Lord Tredegar was an honourable man who clashed with his polar opposite over coal mining in a dispute in the 1840s which lasted eight years. ELIZABETH BIRT takes an in-depth look at what happened.

IN 1841, a large dispute happened between two prominent Gwent citizens when Thomas Powell and Lord Tredegar came to blows over land and coal.

Sir Charles Morgan was better known as Lord Tredegar and inherited his family’s 40,000 acre estate, which included Tredegar House in Newport and various lands across the South Wales valleys.

Thomas Powell was born early 1779 in Monmouth and was the son of John Powell. He worked as a timber merchant in Newport but extended his activities into the coal trade.

South Wales Argus:

Sir Charles Morgan

The first of his ventures into coal mining was buying a small colliery located in Blaenau Gwent, between Llanhilleth and Aberbeeg.

Following this in 1829, he opened a vein of coal that was almost six feet thick in Gelligaer.

The feud with Lord Tredegar began in 1833 after Mr Powell applied to Sir Charles to work coal under Bedwellty Farm which was adjoined to his own colliery at Buttery Hatch.

This request failed to come to fruition after both men could not agree on terms.

South Wales Argus:

Thomas Powell

The same year, Mr Powell joined his business associate Thomas Prothero and John Latch to create the first coal ring in South Wales – the Newport Coal Association, a short-lived foundation to control the prices of coal.

In 1841, Powell lost in a case with Lord Tredegar when the Monmouthshire assizes awarded damages to Lord Tredegar for Powell’s trespassing and working coal under Bedwellty Farm from his own pit without permission.

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A report from the Monmouthshire Merlin on April 10, 1841, stated that Mr Morgan had brought the case to recover the value of property and that he would not wish to say anything bad about the defendant, other than the case in question.

It was alleged that Mr Powell had illegally entered the land of Lord Tredegar and took a large quantity of coal and leaving a portion of coal in a position that it would not be made available by Sir Charles.

In September 1840, Mr Powell wrote a letter to Mr Morgan to explain the circumstances and the proposal by the Justice. But no account had been made to Mr Morgan and Mr Powell admitted trespassing.

Sir Charles claimed £1,500 for the coal that was taken and £300 for the coal that was left unobtainable by him. Further compensation was also claimed for the trespass.

He was awarded £1,400 in damages on the coal being taken, one shilling for the coal left unobtainable and £20 for the trespass.

In a letter to the Monmouthshire Merlin on April 10, 1841 written by Mr Powell himself, he sent a copy of the written terms handed to him by Mr Justice, the agent of Lord Tredegar.

He wrote: “Proposition from Sir Charles Morgan, Bart., to Mr. Powell, for letting to him a wayleave through his land at Place Bedwellty to land of Lord Dynevor, with leave to bring through coal therefrom also for letting coal of Sir Charles Morgan.

“Sir Charles Morgan will grant a way-leave through his land, marked upon the map, to land of Lord Dynevor, following the dead level course, with leave to work so much of Sir C Morgan's coal as lies to the rise, that is to say so much of that coal as lies between the present put of Mr Powell, and the river, the bottom of such pit, as per plan marked upon these conditions:

1. To pay one penny per ton for all coal brought through the said level or way-leave, excluding Sir C Morgan's coal.

2. To keep the water clear for so long as he shall work Mr Moggridge’s or Lord Dynevor’s coal, and give three month notice previous to abandoning the colliery, with leave to Sir C Morgan or agent to survey the line.

3. To bring all the coal taken from Sir Charles Morgan's and Lord Dynevor’s land down the Park mile to his wharf at Pill.

4. To pay one shilling per ton for all coal taken from Sir C Morgan’s land.

5. To keep and produce accounts, on oath, if required to pay the expense of carrying this arrangement into effect.”

Mr Powell goes on to say that there was no statement given by himself on this matter during the trial and he provides the following: “The strong impression upon my mind is, that when Mr Justice gave me the above terms, I objected to the galeage as high, considering the then reduced price of coal at Newport; he, however declined making any reduction, and I believe he thus expressed himself – “If you work the coal, these are the terms for the way-leave and the coal,” thus leaving me to depart with the written terms cited above, and I most certainly left his office under the impression that if I afterwards worked the coal, he would, of course, he willing to receive the galeage specified.

South Wales Argus:

The area of land in question

“It never could have been my intention or object to work a single yard of coal without paying the stipulated value to Sir Charles Morgan.

“There never was the slightest concealment in the matter, nor is there the shadow of a shade of ground to assert the contrary.

“The working of the coal was a matter of notoriety, and no one, cognizant of it, ever doubted that I would, upon arrangement, pay the last farthing to which Sir Charles was entitled, in the transaction.

“From the position of the coal market, the property in question was only very partially worked till within the last two years, being only in the winter of 1839 and 1840, that any large quantity was raised therefrom.

“A witness, Jeremy, was called on my behalf, who would have shown from written accounts the minuteness with which the entries of quantities of coal raised under each property, were kept, but as the entries were not in his handwriting, his evidence was inadmissible.

“The accounts are, however, open for inspection at my office.”