William Thomas Lewis
English
William Thomas Lewis was born in Merthyr on August 5th 1837. He was the first son of Thomas William Lewis, an engineer at the Plymouth Iron Works, Merthyr Tydfil. Aged only 27 he became the Chief Mineral Engineer to the Marquis of Bute and would go on to be one of the major figures in the development of the South Wales Coal Industry He lived at Maerdy House, Aberdare, where the Beeches Nursing Home now stands, which was built In 1854 for Bute's then agent W.S. Clark.
Alongside managing Bute's numerous business interests, from Rhondda Pits to the docks in Cardiff, after the 1870s he began acquring collieries around Trehafod and Porth in the Rhondda. It became known as the Lewis Merthyr Consolidated Collieries Ltd and It employed 5,000 men producing nearly a million tonnes of coal a year. It is now the home of the Rhondda Heritage Park. He continued to expand his business with the Lady Lewis Colliery, Ynyshirt, and in 1905 acquired the Universal Colliery, Senghenydd, where on October 14th 1913, the worst colliery disaster in British history would claim the lives of 439 miners.
In 1872 he took a lead
this page online
He married Anne Rees on March 1st 1864 and they had two sons and six daughters. One of whom, Katherine Mary, would marry Charles Alfred Howell Green, who would hold the position of Bishop of Monmouth and then Bangor before becoming the second Archbishop of Wales. He was knighted in 1885, made a Baron in 1896 and raised to the peerage in 1911 with the title of Baron Merthyr of Senghenydd. In 1913, he was present at the unveiling of the statue in his honour opposite.
In 1914 after undergoing an operation in London for failing health he was moved to a country house in Newbury, Berkshire where he died on August 27th. The bells of St Elvan's rang in commemoration. He was brought back to his home, Maerdy House, Aberdare, and following a service at St Elvan's Church, he was interred in Cefn Cemetery, Merthyr Tydfil.
Yn ogystal âi waith yn rheoli busnesau niferus Ardalydd Bute, o byllau glo Cwm
Rhondda i ddoctau Caerdydd, dechreuodd brynu pyllau glo yn ardal Trehafod a'r
Porth yng Nghwm Rhondda o'r 1870au ymlaen. 'Merthyr Consolidated Collieries
Ltd oedd enw'r cwmni ac roedd yn cyflogi 5,000 o ddynion i gynhyrchu bron i
filiwn o dunelli o lo bob blwyddyn. Aeth ei fusnes o nerth i nerth pan brynodd lofa
Lady Lewis, Ynys-hir a phwll glo'r Universal, Senghenydd ym 1905. Yma, ar 14
Hydref 1913, lladdvod 439 o lowyr yn y trychineb gwaethaf mewn pwll glo yn
hanes Prydain erioed.
Chwaraeodd ran flaenllaw yn y gwaith o sefydlu Cymdeithas Perchnogion Glo De
Cymru a Str Fynwy ym 1872 a sefydlu'r cytundeb 'graddfa symudol' cyntaf, lle
penderfywyd ar gyflogau'r glowyr yn ô1 pris y glo. Ef oedd Llywydd cyntaf y
Cydbwyllgor
Priododd Anne Rees ar 1 Mawrth 1864 a chawsant ddau fab a chwe merch. Aeth
un o'r merched, Katherine Mary, ymlaen i briodi Charles Alfred Howell Green, a
gafodd ei benodi yn Esgob Trefynwy ac yna Bangor cyn dod yn ail Archesgob
Cymru. Cafodd Lewis ei urddo'n farchog ym 1855 ac yn Farwn ym 1896. Cafodd
ei urddo'n arglwydd
Ar ô1 cael llawdrinaeth yn Llundan ym 1914 wrth i'w iechyd ddirywio, fe'i
symudwyd i blasty gwiedig yn Newbury, Berkshire lle bu farw ar 27 Awst. Seiniodd
clychau Eglwys Sant Elfan er cof amdano. Cludsvyd ei gorff yn ôl adref i Dŷ
Maerdy, Aberdâr, ac yn dilyn gwasanaeth yn Eghwys Sant Elfan, cafodd ei gladdu
ym mynwent Cefncoedycymeq Merthyr Tudf.
Welsh 
Erected by Rhondda Cynon Taf, Capital Region Tourism.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Disasters • Industry & Commerce • Labor Unions.
Location. 51° 43.069′ N, 3° 27.211′ W. Marker is in Aberdare, Wales, in Rhondda Cynon Taff. Marker can be reached from Park Lane close to B4275. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 9 Park Lane, Aberdare, Wales CF44, United Kingdom. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. The Right Honourable Lord Merthyr of Senghenydd C.C.V.O. (a few steps from this marker); Gadlys Ironworks (approx. 0.4 kilometers away); Robertstown Tramroad Bridge/Pont Tramffordd Robertstown (approx. half a kilometer away); Abraham Matthews (approx. 0.6 kilometers away); Aberdare Green Street
Also see . . . Wikipedia Entry for William Thomas Lewis. (Submitted on June 12, 2020, by Cajun Scrambler of Assumption, Louisiana.)
Credits. This page was last revised on January 27, 2022. It was originally submitted on June 12, 2020, by Cajun Scrambler of Assumption, Louisiana. This page has been viewed 110 times since then and 5 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on June 12, 2020, by Cajun Scrambler of Assumption, Louisiana.
