Mumbles Marble (and Swansea) 

Relatively little has been written about Mumbles Marble and its associated industry. Published details have been brief. Mumbles Marble is not well known today but was widely used in the Swansea area during the 19th century. Amongst the articles produced in the local marble, according to adverts in The Cambrian newspaper, were chimney pieces, monuments, tombs, hall pavements, baths, tables and dairy slabs. Plain jambs, heads and slabs were available at four shillings a foot ready money, six months credit four shillings and six pence. Specimens of Mumbles Marble could be seen at Mr. Wallis's Builder, Nelson Street, Swansea.2 Highly polished specimens were later to be seen at the showroom of Mr. Wallis in Frog Street, Swansea3 and later still at Bath Street, Swansea.4

 Mumbles Marble is not a true marble since:

    Rather Mumbles Marble is a marble in the commercial sense being a limestone capable of taking a polish to produce an attractive appearance. The commercial marbles are less durable than true marbles and are better suited for interior use. The true marbles, consisting of granular crystalline calcite, such as the white Carrara Marble of northern Italy, can be used either internally or externally for decorative purposes. White alabaster, or gypsum, is often used as a substitute for white marble, because it is soft and easier to cut or carve, but it should only be used for interior decorations.

    The origin of Mumbles Marble goes back to the formation of the limestones around Mumbles, approximately 350 million years ago during the Carboniferous Period of geological time. Then, Mumbles was located near the Equator, beneath a shallow sea and probably had a tropical climate. The sediments which accumulated on the shallow sea floor subsequently became compacted into limestones, which were uplifted above sea-level and later became folded and fractured. Today these limestones are seen in the Mumbles area at many natural outcrops, particularly around the coast.6,7 Nearly 200 years ago some of the quarried limestone beds were selected for cutting to produce a marble, the so called Mumbles, Swansea, or Cambrian Marble.

What did Mumbles Marble look like?

The appearance and colour of Mumbles Marble, from descriptions in guidebooks and other publications, varied a great deal. The Cambrian Visitor of 1813 noted that it was an extremely neat marble, grey of various shades, veined with white, and takes an admirable polish. Davies8 commented that this marble is variegated of white, yellow and liver colours and some beautifully streaked with white, Burnham in his book History and uses of limestones and marbles, published in 1883, states 'The Welsh marbles include . . . the Mumbles marble of Swansea, with dark ground covered with light-yellow spots and veins', whilst Blagrove9 comments 'The Swansea marbles are mostly of a dark greenish grey with white and yellowish marks and spots.' Pearse and Brown10 refer to the brown coloured marbles.

    Fortunately there are two further references which enable one today to see what Mumbles Marble looked like. The first is from the Calendar of the Diary of Lewis Weston Dillwyn, which under an entry for 11th January 1819 states 'Mr. Llewelyn's monument was this day finished and does great credit to the marble manufactory at Mumbles'. The monument at Llangyfelach Church is of a grey polished limestone, but one cannot be certain that local limestone was used, as even at this time rock was being brought in from outside the region. However, in all probability it was local limestone that was used. The second reference relates to documents deposited at the National Library of Wales, copies of which are also in the West Glamorgan Archive Service11 which refer to the tomb of Thomas Mansel Talbot in Margam Abbey Church. (Plate1). The documents authenticate a grey limestone with white streaks of calcite, used for a portion of the tomb, as being an example of Mumbles Marble which was obtained from the Marble works at Mumbles. A relevant extract from a copy of the account of the expenses connected with the erection of this tomb12 is as follows:

        'Stone from the Mumbles, 25 feet, £5: 2 days processing £2.2.0.'

    The tomb was constructed between 1816-20 and further details are available.13, 14 A piece of Mumbles Marble from one side of the tomb at Margam Abby Church was placed on a window sill adjacent to the tomb and remains there today. The grey limestone with white calcite veins (and a few solitary fossil corals) is very attractive and, as the New Swansea Guide of 1823 indicated, was equal in beauty and durability to any in the land. Jenkin15 commented that the marble is not inferior to foreign marbles, a correct opinion based on the evidence from the tomb at Margam Abbey Church.

