Ceffylau yng nglofeydd Cymru

Ceri Thompson

Mae ceffylau wedi bod â chysylltiad agos â chloddio glo ers dyddiau cynnar y diwydiant. Cawson nhw eu defnyddio i gludo glo o'r pyllau i'r cwsmer, i bweru injans weindio a phwmpio ac, yn bwysicaf oll, i symud glo o'r talcen glo i'r siafft.

Ym 1878 cyfrifodd yr RSPCA fod dros 200,000 o geffylau yn gweithio ym mhyllau glo Prydain. Lleihaodd y niferoedd wrth i fecaneiddio ddod yn fwy cyffredin, ond parhawyd i'w defnyddio trwy gydol yr ugeinfed ganrif. Mae’n debyg mai ceffyl pwll glo olaf Cymru oedd Robbie, a ymddeolodd o Bwll Glo Pant y Gaseg ym 1999.

'Merlod pwll glo,' oedd enw mwyaf cyffredin y cyhoedd arnyn nhw, ond roedd ceffylau pwll glo Cymru fel arfer tua 15 dyrnfedd o uchder – yr un maint â cheffylau rhyfel Harri VIII. Honnir yn aml iddyn nhw fynd yn ddall, ond ni fyddai ceffyl dall wedi bod yn ddefnyddiol iawn o dan y ddaear, ac fel arfer byddai unrhyw anifail a oedd wedi colli ei olwg yn cael ei ddwyn i'r wyneb cyn gynted â phosibl.

Er eu bod yn hanfodol ar gyfer cynhyrchu glo cyn cyflwyno cludiant mecanyddol, mae defnyddio ceffylau yn y diwydiant glo yn aml wedi bod yn ddadleuol iawn. Dadleuai'r perchnogion glo eu bod yn hanfodol yn y broses economaidd o dynnu glo, a byddai'r rhai sy'n caru anifeiliaid yn ystyried eu defnydd yn greulon.

Yn y canol, rhwng y ddwy ochr, oedd y glowyr, a oedd efallai yn cydymdeimlo â'r anifeiliaid hyn. Fodd bynnag, gallen nhw anwybyddu unrhyw greulondeb, neu hyd yn oed fod yn greulon eu hunain, pe bai eu pecyn cyflog dan fygythiad.

Roedd ceffylau pwll glo Cymru fel arfer tua 15 dyrnfedd o uchder ac yn wrywod, adfeirch yn bennaf ond roedd rhai meirch yn cael eu cadw. Roedd y mwyafrif o deip Cob Cymreig ond roedd ceffylau mwy megis ceffylau gwedd a cheffylau a fewnforiwyd o Wlad Belg hefyd yn cael eu cadw, yn enwedig ar yr wyneb neu ar y prif ffyrdd cludo. Pan oedd y stociau o geffylau yn isel, roedd modd eu cael o mor bell i ffwrdd ag America a Rwsia. Roedd merlod llai, tua 13 dyrnfedd o uchder, yn cael eu defnyddio weithiau ar gyfer dyletswyddau cludo ysgafn.

Roedd yn rhaid iddyn nhw fod o leiaf 4 oed cyn cael eu derbyn i waith pwll glo. Ym 1893, roedd disgwyliad oes cyfartalog ceffyl pwll glo rhwng 8 a 9 mlynedd, a byddai tua 6% yn cael eu lladd mewn damweiniau. Erbyn y 1950au roedd hyn wedi codi i rhwng 10 a 15 mlynedd, er bod rhai a oedd yn cyflawni 'tasgau ysgafn' yn dal i fod mewn cyflogaeth a hwythau dros 20 oed.

Erbyn y 1930au, roedd y rhan fwyaf o geffylau yn gweithio rhwng 45 a 60 awr yr wythnos. Ar ôl 1949 nid oedd uchafswm yr oriau gwaith i fod yn fwy na 48 awr a dim mwy na 7 shifft, yr wythnos. Roedd ganddyn nhw hefyd hawl i'r un egwyl o 20 munud â'r dynion.

Ym 1938, roedd gan lowyr hawl i wythnos o wyliau blynyddol â thâl, ac roedd y ceffylau fel arfer yn cael eu caniatáu uwchben y ddaear hefyd. Erbyn 1948 roedd y glowyr a'r ceffylau yn cael pythefnos o wyliau blynyddol.

Erbyn 1878, roedd yr RSPCA yn amcangyfrif bod tua 200,000 o geffylau yn gweithio ym mhyllau glo Prydain. Erbyn 1913 roedd hyn wedi gostwng i 70,000, oherwydd dulliau cludo mecanyddol gwell. Ym 1930 adroddwyd nad oedd gan 25 o byllau glo Cymru unrhyw geffylau o gwbl. Ym 1947 roedd yna tua 8,000 o geffylau pwll glo yng Nghymru, erbyn 1967 dim ond 417 oedd. Erbyn yr 1980au roedd ceffylau'r Bwrdd Glo Cenedlaethol yn cael eu hymddeol ond, mewn 'pyllau preifat' llai, cafodd ceffylau eu defnyddio am rai blynyddoedd eto.

Ymddeolodd ceffylau pwll glo olaf Cymru, Gremlin a Robbie, o Bwll Glo Pant y Gaseg, Pont-y-pŵl, ym 1999. Cawson nhw eu hanfon i un o gartrefi gorffwys yr RSPCA yn Milton Keynes, ond roedd hynny'n rhy ddiflas i Robbie, a chafodd ei fenthyg i Amgueddfa Lofaol Genedlaethol Lloegr yn Wakefield lle bu'n tynnu tybiau ysgafn o ymwelwyr o amgylch y safle. Bu farw Robbie ar 27 Ebrill 2009, y ceffyl pwll glo olaf yng Nghymru yn ôl pob tebyg.

