Hi Angela
I know you have the book 'Dafen Recollections' by Byron Davies, go to page
179 and 180 there is a small account of the pits in the area - just a brief
line which I found:.....
After an Act of Parliament in 1828, the Llanelly and Railway Dock Company
built, in 1833 a railway 2 1/2 miles long, from the St David's pit to
Machynys Pool, where a floating dock was built, known as the New Dock. This
marked the end of the old tram-road system which had linked the Dafen area,
Glyngwernen, Penprys and Gelligile pits to the Llangennech quay on the
Loughor river, from where great quantities of coal had been shipped.
* go to page 182 there is a map here showing Penprys pit - it is in Dafen not
Llangennech - I'll see what I can find in the local papers.
As in-depth study of the various coal workings and collieries of the area
will be found in Dr Malcolm Symons impending second volume on the 'History of
Mining in the Llanelli area, to be published by Llanelli Borough Council.
*note - I've not seen this book - have you?
There is not much about coal workings in this book - mainly all about the
tin-works, I had hoped to have found a mention. No like you I did not
realise that there were so many coal mines in the area, I was brought up in
Burry Port, and I never ever thought that there had been a mine there.....but
yes there were quite a few.
speak soon
Pauline