    Davies8 referred to liver-coloured examples of Mumbles Marble. This variety is probably limestone stained by iron oxides and some pieces have been found in Margam Castle (see below). Orrin and Cowley claim that in 1808 a vein of marble was found in the limestone workings and the vein became worked out in 1825, but in the early 1940s a vein of iron was found in the same workings.16 Unfortunately, no source for the claim is given. It is possible that some of the original material used to produce Mumbles Marble occurred in veins. There are in the village of Mumbles many blocks of the minerals calcite and haematite which have been used for decorating the tops of walls. The Mumbles Chronicle and Gower Advertiser in 1887, when the road to Limeslade was cut, advertised a tender for limestone and spar, which had been dumped on the foreshore. The vein material from 'The Cut' may have been polished to produce a marble, but it seems improbable, as such material would have been soft and brittle. The steps at Langland Court Hotel are made of grey limestone with liver-coloured streaks, but are not examples of Mumbles Marble. They are made from older (Devonian age) limestone from Belgium17 which was also used for fireplaces as in Clyne Castle.18

Source of the limestone used to produce Mumbles Marble

The layers, slabs, or beds of limestone used to produce Mumbles (and later Swansea, or Cambrian) Marble probably came from the Colts Hill Quarry at Mumbles, although there are references (for example Lewis)19 to the Mumbles Head area as a possible source. An early print of Oystermouth Castle drawn by Bartlett, circa 1837, shows also part of the Colts Hill Quarry. The selected blocks of limestone were probably removed leaving pillars of rock for support. They were then taken on carts, pulled by horses, to the marble mill. A mid-nineteenth-century watercolour by W. L. Leitch (which is in the Glynn Vivian Art Gallery collections) shows work underway at Colts Hill Quarry20 and also depicts horse-drawn carts. When the marble mill was sold, mention was made of the associated stables (see below).

    By 1824 there appear to have been changes since, the Cambrian Marble Co informed the public27 that the manufactory is still carried on in all its branches orders received by Mr. Wm. Watts, Goat Street, who is authorised to receive and pay all debts due to, or for the concern. Philip Rogers, Superintendent of the Cambrian Marble Works at Mumbles for fourteen years advertised28 that he was carrying on all business for the variegated, black veined and statuary marbles at Wellington Place. The Swansea Directory of Matthews, 1830, notes that at Norton is the marble manufactory of Messrs H. Griffiths & Co. The Marble Works, stables, cottages and various rights were sold by the Duke of Beaufort as lot 116, in a sale by public auction held at the Mackworth Arms Inn, Swansea on Thursday 4th May, 1837. Mr. John Joe Strick who was living on the site at the time, paid £120 for lot 116.29 Griffithsl? published a map adapted from the Tithe map of the 1840s, which shows the buildings at Washinglake.  The Pearse and Brown Trade Directory of 1869 lists Robert Williams as living at Washinglake. The buildings at Washinglake are shown on the O.S. map of 1880 (surveyed in 1877), but on the O.S. 1899 map (revised in 1896) some of the yards have disappeared. Some of the old buildings associated with the marble works still existed in 1899.30 Only one of the buildings appears on O.S. maps subsequent to 1920. 

    Orrin and Cowley16 state that during the 1859 restoration of All Saints Church,

    Oystermouth some of the marble used in the restoration was prepared and polished at a marble works at Norton but the source for the information is not given. Gabb 20 stated that Mumbles Marble was still available in 1860, based on information in a guidebook10 (Gabb, Pers. comm., 1999). The writer believes that the marble works at West Cross had closed by 1837, when it was sold. Any marble used in the 1859 restoration of Oystermouth Church was probably provided by Philip Rogers & Sons, Swansea. Thomas31 notes that in the 1860s prices offered by the Mumbles tenant owners averaged 1/3 to 1/6 a ton for limestone, the more durable finer specimens fetched higher prices when accepted by the Marble and Stone works of Rogers and Son, Swansea for carving into headstones, but the source of this information is not provided.

