Could anyone tell me if Blackwood comes under your group.
I am desperately trying to locate a Margaret Meredith, born in Blackwood
approximately 1834 her father being Thomas Meredith, Collier.
I have tried the IGI on the Internet without success. Possibly a batch
number may help for a parish, if someone has come across it, if of
course I am on the right group:)
Up until now I have vaguely read sections on Coal Miners etc but until
now have not taken (with much regret) great notice. If Blackwood is in
this neck of the woods, are there many collieries in the area?
Although born in Blackwood I left the area many years ago - so this is
from memory. Sorry for any errors :-)
Blackwood is contained within the Bedwellty parish and civil Registration
District. However, it is right on the border of the adjoining parish
of Mynyddislwyn, and if memory serves me correctly, the parish church at
Mynyddislwyn was probably closer to Blackwood than the parish church of
Bedwellty. Margaret Meredith may have been baptised at either of these
churches - depending on which end of the village the family lived at!
If the family were not C of E there were many non-conformist churches in
the area, including Rock Calvinistic Methodist, Penmaen Independents, and
other assorted Methodists & Baptists.
The population of Blackwood in 1829 was about 500.
The three early collieries (or "levels") were at Libanus, Lower Plas and
Cwm Filkins. Later collieries were at Rock, Penmaen & Woodfield. Most
of the earlier collieries closed with the sinking of deep shaft mines at
Oakdale, Hollybush and Llanover in the early 1900s. The last mine
(Oakdale) closed about 20 years ago.
John Wynn