Hirwaun:
The establishment of the ironworks in 1757
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| Although
iron ore was common throughout the northern part of Glamorgan, the
moorland known as Hirwaun Wrgan Common at the top of the Neath Valley,
was recognised as a special place because it had easy access to
limestone, water, iron ore and coal. Iron ore from Hirwaun had long
been used in the Brecon ironworks and two Brecon businessmen saw
an opportunity for profit in building a furnace at Hirwaun and save
on the cost of transporting iron ore to Brecon. |
| Early
in 1757, Thomas Mayberry and John Wilkins took out a lease to dig
for iron and coal on the common at Hirwaun. Included in the Lease
was provision to build a furnace at Bryn Maerdy. There was plenty
of opposition to the scheme. Local farmers were increasingly resentful
of the new industrial development and it was not easy for Mayberry
and Wilkins to make quick progress. After what seems to have been
some difficulty they settled on a site for the furnace alongside
the River Cynon. A works was built quickly and was operating by
1760. The works must have quickly started to attract workers who
lodged in local farmhouses which were altered and enlarged to cater
for these new 'immigrant workers'. There must have been a basic
shanty town set up around the works by 1770 because the name Hirwaun
becomes commonly used for the new 'village' that had emerged. By
1800, a number of two roomed terraced houses had been built on the
Glamorgan bank of the River Cynon. The auction catalogue of 1813
contains the sale of 116 workers houses. |
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Although
we have very little idea of how the original furnace looked, it
is fairly safe to assume that it was similar in layout to other
furnaces of the time. It probably looked rather similar to the
remains at Cefn Cribbwr. The 1780s and
1790s were times of war and expansion of the army and navy. There
was a big demand for armaments and the works produced large numbers
of cannon and cannon balls. However, the business must have been
quite precarious because in 1813 it was bankrupt
and auctioned off. In 1817 the works were eventually sold
to William Crawshay II. The works was always in a precarious position
economically and the villagers of Hirwaun had to live with a 'boom
and bust' economy until the works was eventually closed in the
late 1850s.
The
unreliable nature of employment at the ironworks meant that many
ironworker's families lived in extreme poverty for long periods.
It is quite possible that by the 1840s, Hirwaun may have had the
worst housing and living conditions in the whole of the South
Wales Coalfield.
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Right:
An 18 pound field cannon from the early 1800s. Cannon such as
these were cast in large numbers in the Hirwaun works and shipped
down the Neath canal for loading on ships berthed at Giant's Grave
and Briton Ferry. They were transported to army and naval bases
in England where the wooden carriages and wheels were added.
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Below:
Although undated, this photograph of the Hirwaun works was probably
taken some time in the 1860s 0r 1870s, after most production had ceased.
The general dilapidation is typical of the state most of the South Wales
works and industries after they had ceased to become useful. It is hardly
surprising that most South Wales councils and residents were very keen
to demolish and redevelop such dereliction.
From
left to right , you can identify: A terrace of houses. A number of important
workers would be housed as close to the furnaces as possible in the
late 1700s. Next to the houses is the four storey house for the steam
blowing engine with the tall chimney behind. To the right of the blowing
house are the blast furnaces, there are four in this view. The third
one has been partly demolished. The stone used for the furnaces was
often of good quality and it would be taken and re-used in building
houses and churches. Further to the right of the blast furnaces, you
can see the forge. This was the building with lots of small re-heating
furnaces where the pig iron was made into cannon, cannon balls, chains,
and other wrought iron artifacts. You can see the large number of chimneys
for the small furnaces. In the foreground is the River Cynon. Much of
the waste from the works was tipped into the river causing dreadful
pollution along the river valley.
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