Swansea

From about 1768 to 185o Swansea had a famous pottery. Beginning with earthenware which twenty years later was im proved into "opaque china," it produced from 1814 to 1823 superior, beautifully decorated porcelain.

During the 18th century coal began to be worked at Llansamlet and copper smelting (begun at Swansea in 1717, though at Neath it dated from 1584) assumed large proportions. The coal was conveyed on the backs of mules and later by means of a private canal. Under an act of 1791 harbour trustees cleared the river bed and built a long pier on either side of it. A canal connecting the tidal part of the river Neath with the mouth of the Tawe, made in 1789, was in 1824 connected with the Vale of Neath canal by means of an aqueduct across the Neath river, when also a small dock, Port Tennant or Salthouse Dock, was made near the east pier, and this continued to be used till 1880. Meanwhile in 1798 the entire coal producing Swansea Valley was connected with the port by a canal m. long (acquired by the G.W.R. in 1872). In 1851 the river was diverted eastward into a new chan nel (called the New Cut) and its old channel was locked and floated, thereby forming the North Dock. (Area i II acres, and a half tide basin 2.1. acres. Length of quays 5,500 ft.) The Swansea Valley canal has a connecting lock with this dock, and on the island between the dock and the New Cut are patent fuel works, copper ore yards and other mineral sheds. The South Dock, begun in 5847 and opened in 1859, is mainly used for shipping coal and for discharging timber. It has an area of 184 acres; length of quays 6,55o ft.; depth of water in lock 34 ft. The next development was on the east side of the river where the natural inlet of Fabian's Bay, inside the harbour mouth, was utilized for the construction of the Prince of Wales's Dock (authorized 1874, opened October 1881, and subsequently extended), area 28 acres; length of quay 6,872 ft. and it is con nected with the Tennant canal. The very rapid increase in the demand for anthracite coal (for the shipment of which Swansea has practically a monopoly) soon necessitated still further accom modation and in July 5904 was begun the King's Dock, which lies farther east and has an entrance direct from the bay. By means of the embankment made in connection with it, 400 acres were reclaimed from the sea. King's Dock and Basin is 71 acres; depth of water 4o ft. (high tide) ; length of quays, 14,050 ft. The Queen's Dock is 15o acres with 2,400 ft. of quays. There are numerous privately owned dry docks. The entire harbour has some 281 acres of deep water in the docks and over 6 miles of quay. The imports include timber, ores (copper, silver, iron, etc.), grain, pig iron, crude oil, etc. The exports are coal, patent fuel,

refined oils, coke, tin plates, etc.

The town (which is often called "the metallurgical capital of Wales") is the chief seat of the copper, spelter, tin-plate and patent fuel industries. Copper smelting, which during most of the 9th century was the chief industry, has not maintained its relative importance, though Swansea is still the chief seat of the trade, but three-fourths of the tinplates manufactured in Great Britain and nineteen-twentieths of the spelter or zinc are made in the Swansea district, and its tube works are also very important. From about 1918 Swansea has become an important centre for the distribution of oil and extensive facilities for its storage and refin ing have been provided. It is by reliance on the metallurgical industries and the facilities for dealing with other fuel besides coal that Swansea has escaped in some measure the depression that has overtaken the purely coal-exporting areas of the South Wales coal-field since the slump of 1921. Trawlers usually land their catches at the south dock, where there is a well organized fish-market.

Administration.

The town claimed to be a borough by prescription, for its only known charters of incorporation are those of Cromwell and James II., which were never acted upon. It probably received its first grant of municipal privileges from William 3rd earl of Warwick some time before 1184. By a char ter of 1215 (confirmed in 1234, 1312 and 1332), John granted the burgesses the right of trading, free of all customs due, throughout the whole kingdom (except in London). By 1305 the burgesses had obtained a most liberal grant of privileges from William de Braose. A patent of murage and pavage—from which it may probably be inferred that Swansea was a walled town—was granted by Edward II. in 1317 and another by Edward III. in 1338. Cromwell's charter of 1655 changed the title of portreeve into mayor, in whom, with twelve aldermen and twelve capital bur gesses, it vested the government of the town. Four annual fairs were appointed, namely on the 8th of May, 2nd of July, 15th of August and 8th of October—the first being the only new one.

From 1535 to 1832, Swansea with other boroughs of Gla morgan sent one member to Parliament. In 1658, Cromwell gave Swansea a member of her own but the grant lapsed with the Restoration. In 1832, Swansea, with added parishes, was again granted a member and in 1885 a second member was added. The assizes and quarter sessions for Glamorgan are held at Swansea alternately with Cardiff. The borough has a separate commission of the peace, and, since 1891, a court of quarter sessions.

In 1923 the "Church in Wales" created a bishopric of Swansea and Brecon.