The Rise Of Llanelli Through The Industrial Period

In my last column I discussed religion and the role it had on defining the history of Llanelli. This month I will focus on the role industry had in shaping our town.

Pre-1800, coal mining was a large part of life for the workers of Llanelli. However, the mines that were used were simple drift mines that couldn’t reach depths of more than 1200 ft. These small and privately owned mines were dangerous places to work. It has been reported that workers as young as six were killed in tragic accidents down the Llanelli mines.   

In 2019, it would be absurd to think of a six year old child working, let alone in a dangerous environment such as the mines. These children that worked down the mines would have had very little formal education and they would have lacked the basic skill of reading and writing. Allowing a child to work in a dangerous environment would have not been an easy decision for a parent to make. This suggests that families were living in poverty and were desperate for the extra income.

The industrial revolution was a period in British history that altered the landscape of Wales and transformed how people lived. Urbanisation took place which resulted in workers and their families moving to areas near the factories, and this is how towns were founded.

New technology meant that hand-crafted and time consuming items became cheaper to produce. This resulted in products being produced in mass quantities; with the Welsh working class now able to purchase items that would have been previously unaffordable.

Why would English Industrialists set up factories in Llanelli? Would it be to exploit the resources of Wales? They came to Llanelli because it was rich with coal. Alexander Raby is arguably the most significant person in the history of Llanelli, as he financed many of the industrial projects in the town that helped it to expand.

South Wales produced 90% of Britain’s copper in 1800. During the copper boom Charles Neville re-located his business to the town and he founded Llanelli Copperworks CO in 1805. The company expanded its interest to mining for coal which was to ensure that it had steady supply. Further expansion for the company occurred when they became involved in the transportation of their product through shipping and rail. The railway line in Llanelli and the invention of steam power made it easier for Llanelli businesses to export their products.

The Neville’s were known as leading 19th century industrialists in the area. If you live in Raby or Neville Street in Llanelli and wondered how your street had its name then this column should give you the answers you need. As a consequence of industrialisation many people from outside Wales moved to Llanelli to work; this transformed the local language and customs of the area.

As a result of the industrial Revolution Llanelli benefited from a new innovation of smelting iron ore with coke that produced higher-quality metals. This helped South Wales become a major producer of Iron and Steel. Llanelli had twelve establishments that produced Tinplate. It is interesting that the area of Furnace in the town takes its name from the furnace that was used to produce tinplate. In the year 1900 the tinplate industry in Llanelli supported more than 5000 employees. This was significant when we consider that Llanelli at the time had a population of around 20,000. These wages of the Tinplate workers (Tin Men) would have trickled down to support businesses in the area.

There were many factors that led the industrial boom in Llanelli. Consequently, Llanelli grew significantly because it was rich in coal and the industrial revolution made the use of coal more profitable. Where there is profit to be made there will always be those who pursue it. That is the capitalist world that we live in.

Due to its success in the tinplate industry Llanelli was known as Tinopolis. We in Llanelli are called Turks and nobody can say for definite why that is. Wouldn’t it make more sense if people from Llanelli are known as Tinnies of Tinopolis to celebrate our industrial history? So from this day on I am no longer a Turk, I am a Tinny of Tinopolis.