    Four people were associated with the marble works at West Cross, William Gubbins, Charles Wallis, Wm. Watts and Mr. Griffiths. (They were also involved with there building of Margam Abbey Church when restoration began in 1805. Charles Wallis, a Swansea architect, was Superintendent, William Gubbins was appointed master mason, charging 3/- a day for his labour with Mr. Griffiths assisting Mr. Gubbins and Wm Watts involved with the painting.32 The work was finished in 1809).33 William Gubbins was also the master mason involved with the building of Thomas Mansel Talbot's villa at Penrice34 and the Orangery at Margam35 He died on 1st May, 1823, aged 81 and is buried at Margam Abbey Church, residing at Cefn Cribur at the time of his death.36 Lloyd37 provides details of Mr. Wallis's contribution to Swansea during the time he resided in the town (at 2, Nelson Street and at White Walls).

    The year 1826 appears to have been very significant for the Mumbles Marble works, since Mr. Philip Rogers left and set up business in Swansea. He lived first in Wellington Street38 and then at Coleridge House, Adelaide Street, which he had built. The Philip Rogers Marble Works and its associated Philip Rogers & Son Marble Works were to become extremely successful. The Marble Works at Norton Burrows probably went into decline until the sale in 1837. Later there was new improved, steam-driven machinery available39 and this factor as well as the nature of the competition, was crucial. With marble production moving to Swansea, Mumbles Marble became known as Swansea Marble. However, limestone from Mumbles was still used in the production of Swansea Marble, possibly as late as 1873, but certainly up to 1860 according to Pearse and Brown.10

Swansea Marble and the Philip Rogers family

Philip Rogers Snr., Philip Rogers Jnr. and their families played an important part in the life of the town of Swansea and were prominent citizens. Mr. Philip Rogers Snr., born at Llannon, Carmarthenshire in 1786 was an hereditary Burgess of Swansea, Chairman of Swansea Guardians,36 and prominent in local affairs being a subscriber to the Swansea Philosophical & Literary Institute. Philip Rogers Snr. after moving from the Mumbles works built and operated his business from Coleridge House, between 1836 and 1856.40 The eldest son of Philip Rogers Snr. and his wife Joanne (also from Llannon), namely Mr. Philip Rogers Jnr., entered the business and, as Philip Rogers & Son Marble Works, traded until 1876. The Wassail Street (World's End) yard for the marble works was on the site of the Swansea United Brewery Co. to whom the land was sold in 1873. The 1851 census shows that Phillip Rogers Snr. employed eight men and Philip Rogers Jnr. employed six men and two boys. For a brief period (1854-1856) the firm was at 244 High Street and at 224 High Street (1856), on the corner with Kings Lane. Philip Rogers Snr. died on 11th February, 1861 and was buried at St. Mary's Church. His widow was living at Coleridge House with her grand-daughter, according to the 1861 census, and later moved to Dynevor Place, where she died on the 18th June, 1872, aged 84. She was buried at St Johns High Street. Philip Rogers Jnr. was born on 14th February, 1809 at Llandeilo Talybont. He died on 24th February, 1902 at 2 De La Beche Street, aged 93 and was, at the time, Swansea's oldest inhabitant. An account of his life was published in The South Wales Post.41 His first wife, Joanne, was the daughter of the M.P. for Cardigan. Richard Richards. 

A founder member of the Ragged School, a memorial stone42 to her memory was placed there following her death in 1858. The census of 851 indicates that Mr. and Mrs. Rogers lived at 130 High Street. The first marriage of Philip Rogers Jnr. took place on 31st August, 1827 and his second was on 28th November, 1861 when he married Elizabeth, the daughter of the Rev. Jon Davies. Philip Rogers Jnr. appears to have moved several times. He may have lived briefly at 224 High Street (at the corner with Welcome Lane), between 1861 and 1870 at 1 Craddock Street and from 1870 at 2 De La Beche Street. At the time of his death, a son William was also living at 2 De La Beche Street. His eldest son, Philip Rogers, was a geologist. There were two other sons and two daughters.

