| Gwaith
manganis yn ffynnu yn ystod dau ryfel y ganrif diwethaf ond yn rhy ddrud
i'w weithio adeg heddwch. Cludiwyd y cerrig manganis mewn llongau o'r
lanfa oedd wedi ei hadeiladu ym Mhorth Ysgo ag inclen o'r gwaith yn
eu cario i'r llongau.
Yn
ôl yr ystadegau, yn 1827 y
darganfuwyd y manganîs cyntaf yn ardal y Rhiw ac mewn ffrwd fechan,
sef ffrwd y Nant, yr oedd hynny. Nid oes cofnod yn dweud ai trwy ddamwain
ynteu trwy ymchwiliad y bu i’r manganîs ddod i’r amlwg
ond un peth sydd yn sicr: bu i’r darganfyddiad chwyldroi ardal
fechan gymharol dlawd.
Cafodd
manganîs ei ddarganfod ym Mhrydain cyn belled yn ôl â
1774 a buan iawn y dysgwyd am ei rinweddau. Gellir ei ddefnyddio i galedu
haearn, a’r sodiwm a’r potasiwm sydd ynddo i gynhyrchu diheintydd.
Gan
mai ar dir yn perthyn i’r Cyrnol Edwards, Nanhoron y darganfuwyd
y manganîs cyntaf yn Rhiw, mae’n wir dweud bod ei ddiddordeb
ef ynddo yn fawr a chyflogodd wr o’r enw Andrew Burt i arolygu’r
darganfyddiad ar ei ran. Prynodd Andrew Burt, Neigwl Ganol yn 1827 er
mwyn adeiladu melin ar gyfer malu’r garreg manganîs. Mae’n
debyg ei fod wedi sylweddoli mai manganîs oedd yr hyn a ddarganfuwyd
ond ei fod wedi cadw hynny’n gyfrinach iddo’i hun nes y
daeth cadarnhad o’r swyddfa brofi yn Llundain. Er bod Burt wedi
meddwl am elwa o gynllun y felin, fel arall y bu gan fod yn well gan
y prynwyr fanganîs mewn ffurf powdwr yn hytrach na cherrig, ac
aeth cynlluniau’r hen frawd i’r gwynt!
Gyda
dyfodiad hydref 1828 daeth
asiant mwyngloddio ynghyd â mwynwr
profiadol i’r ardal i hyfforddi’r trigolion yn y modd i
olchi a glanhau’r Manganîs ac erbyn 1830 cofnodir bod oddeutu
hanner cant o ddynion o’r cylch yn gyflogedig yn y gwaith.
Mewn basgedi ar gefn mulod y câi’r
cynnyrch ei gario i’r traethau, er mwyn ei allforio i Lerpwl a
Llundain. Cafwyd
caniatad i groesi tir y Nant ar gyfer llwytho ym Mhorth Ysgo, ond i
Abersoch ran amlaf y cludid y llwythi, ac weithiau i Borthdinllaen.
Yn Rhagfyr 1828 rhoddodd Arglwydd Newborough brydles blwyddyn i ganiatau
mwyno ym Mhenarfynydd ond deallir erbyn heddiw na chafwyd mwynau ar
dir y fferm. Cafwyd prydles un flynedd ar hugain gan y goron yn 1844
i fwyno dau can erw o dir comin mynydd y Rhiw.
Deiliaid
y brydles honno oedd Robert Williams, meistr llong o ardal y Rhiw, a’i
bartner, William Jones, un a fu yn reolwr mwynfeydd y Penrhyn Du, Abersoch.
Bu’r bartneriaeth yn un dda a llwyddiannus yn ôl pob sôn.
Yn yr un flwyddyn cafodd tri dyn lleol arall brydles o un flynedd ar
hugain i
chwilio am fwynau yn Baron Hill. Yn ôl
cyfrifiad 1841, trigai mwynwr yn Chimney Hole, neu Cimle fel y’i
adwaenir erbyn heddiw. Bwthyn bychan ym mhlwyf Llanfaelrhys oedd Chimney
Hole ac yn ôl enw anghyffredin y mwynwr ymddengys mai Sais ydoedd.
Erbyn cyfrifiad 1851, roedd ef a’i deulu wedi symud o’r
ardal.
