7. China- Merthyr Tydfil Flashcards
When did Merthyr become to the largest town in wales ?
-1851
-population of 46,378
-reason for this was due to dramatic growth of the iron industry
What were the 4 iron works Merythr grew around ?
-Dowlais- under control of John guest
-Plymouth- under control of hill family
-Cyfartha- under control of Crawshay family
-Penydarren- under control of Homfray family
What were the reasons for the dramatic growth in the iron industry ?
-Merthyr contained supplies of raw materials needed to make iron- coals, iron ore etc
-development of transport links- Glamorgan canal opened in 1784 which linked Merthyr to Cardiff
-Construction of Taff Vale Railway
-expanding population to service its labour needs
What happened during the decline of Merthyrs iron industry ?
-development of steel industry brought about decline in Merthyr’s industry development
-Merthyr not suited to new steel industry and ironstone nor the right quality
-new steelworks built along coast and port talbot, neath and Swansea
What led to the population growth of Merthyr ?
-availability of jobs and a demand for workers in the iron works and coal mines
-iron masters built houses for their workers and there was no planning laws to regulate this
-so the town quickly became overcrowded, filthy and unhealthy
How did different groups of people experience the poor housing ?
-skilled workers could afford slightly better housing- usually in a row of terraced housed, no bathroom and toilet outside
-unskilled workers lived in poorer quality homes which were called courts and were built around a square with a yard in the centre, they all shared a toilet
-poorest of all housing was in the cellar dwellings which were damp, dark and often windowless, single room might be home to a whole family
How did poor housing cause disease and illness ?
-many houses lacked proper sanitation/ supply of clean water
-disease outbreaks were frequent due to overcrowding and damp dirty housing, tuberculosis, smallpox and scarlet fever
-Merthyr experienced four outbreaks of cholera in 1832, 1849, 1854 and 1866
-water supply contaminated by sewage and rubbish
-supply of clean water inconsistent and often wells dried up during summer months
How was poverty caused by the truck system ?
-when prices of iron fell iron masters reduced wages
-during time of depression they were cut by up to 40%
-pay cut added to poverty in working class families
-worker paid once a month so running into debt by end of month
-iron masters paid part of their wages in special tokens and these could only be spent on the company’s ‘Tommy shops’ where prices were higher
-these truck shops encouraged workers to go into dept by allowing them to buy on loan
-resulted in workers appearing before debtors court- court of requests which was a hated institution in Merthyr
