Volume 1

A topographical and historical description of North Wales / [J. Evans].

  • Evans, J. (John), active 1812.
Date:
1819
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: A topographical and historical description of North Wales / [J. Evans]. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    104/518 (page 90)
    or lying in collateral strata. This eligible substitute for ligneous fuel, is found in every county of Wales, except Cardigan, Merioneth, and Caernarvon, and perhaps time will evince, that those are not destitute of this primary article of convenience. In North Wales the principal coal works are in the vicinity of Caergwrle, at Bagiit near Holywell, and Bychton and Mos- tyn in the parish of Whiteford, Flintshire; near Chirk, Rua- bon, and Wrexham, in the county of Denbigh; at several places along the line of the canal in Montgomeryshire, and Mal- traeth, Anglesey. So plentiful are coals in the four souther- most counties of the principality, that it is only to sink in cer- tain directions, to be assured of ultimate success. The coal sometimes underlays the calcareous strata, or in the miners phrase, has a limestone roof ; but more frequently it is found on the northern or southern side of a limestone ridge; and when a tract of low land is included between two such ridges, it may be inferred, that coal lies beneath. Two parallel lines of calcareous strata extend through South Wales in an easterly direction, from St. George’s channel across the whole country. These are accompanied by two lines of coal. Both are not uniformly visible together, but often where the coal grasses or appears near the surface, the limestone dips, or inclines to- wards the centre of the earth, and vice versa. Upon the first or upper line, coals have been found in different points, viz. at Johnston, Picton, JefFreston, and Begeley, Pembrokeshire. Thence keeping on the southern side of the limestone ridge it crosses the Towy, forming the bar at the mouth of that river ; and passing through the upper part of Caermarthenshire *, Brecknockshire, and Monmouthshire, crosses the Severn to the collieries of Kingswood, near Bristol. The second or lower line commences near Williamston in Pembrokeshire, and parallel with the limestone takes the water beyond the coal works at Sandersfoot in the bay of Tenby ; then crossing the peninsula of Gower it again dips in Swansea bay, re-appears * The coal pits near Llangyndeyrn in this county point out the bearing of this first iine.