Cafodd
229 tunnell o fanganîs ei grynhoi yn 1829 ond 70 tunnell yn unig
a gafodd ei drosglwyddo yn 1830. Erbyn 1830 roedd gair wedi mynd ar
led bod cyfoeth i’w ennill o ddaear y Rhiw a bu i lawer o ddieithriaid
ddod i’r ardal i geisio eu ffortiwn. Pobl mynd a dod oedd y mwyafrif
ohonynt ac efallai nad oedd croeso trigolion y Rhiw mor gynnes ag y
dylai fod; wedi’r cwbl, eu heiddo hwy oedd unrhyw elw a ddôi
o ddaear eu bro.
Nid
cymdeithas y Rhiw yn unig a fyddai yn elwa o enillion ynghlwm â'r
cloddio. Roedd y meistri tir hefyd am fynnu eu siâr. Fel yr awgrymais
yn barod, roedd y Cyrnol Edwards, Nanhoron â diddordeb yn y gweithgareddau;
hefyd Asheton Smith, stad y Faenol a’r Arglwydd Newborough, Glynllifon,
y tri am dafell go helaeth o’r elw.
Wrth edrych trwy gyfrifiad 1861, gwelir bod llawer o boblogaeth y Rhiw
yn fwynwyr, yn ogystal â bod yn ffermwyr a physgotwyr. Dynion
fel Robert Jones, Fourcrosses Fawr, mwynwr a pherchennog, gwaith manganîs
Thomas Bilshaw, Sais o Lerpwl a oedd yn lletya yn Nhan-y Graig; Owen
Williams, Tan-y-Graig ac Isaac Roberts, Bwlch-y-Garreg. Yn ôl
y sôn, y ddau olaf yma fu’r rhai cyntaf i gloddio rhan orllewinol
Clip y Gylfinir.
Yng nghyfrifiad 1861 hefyd, cofnodir bod gwraig 35 oed ynghyd â'i
mab pedair ar ddeg yn fwynwyr. Erbyn 188I, mae’n ymddangos o’r
cyfrifiad mai tri yn unig a oedd yn fwynwyr: Owen Williams ac Isaac
Roberts a enwyd eisoes ac un arall, a gwelir bod y tri yn perthyn i’w
gilydd trwy briodas.
Ni
cheir sôn am waith manganîs yn y Rhiw yng nghofnodion mwynfeydd
Cymru rhwng 1872 ac 1885 ond mae peth dirgelwch ynglyn â hyn gan
fod y gwaith o gloddio yn y Rhiw wedi ailgydio yn 1880 ond yn danddaearol
erbyn hyn. Yn 1887, Isaac Roberts ac Owen Williams oedd perchenogion
gwaith Benallt a buont yn dal i weithio yno tan 1895.
Bu
gwaith y Rhiw mewn bri o 1886 hyd at 1893 a’r Nant o 1891 - 1893,
gyda dau ddyn yn gweithio yno. Aeth un i geisio sefydlu pwll yn Nhy’n
Llan ond methiant fu’r ymdrech honno. Yn ôl map Ordnans
1888, dangosir Rhiw a Benallt fel pyllau ond fel hen chwarel y dangosir
y Nant. Dangosir un pwll yn ymyl Tyddyn Meirion a gelwir y safle yn
Cae Manganese. Cafodd y map ei gywiro yn 1899 a gwelir bod tri phwll
ac un lefel yn Rhiw a Benallt.
Daeth dirwasgiad i’r gwaith mwyno oherwydd mewnforio manganîs
cyfoethocach ei ansawdd a hefyd llawer rhatach, ac erbyn 1900 roedd
y mwyngloddio wedi dod i ben yn y Rhiw er nad oedd wedi ei ollwng yn
gyfan gwbl.
Bu i’r gwaith cloddio fod mewn bri
wedyn yn ystod yr Ail Ryfel Byd, ond
cyfnod arall oedd hwnnw..
|
Manganese
was mined here and the works flourished during both world wars. The
economics of this activity makes it an unprofitable one during peacetime.
The ore was shipped out of Porth Ysgo from the jetty after being transported
down inclines from the mines above.
It was at Ffrwd Y Nant that manganese was first discovered in Rhiw as
late as 1827. There are, however, no reports as to if the discovery
was by chance or through prospecting. Which ever it was, the discovery
was something that totally changed the prospects for the people of Rhiw
in this relatively poor mountain community.
Manganese was discovered in Britain as early as 1774 and its properties
were soon found. It can be used to strengthen iron, and the Sodium and
Potassium it contains can be used in the production of disinfectants.
