General George Warde

1760-1830

At the beginning of the 19th century along with other Industrialists and speculators George Warde of Bradfield, Berkshire showed an interest in Llanelli. He had probably heard about the potential of the coalfield through connections with London businesses.

Warde, who was a Colonel in the Army and Inspecting Field Officer of the Severn District, had two sleeping partners, Francis and James Morgan of Whitechapel, London.

The Partnership planned to take over coal leases formerly held by Chauncey Townsend and John Smith – with their main sphere of operations in Ffosfach, Genwen and Pencoed, around the Bynea area. They also wanted to acquire the Old Lead House at Pencoed, possibly to convert it into a small Copperworks.

Around 1802 Rhys Jones of Loughor was employed as Colliery Agent and plans were quickly drawn up to develop the extensive coalfield where it was intended to install steam engines and sink new pits.

In 1804 Colonel Warde was promoted to Brigadier General and from that time was usually known as General Warde. It seems that his sleeping partners, for whatever reason, decided to sign their interests over to the General and he became sole holder of the coal leases.

Because all three workings were near convenient shipping places Warde planned major developments at Dafen Bridge, also known as Halfway, Genwen near Bynea and Erw Fawr in Llanelli. His overall strategy was to modernise his collieries using new powerful engines in a bid to drain his workings.

In the Bynea area he planned a major shipping place at Spitty Bite, close to where Ina Bearings stands today. It seems his plans did not proceed as fast as he would have liked. It may have been that his Agent, Rhys Jones, was inexperienced but it probably did not help the situation that Warde, being a military man, was frequently away planning various campaigns.

By the summer of 1808, six years after Warde had started his operations, he seemed to be achieving his objectives and his shipping place at Spitty Bite was nearing completion. He was understandably determined to see a return on his substantial financial investment and, as the coal shipping season ended in October, he was anxious to impress the shipping trade so that the ships’ masters would return for his coal the following Spring. Ward formally launched his enterprise called the ‘Carmarthenshire Collieries’ at Llanelli in August 1808, and advertised the fact that the company would be shipping coal from Spitty.

Unfortunately for Warde he seems to have experienced problems with Customs when his vessels were seized in the Burry River. After allegations that there may have been impropriety on the part of the Swansea Customs Officers the vessels were released.

Around 1809 General Warde started operations on Erw Fawr lands (between Queen Victoria Road and Lakefield Road) which he originally called the Llanelly Pit. Later, because of its location close to a place of historical interest, Warde changed the name to ‘Old Castle Colliery’, which opened in 1811.

Warde, like other industrialists and speculators, who had come to Llanelli to make a fortune, invested heavily in his operations and because a return on investment took a long time to come to fruition, began to suffer financial difficulties.

The Copperworks, as with the Raby family financial crisis, was ever ready to offer financial assistance, which eventually led to General Warde selling all his Llanelli interests to Richard Janion Nevill in 1829.

A number of factors probably led him to decide to sell his business interests in Llanelli. It may well have been the depression in the coal industry, the general strike of colliers in 1829 and plans to build a bridge from Loughor to Spitty across the River Llwchwr.

After selling to Richard Janion Nevill, General Warde, who had lived at Woodland Castle (now Clyne Castle) in Swansea, decided to move away. He settled at Charlton Kings, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, where he died on 20 June 1830 aged 70.

It is generally recognised that General Warde was one of the major participants in the early 19th century industrialisation of Llanelli, through the development of his colliery, railway system and shipping places.

Spitty Ferry, 1772 – Spitty Bite Shipping Place

The illustration had been traced by Mr Price from the corner of a larger map originally drawn by James Thornton, dated 1772. The map belonged to General Warde and showed that the Golden and Fiery Veins had been worked in the Pencoed, Llwynhendy and Bynea districts long before 1772. The whole map is covered with ‘Old Pits’, ‘Old Water Engine’, ‘Old Fire Engine’, &c and it shows Chauncey Townsend’s canal along the marsh from Bynea to Townsend’s Pill where there was a Coal Bank and Shipping Place. A Parish Road ran over much the same ground as the main road leading from Banc Y Spitty to Bynea – about parallel with Dr Evans (David Evans the Apothecary Industrialist from Swansea) waggon way to his shipping place.

This illustration gives an idea of the old shipping, ferryboat and the ferryman with his fare.

Spitty Bite in 2001