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A Brief Outline of the Local Tinplate Industry

in the 19th Century

The tinplate trade during the 20th century

Iron, Steel & Tinworks

1846 First tinplate works established at Dafen.

1851 The Morfa works, originally called the Llanelly Works, was built by a Cornishman, J S Tregoning and his partners.

1852 Old Lodge Iron Works was established by William Henry Nevill and John Thomas.

1856 Limited Liability Act passed enabling professional men and traders to invest without losing their whole investment.

1860 Cambrian Works established.

1862-1863 Marshfield Works (later known as the Western) was established by Richard Nevill and Mr Everitt.

1866-67 Old Castle Works was the first locally financed Limited Liability Company, with 38 original shareholders: 32 lived at Llanelli; 2 lived at Carmarthen; 1 lived at Llandeilo; 1 lived at Swansea; 1 lived at Briton Ferry. 18 were Tradesmen, or Industrialists and were 9 described as Professional men (accountants, surveyors, surgeons). 6 were Shopkeepers; 1 was a Minister of Religion; 1 was a Farmer; 1 (James Buckley was described as a Gentleman; 1 (Henry Thomas) was a Malster & Corn Merchant; 1 (William Samuel) was a Ship owner.

1869 A foundry and fitting shop were erected at Dafen which enabled the works to make their own rolls and castings.

1870 Trade fluctuated between boom and depression even though the demand for tinplate continued.

1872 South Wales Tinplate Works was the first to be established at Machynys also known as Morewoods. This was the start of an 18 year period of great expansion when new works were established and existing works extended. Trade fluctuated between boom and slump even though the demand for tinplate continued with the rise in petroleum production.

1874-75 Burry Tinplate Co. The Burry Tinplate Limited Liability Company was also locally financed, and the works which was built near New Dock at Machynys, had a reservoir capable of holding 2 million gallons.

Of the 27 original shareholders, 21 lived at Llanelli and 6 lived in the surrounding area: 7 Shopkeepers; 3 Teachers; 2 Ministers of Religion; 1 Brick Manufacturer; 1 Ship Broker; 1 Surgeon; 1 Colliery Overman; 1 Accountant; 1 Sculptor; 1 Timber Merchant; 1 Spinster; 1 Land Agent (William Rosser); 1 Iron Founder (John Powell); 5 Colliery proprietors including Henry Rees, William Rosser. Henry Rees and John Powell were the major shareholders.

1872-1891 Although there were times of depression when thousands of workers were ‘laid off’, overall this was a period of almost continuous industrial growth.

1877 Old Lodge Iron Works closed and lay idle for three years.

1879 During the boom years as Ironworks were converted to Tinplate, the redundant Marsh Field Iron Works was purchased by the newly formed Western Tinplate Works.

1880 The Old Lodge Ironworks that had lain idle for 3 years was converted into a Tinplate Works by David Morris & Company of Briton Ferry and Penclawdd.

Unlike the Old Castle and Burry Tinplate Companies, the newly formed Limited Liability, Western and Old Lodge Companies, were not financed locally and none of the original shareholders lived in Llanelli.

1882 The Old Lodge Works went into bankruptcy.

1887 Morfa, Western, South Wales, and Old Castle Works were extended.

1888 Further extensions were carried out to Old Castle, Western and Burry Works.

1890 The Old Lodge Works was restarted and the original shareholders, including Henry Rees, Thomas Herbert, William Rosser, and Aaron Stone, (large shareholders in the Burry Company), and John Powell (a major shareholder in the Western Company) all lived at Llanelli.

1889 John Powell who founded the Glanmor Foundry died in 1889 and his shares in the Old Lodge Works being ten shares of £50 each (£40 paid) were offered for sale with his other interests on 26 September 1889.

There had been significant developments in manufacturing methods, and as iron was forced to give way to steel, companies either closed their forges or opened steel plants.

1891 The tinplate trade went into decline when the Americans who were keen to protect their own market, imposed a tariff on all Welsh exports. Local manufacturers began to diversify and several well known businessmen formed The Welsh Tinplate & Stamping Company which traded from premises at Ann Street in the Wern district.

1896 A new galvanising plant went into production at the South Wales Machynys Works and the Old Castle Works converted one of their tinplate mills to produce the cheaper alternative of blackplate and sheet.

The first casualty of the depression caused by the Mckinley Tariff was the Burry Works which was forced to close.

1897 The Railway network underwent a period of great expansion, and three local companies, the Western, Old Castle, and Briton Ferry Steel, formed the ‘Llanelly Steel Company’ to ensure regular, relatively cheap supplies, of bar.

1898 Richard Thomas & Company took advantage of the depressed tinplate trade and purchased many local Works including the South Wales and Burry which they later reopened. The Welsh Tinplate & Stamping Company, also called the Llanelly Tinplate & Stamping Company was relocated to Cambrian Street at Seaside.

The end of the century saw two other Tinplate Works, namely Morfa and Dafen come under the hammer and Llanelli’s future as a Tinplate centre was described as being in the hands of Richard Thomas & Company and the Old Castle Company.