 There is reference in the Butcher Trade Directory (1873-74 edition), to Philip Rogers Marble Works, at Greenfield Street. The Cambrian43reported accidents at the marble works of P. Rogers in Greenfield Street. In one a lad had both thighs broken and in another a worker lost some fingers. (Previously The Cambrianu had reported that Mr. Rogers Jnr.'s coat had caught in machinery at the works.) It was around this time that Philip Rogers retired and the marble company ceased trading. The marble monuments produced by the Philip Rogers & Son Marble Works remain and are important in the context of Mumbles Marble.

    Philip Rogers Jnr., a modest retiring man of liberal politics, played an important part in the life of the town representing the South Ward on the Council and becoming an Alderman. In addition to Council meetings, in 1878 for example, 170 other council committee meetings45 were attended. He sat on various boards and was Vice-Chairman of Swansea Guardians. He supported the Swansea Scientific Society, becoming a Vice-President and in 1878/79 was President of the Swansea Geological Society (his sons Philip and William joined the Society in that year). The Cambrian8 reprinted a lecture 'A sketch of the geological changes of the Swansea District', the subject of a paper read at the Royal Institution, to the Swansea Geological Society, possibly, the Presidential Lecture. He was teetotal46 and, since youth, a member of Ebenezer Congregational Chapel, where he was leader of the choir. In later years, he appears to have withdrawn from public life, and attended Walter Road Congregational Church. He is buried in Oystermouth Cemetery (Grave G 162), together with his second wife who died on 26th October, 1905, aged 76.

    Brief mention should be made of Dr. James Rogers, the fourth son of Philip and Joanna Rogers, a surgeon, who became Mayor of Swansea in 1878-1879. He lived at Pagefield House, St Helens Road and also had a Turkish Baths in Cambrian Place. Unlike his brother Philip, Dr. James was of a fiery nature and often clashed with other citizens who held different opinions regarding developments in Swansea. When Dr James was elected Mayor, it was after an acrimonious debate.47 A cartoon depicting Dr. Rogers, Lewis Llewelyn Dillwyn and Henry Hussey Vivian, opponents to steam power on the Mumbles Railway, was published in Swansea Bay.48 Following his return to the Council, James Rogers thanked not only the electors, but also the unknown donor of a life-size portrait of himself as Mayor.49

The present whereabouts of recorded examples of Mumbles Marble:

A national reference collection of building stones is currently housed at The Natural History Museum in South Kensington, London. This collection incorporates those of the former Geological Museum. Three specimens (Nos. 1041, 1524 and 1046) are recorded as Marble collected at Mumbles. Specimen 1524 is currently mislaid and may be in store, but came from Colts Hill. Specimen 1041, at the time of writing, is located in the Building Stone Showcase 4, side 1. Specimen 1046 collected by Nicholson in the 1980s, has proved to be very informative for comparative purposes and illustrates well the value of our national collections, since Colts Hill Quarry is now infilled and good examples of the limestone are no longer visible. The National Museum & Gallery of Wales in Cardiff have no record or specimens of either Swansea, or Mumbles Marble. A history of the Royal Institution of South Wales, Swansea for 1835-1935 records a fine series of foreign igneous types and marbles as the principal exhibit, while some local stone supplement this collection. Currently these are not available for display. John Henry Vivian, when at Singleton, Swansea had a geological collection, portions of which he often donated.50

    Unfortunately, the whereabouts of these are mainly unknown. University College, London has a small, but interesting collection of marbles, but there is no example of Mumbles Marble. Surprisingly Mumbles Marble is not mentioned by Watson51 who assembled a representative collection of British marbles at the Sedgewick Museum in Cambridge.

    Reference has been made previously to the Llewelyn monument in Llangyfelach Church and to the tomb of Thomas Mansel Talbot in Margam Abbey Church. There

is a third reference to a local example of Mumbles Marble, namely the font at Margam Abbey Church. Davies8 noted that an elegant example of Mumbles Marble is to be seen at Newfont, at Margam Church, made from an antique model in Lysons' collections. Hall30 also stated that the font at Margam Church was made from marble dug at Mumbles and polished a mile nearer Swansea than Norton. Orrin and Cowley16 claim that 'one of the more specialist products of the West Cross mills can still be seen the marble font set up in Margam Abbey Church in 1823'. 

