The Industrial Revolution

David Bohner (as Mary Evans)

1781Invention of the Steam Engine

• What year was the steam engine invented?• How did this invention forever change the

lives of the people?• Who invented it?

The anthracite coal(welsh coal) with a high calorific value

1805Merthyr Tydfil Iron Works Open

• What happened to Gwallter?• How common was it for

people to move to the iron works? (talk about there only being 300 workers)

• What were the conditions (safety) in the factory?

• Who opened the iron works?

The Blaneavon Iron Works

1842Mines Act

• How did the new law affect the living conditions of the people? (less money, less food)

• What year was the law written?• What did this law mean for the

women and children?• Where did the children and women

go to find work?• How did this affect the coal miners

and the production of coal?

13 Year Old Miner

1876Pendyrus Mine Opens

• How did the new mine change “our” lives?• Why did the miners move to Tylertown?

(employment benefits, more money)• What year was the mine opened?

Working in the Mines

1896Mine Disaster

• How many people were killed in the accident?• How many pit ponies were killed in the accident?• Why did Lewis decide to sell the mine? (talk about cost for ponies,

rebuilding the shafts, too much trouble)• When did the explosion go off? (date, time)• How did the explosion change our lives?

Pit ponies used for bringing coal to the surface

1898

Not a day that I can rest peacefully. An elder lady now, 62 years of age, I should take things slower. However, I cannot possibly do so. Losing Gareth to the mines was bad enough, but I do not know what I’d do if I’d lose Rhys, too. Or even if Idris died! I am especially worried about Rhys, though. He’s the one mining. Every day, before sunrise even, I wonder if the last I’ll see of him is him walking towards the mine, turning round just before I cannot see him anymore, and waving goodbye. Not only to me, but for the also to his wife and kids.

At thirty-two, he is now a handsome young man. Living next door together with his own family, he seems to lighten up whenever he reaches his home. And this is how it was for the past twelve years. I live off just a little of his and Idris’s income. I always make sure that they have plenty for themselves, too, however.

Sources CitedBourdenet, Nathalie. "The Mines Act, 1842." UFR LCE - Département D’études Anglophones - The Mines Act, 1842. Université Paris, 11 Oct. 2003. Web. 2 Mar. 2014. <http://anglais.u-paris10.fr/spip.php?article88>.Davies, Rhys. "Fidler Interviews." Personal interview. 12 Jan. 2014. Information found from Mr. James Fidler, who found from Mr Rhys Davies, Cowbridge Glamorgan, Wales, United Kingdom 2007