The landowner where the manganese was discovered was Colonel Edwards
of Nanhoron. He was extremely eager to profit from its discovery and
promptly decided to employ a Mr Andrew Burt to manage the operation
for him. Andrew Burt purchased Neigwl Ganol in 1827 in order to build
a mill to crush the manganese bearing rock. It appears that Burt was
aware of the fact that it was manganese that had been discovered, but
that he kept it a secret until confirmation was received from London.
It appears as though Burt had hoped to profit by making the mill but
that his plans were thwarted because the buyers did not want crushed
rock, only in it's powdered form was there a market for the raw material.
By the autumn of 1828 an agent and a mining expert had arrived at Rhiw.
They set about teaching the local people the methods used in washing
and cleaning the manganese. By 1830 there were about fifty local men
working in the manganese industry in Rhiw.
Initially the manganese was carried down to the shore by pack mule in
baskets. Here at Porth Ysgo it was loaded aboard ships and taken to
the ports of Liverpool and London. Permission was given to carry the
goods across the land of Y Nant in order to reach Porth Ysgo, but most
times it seems that the early pack mules took their loads down to Abersoch
and even to Porthdinllaen to be loaded onto ships.
In December 1828 Lord Newborough gave a lease for mining to take place
at Penarfynydd, but it appears as though no mining took place at this
location. In 1844 a lease was obtained from the crown for 21years to
mine an area of 200 acres of common land on Rhiw Mountain.
The leaseholders were Robert Williams, ships master from Rhiw and his
partner, William Jones who had been manager of the mine at Penrhyn Du
near Abersoch. It seems as though this was a good partnership and business
flourished. Another lease was given during the same year to another
three local men; again for a period of twenty-one years, this lease
was for mining in the area of Baron Hill. According to the census of
1841, miners lived at Chimney Hole or Cimle, as it is now known. Chimney
hole was a small cottage in the parish of Llanfaelrhys. By the census
of 1851 it appears as though the miner and family had moved away.
In 1829 it was recorded that 229 tonnes of manganese was extracted,
but that only 70 tonnes were recorded for 1830. By 1830 word had spread
far and wide that there was a fortune to be made mining at Rhiw. This
'gold rush' led many travellers to Rhiw and also led to a certain amount
of aggravation with the locals who may not have been as welcoming as
some. Naturally this natural resource was theirs and the wanted to keep
hold of it.
It wasn't only the residents of Rhiw that were to benefit from the mining.
The local landowners also wanted their share of this bonanza. The aforementioned
Colonel Edwards of Nanhoron had a stake in the operations as did Asheton
Smith of the Faenol estate, and Lord Newborough of Glynllifon. All three
gained profit from the activities.
Looking at the census of 1861, it becomes clear that many of the local
people were both miners and fishermen or farmers. Examples are- Robert
Jones, Fourrosses Fawr, miner and owner of a manganese works. Thomas
Bilshaw an Englishman from Liverpool who stayed at Tan-Y-Graig. Owen
Williams, Tan-Y-Graig and Isaac Roberts Bwlch y garreg. It is said that
the last two were responsible for the first mining of the western end
of Clip y Gylfinir where the mod radar now sits.
In the census of 1861 there are also mention of a woman of 35 and her
son of fourteen both miners. By the census of 1881 it appears as though
only three local men remained as miners: Owen Williams and Isaac Roberts
mentioned earlier, and one other. It seems as though they were all related
through marriage.
There is no mention of Rhiw in the Welsh mines registers between 1872
and 1885 but there is some mystery to this, as it appears that mining
was re-started in 1880 but this time underground. In 1887, Isaac Roberts
and Owen Williams were the owners of the Benallt works, and they remained
working there until as late as 1895.
The mining at Rhiw continued from 1886 until 1893, and Y Nant from 1891
to 1893 with two men working there. One of them left and attempted a
mine at Ty'n Llan but the mine failed. According to the ordanance survey
maps of 1888, Rhiw and Benallt are shown as mines, with Nant being shown
as old workings. One shaft is shown near Tyddyn Meirion with the location
shown as Cae Manganese. The map was corrected in 1899 and shows three
mines and one level at Rhiw and Benallt.
The viability of the works in the area came to an end with the importation
of richer bearing manganese from foreign shores. These cheaper and higher
quality supplies saw an end to the manganese works in Rhiw by 1900,
although that isn't quite the end of the activities.
The need for manganese was re-ignited during Britain’s isolation
during WW2, but that as they say is another story....
|
