Cyfarthfa Iron Works account books and index, 1791-1846 (with gaps).
Cyfarthfa Iron Works, Records
This material is held atGlamorgan Archives / Archifau Morgannwg
- Reference
- GB 214 DCY
- Dates of Creation
- 1791-1846
- Name of Creator
- Language of Material
- English
- Physical Description
- 3 volumes and 1 booklet
Scope and Content
Administrative / Biographical History
Iron production at Cyfarthfa (Glamorgan) was started by Anthony Bacon (1718-86) in 1765. In 1786, the ironworks were leased to Richard Crawshay (1739-1810) and in 1794, he became the sole owner. By 1803, the Cyfarthfa works employed 1,500 people and was said to be the biggest in the world. When Richard Crawshay died in 1810, the works passed to his son William Crawshay (1764-1834), who was deeply immersed in his work as an Indian merchant and had no time for the Cyfarthfa works. He in turn appointed his son William II (1788-1867) to manage the concern. It was during this period that the works achieved its greatest production levels. Robert Thompson Crawshay (1817-79) took over in 1847, but his refusal to change to steel production eventually brought about the closure of the works in April 1874. Following his death in 1879, the works were converted to a steel production plant, and continued in operation until 1902, when it was bought out by Guest, Keen and Nettlefold of the Dowlais works. The works closed in 1919, and dismantling was commenced in 1928.
Arrangement
Arranged in chronological order.
Access Information
No restrictions
Acquisition Information
Deposited by the Merthyr Tydfil Library, 1962.
Other Finding Aids
A hard copy of the catalogue is available at the Glamorgan Record Office.
Archivist's Note
Compiled by Hayden Burns for the ANW project. The following sources were used in the compilation of this description: Glamorgan Record Office, Catalogue of records for Cyfarthfa Iron Works; Ince, Laurence, The South Wales Iron Industry, 1754-1885, (England, 1993); Hayman, Richard, Working Iron in Merthyr Tydfil, (Cowbridge and Bridgend, 1989); Addis, J. P., The Crawshaw Dynasty, (Cardiff, 1957); Taylor, M. S., The Crawshays of Cyfarthfa Castle, (London, 1967
Conditions Governing Use
Usual copyright regulations apply.
Normal Glamorgan Archives conditions apply.
Appraisal Information
All records have been retained.
Accruals
Accruals are not expected.