I lawer o ymwelwyr â Big Pit Amgueddfa Lofaol Cymru, y rhannau mwyaf cofiadwy yw’r stablau tanddaearol a'r rhai ar yr wyneb, sy’n dal i ddwyn enwau’r ceffylau a oedd yn gweithio yno. Erbyn dechrau'r ugeinfed ganrif, roedd tua 300 o geffylau yn gweithio ym mhyllau glo Blaenafon, a 72 ohonyn nhw’n gweithio yn Big Pit.

Daethpwyd â'r ceffyl tanddaearol olaf yn Big Pit i fyny ym 1972, ond parhaodd dau geffyl i weithio ar yr wyneb tan 1974.

Boed yn 'anifail anwes bodlon' neu'n 'ferlyn pwll truenus', roedd y ceffyl pwll glo yn rhannu'r un amodau a pheryglon â'r glöwr ei hun. Buon nhw’n farw yn eu cannoedd o gamdriniaeth, damweiniau a ffrwydradau. Mae arnom ddyled fawr iddynt, gan gynnwys llwyddiant y chwyldro diwydiannol.

sylw (10)

Nid yw sylwadau ar gael ar hyn o bryd. Ymddiheuriadau am yr anghyfleustra.
Timothy Evans
5 Mawrth 2022, 00:21
Is there a list of inspectors of pit ponies in South Wales. I have a lamp that belonged to my Great Grandfather, who according to my father did inspect ponies in the South Wales pits....his name was James Evans and his initials are on the lamp. He and his wife, later came up to Birmingham and ran a coal merchants business in Bordesley Green.
Just interested to know, whether you have any details that I could attribute to the lamp.Which was my fathers' pride and joy. Many thanks
Andrew Clark
6 Chwefror 2020, 11:37
Hi big pit staff
Ceri Thompson
30 Ionawr 2020, 11:41
Dear Roman

As you say, there's little mention of the horses killed in the disaster in the Inspector's Report, even though he sketched the location and position of killed horses on the notebook he used when walking around the workings after the disaster. I suppose it would be possible to go through the pages and count the dead horses.


The museum has a silver mounted hoof which reads 'Kildare, 1st horse from Senghenydd explosion, Oct. 14 1913'. However, although the hoof was in the hands of the family of the original owner, they didn't have any more details, so we don't know if the horse was the first one brought up alive or dead.

On the Disaster report's plan of the workings three stables are shown:-

Stables off No.2 South Level (Pretoria District), Stables off Lancaster Level (KImberley District) and the 'Klondike stables' (Botanic District?) just outside the pit pillar.

I hope that's of some help.

Ceri Thompson, Curator.

Roman Farrell
29 Ionawr 2020, 00:12
Not for a moment forgetting the tragic human loss, try as I might I can find very little detail of horses killed in the 1913 Senghenydd disaster. I believe there was a Klondike stables and the investigation reports of that time occasionally mention a dead horse during examination of the mine following the explosion but little else. Does anyone know how many horses were killed and names and location of stables in the districts affected.
Any direction would be much appreciated
Ta! RF
Doug Bowen
10 Mawrth 2019, 19:58
My father went down the mines when 14 in 1934 in Troed y Rhiw. The family plus my father moved to Blaendulais, called Seven Sisters after the Mine Owner's daughters indicating the power of the Mine Owners. He was very good mechanically but that did mean as a Fitter or similar call outs came at any time of the day or night to ensure the machines kept working. No mobiles etc - stones on the bedroom window indicated a 'problem;.
Every Summer the 'pit ponies' were brought to the field in front of the house for their August holiday, in fact they were huge Shire horses, They were so full of life and galloped around the field providing a wonderful sight, enjoying the freedom from the pits they wore eye guards to protect them from the sunlight.
One day my father announced he was leaving the mines, he'd seen miners killed but that particular day he had experienced a rock fall that killed a favourite horse of the mine. I never heard of cruelty to the horses as they were appreciated by the close knit community underground.
Hilary Jones
7 Chwefror 2019, 17:34
It doesn't seem to me that the horses had it any harder than the human miners (my ancestors). Possibly, from my experience of equine therapy for traumatised people, I could think that horses and miners made it more bearable for each other. But it's all part of capitalism, and the exploitation of the many (Welsh) for the benefit of the few (English) . Time for a change?
Mercedes
24 Mawrth 2016, 12:27
I have visited the Big Pit many times over the years, and each time I go I try to remember all the lovely names given to the pit ponies that lived underground. Could you remind me of all those wonderful names, of which I can only remember one - 'Welsh'!
Sara Huws Staff Amgueddfa Cymru
29 Chwefror 2016, 11:09

Hi there Keith,

To follow up your enquiry, our Curator of Coal, Ceri Thompson, responded with the following:

"We don’t have casualty figures for horses killed in service apart from when they are mentioned in disaster reports. The National Coal Board records are now held by the National Archives in Kew, they may have such records."

Thanks again for getting in touch,

Sara
Digital Team

Sara Huws Staff Amgueddfa Cymru
26 Chwefror 2016, 11:34

Hi Keith

I will pass on your enquiry to our curators and let you know. You may be interested in a book we published on the history of Colliery Horses in Wales, which is now on sale at a discounted price: 'Harnessed: Colliery Horses in Wales'

Many thanks for your enquiry,


Sara
Digital Team

Keith Jones
26 Chwefror 2016, 11:30
Can anyone tell me if any horses were killed at the deep duffryn colliery Mountain Ash in the 1950's or up to closure in 1979