
Evan suffered from ill-health throughout his life and died in 1852, aged only 31.
Born near Dolgellau in 1820
Evan Jones ('Ieuan Gwynedd') was an Independent minister and journalist.
He became Minister at Saron Chapel in Tredegar in 1845 but left after 2 1/2 years to pursue a career in journalism.
During his short stay at Tredegar he developed Sunday school classes and took a keen interest in education.
David and Ann Williams of No.7 Heater’s Row, Tredegar carry the dead body of their infant son, John, for burial towards Cefn Goleu cemetery.
John died of Cholera, a fatal disease caused by drinking polluted water, which swept through Tredegar in 1849 claiming 203 lives.
