Richard Griffiths (industrialist)
Richard Griffiths | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1756 Llanwonno, Glamorgan, Wales |
| Died | 1826 |
| Occupation(s) | Industrialist, mineral rights entrepreneur |
| Known for | Developing early transportation routes into the Rhondda Valley; pioneering coal mining infrastructure |
Richard Griffiths (1756–1826) was a pioneering figure in Welsh industry, recognized for creating the earliest established transportation routes into the Rhondda Valley. His efforts laid the groundwork for subsequent coal mining developments within one of the planet’s most abundant coal regions.
Personal history
Originating from the Gellifendigaid lineage of Llanwonno, Griffiths was the third offspring of William Griffiths and Elizabeth (née Davies). He was brought up in a devout Methodist household and initially practiced medicine in Cardiff. However, he gained wider recognition through his ventures in mineral rights exploration. Known for his energetic and vibrant character, Griffiths was also famous for his humorous antics, such as orchestrating a mock funeral for himself. He passed away in 1826, with probate granted on 31 May.
Business career
Griffiths’ youngest sister became the wife of Evan Morgan, proprietor of the Hafod Fawr Estate located in the Lower Rhondda near present-day Trehafod. In 1808, Griffiths obtained a lease on the estate’s mineral rights from Morgan. The following year, he leased these rights to Jeremiah Homfray, who operated a coal level until his insolvency in 1813.
To boost operational efficiency, Griffiths enhanced transport connections from the estate to the recently inaugurated Glamorganshire Canal, which linked ironworks at Merthyr Tydfil with Cardiff’s port facilities—critical outlets for coal distribution. The previous reliance on pack horses was inefficient; consequently, Griffiths constructed a horse-drawn tramroad stretching from Hafod Estate to Newbridge (now Pontypridd), incorporating a bridge over the River Taff. Additionally, he built a private canal segment dubbed the 'Doctor's Canal' to connect directly with the Glamorganshire Canal. This tramroad commenced operation on 29 September 1809 and represented the inaugural transport connection into the Rhondda Valley.
Although some early accounts credit Griffiths as Rhondda’s initial coal pioneer—asserting he opened a coal level at Gyffeillion in 1790—subsequent research disputes this claim. In 1810, Griffiths explicitly denied owning any colliery before a House of Commons Select Committee examining coal taxation. Nevertheless, many contemporary references continue to inaccurately attribute early mining activities to him.
Griffiths’ transportation infrastructure became crucial when Walter Coffin, acknowledged for establishing Rhondda’s first deep mines at Dinas, obtained permission to utilize Griffiths’ tramroad. Coffin extended his own four-mile tramway to link his colliery with Griffiths’ route at Trehafod.
Following Griffiths’ demise, ownership of the Trehafod Estate transferred to his heirs and was successfully subjected to deep mining by John Calvert in 1851. Griffiths’ tramroad remained in use until it was supplanted by the Taff Vale Railway in 1841.
Bibliography
- Davies, John; Jenkins, Nigel. The Welsh Academy Encyclopædia of Wales. University of Wales Press, Cardiff, 2008. ISBN 978-0-7083-1953-6
- Evans, C.J.O. Glamorgan, its History and Topography. William Lewis, Cardiff, 1948.
- Lewis, E.D. The Rhondda Valleys. Phoenix House, London, 1959.
- Lloyd, John Edward; Jenkins, R.T. The Dictionary of Welsh Biography, Down to 1940. William Lewis, Cardiff, 1958.