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Lewis Merthyr, Trehafod, 1982.
David and John Thomas had sunk the Hafod pit in 1850, but it was abandoned because of geological problems before any coal was produced. J. Calvert and Rowlands were listed as the owners in 1869.
In 1872 Thomas Jones took over Hafod Colliery and he was listed there from 1873 to 1876. In 1877 he was still there but the mine was now called Jones' Navigation in the List of Mines.
In 1881 the name was changed back to Hafod under the Lewis' Merthyr Navigation Colliery Co. Ltd. but from 1885 to 1887 was again listed as Jones' Navigation.
William Thomas Lewis (later Lord Merthyr) had sunk the "Bertie" shaft by late 1880, a year later a second shaft "Trefor" was sunk. The shafts were name after his two sons. At this time the Colliery was known as Merthyr Navigation.
From the Inspector of Mines list 1896, there were 599 men employed at Hafod colliery and 778 at the Bertie pit each producing Steam Coal and there were 754 employed at the Trefor pit producing House Coal.
During the late 1890's the owners had become Lewis Merthyr Consolidated Collieries Limited and it had developed into a unit with four winding shafts (including Coedcae and Hafod), with a total weekly output averaging 20,000 tons.
By 1908 there were 1,053 men employed at Bertie pit and 1,066 at the Trefor pit.
The colliery was using the latest blast (compressed air) driven coal-cutting machinery in some seams well before the first world war and the annual output reached 1.500.000 tons per year.
In 1918 Bertie and Trefor pits employed 1,792 men, Coedcae 556 and Hafod Nos. 1 and 2 1,496.
From a list 1923,Powell Duffryn became the new owners during 1929. In the same year Coedcae ceased winding coal followed in 1930 by Hafod No.2 and in 1933 Hafod No.1 also closed.
During 1945 Bertie and Trefor pits employed 1433 men between them.
A pocket of gas was ignited by a rock fall on the 22nd of
November 1956. Two men were killed instantly and seven others
including the manager died later from their injuries.
They were:-
Killed E. Howells 17 Turbine Attendant S. Thomas 69 Overman Fatally Injured A. Atkins 40 Collier T. Davies 38 Chargeman A.R. Fox 41 Manager C. Jones 36 Overman R. Jones 57 Repairer J.H. Mills 35 Repairer P. Profitt 22 Repairer
The output at this time was around 1,250 tons per day, with a workforce of 1,160 men.
In 1958 Lewis Merthyr was merged with Tymawr. All the coal was then brought to the surface via Tymawr and the materials were supplied via Lewis Merthyr.
Production ceased at in June 1983.
The pithead gear and buildings now forms part of the Rhondda Heritige Park
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Lewis Merthyr, Postcard, c.1900.
Also see Coedcae.