    The font at Margam Abbey Church is illustrated in the story of Margam Abbey52 and a colour version appears in the current information booklet 'Margam Abbey' where the nineteenth century font in marble is attributed to the Gower Coast. Examination of the font, by the writer, reveals that the top and the base of the font are made of two distinct and different rock-types, but both are of Lower Carboniferous (Dinantian) age. At the top is a fawn-coloured, coarse crinoidal limestone, similar to polished limestones originating from Derbyshire to produce the Monyash Marble (see specimen E III 08. Natural History Museum, London, collection for comparison). In the font the fossilised remains of the crinoid columnals are seen mainly as circular, white transverse sections, but longitudinal sections also occur. Such a crinoidal limestone is a sedimentary rock type not recorded from Mumbles. The base of the font is reddish in colour, with white blotches of calcite. The red colouration is a haematitic stain. A fossilised compound coral colony occurs in the rock. The rock could come from the Mumbles region, but in all probability, is an example of Cork Red Marble from Ireland.53 Cork Red Marble was very popular from the 1830s until the 1920s and had the trade name of Victoria Red Marble. Wyse Jackson (Pers. comm., 1999) identifies the basal column of the font at Margam Abbey Church as an example of Little Island Stone from Cork. Similar stone was supplied for the font and walling of the nave in St. Fin Barre's Cathedral in Cork54 and the interior of the booking hall at St. Pancras Station, London.55 John Adams,13 notes that, as part of the major restoration of 1872/3, a fine marble font of crinoidal limestone was placed at the west end of the south aisle, replacing that installed during the restoration of 1805-1809.

     In another document56 Adams notes 'the font in present use is variegated marble from the limestone beds at Mumbles installed prior to 1875'. John Adams (Pers. comm., March, 1996) states it may be of interest that Theodore Talbot, who inspired the restoration of 1872-73, visited Buxton to take the waters with his younger sister who suffered ill-health from an early age. Painting57 shows a photograph of Olive Talbot with Amy Dillwyn at Buxton in 1871, perhaps the present font was ordered at this time! The information provided by Adams regarding the replacement font then raises the question as to what became of the original font58 made of Mumbles Marble, referred to by Davies in 1814 (was it given to another church in the area?).

    I am indebted to Mr. John Adams, who in addition to drawing my attention to documents relating to Margam Abbey Church has informed me of an, as yet, unlisted G.A.S. Document. This is a bill from Mr. Philip Rogers, dated 1833, to C. R. M. Talbot Esq. M.P. of Margam. It mentions one Mumbles Marble Gothic Chimney Piece at £6.0.0 and seven other Mumbles Marble Chimney pieces. John Adams (Pers. comm., 1999) informs me that a fossiliferous fireplace still exists in Margam Castle59 but the shelly marble of the fireplace probably originated from Carmarthenshire. Some fragments of other fireplaces made of Mumbles Marble (including a piece of grey limestone with white veins and a red pseudobreccia) have been found amongst rubble in Margam Castle, and are now in store.

Some new discoveries of Mumbles, or Swansea Marble. 

To find further examples of Mumbles, or Swansea Marble it is necessary to search for and to examine articles likely to have been made of the local polished limestone. The articles should be located in places of a date appropriate to the marble works, either at Mumbles 1808 to 1837, or at Swansea 1826 to circa 1873. Unfortunately, many of the larger houses of the Swansea area have now been demolished or rebuilt. Fortunately many churches remain and are potentially very rewarding.

    At the entrance to Singleton Abbey (for many years the home of the Vivian family)60 the floor has a marble decoration. Inside the Abbey there are numerous fireplaces, but three are of particular interest.

The fireplace in the entrance hall (No. 1) and the fireplace (No. 2) opposite the base of the main staircase are similar in construction. The marble surrounds of fireplace No. 1 and two sides of fireplace No. 2 are made of serpentine possibly from Cornwall. The remaining surround of fireplace No. 2 is of a fossiliferous marble, possibly polished Devonian-aged limestone: British or continental in origin. The backs of fireplace No. 2 are made of polished limestone possibly of local origin, since the white veins, the grey colouration and general appearance are reminiscent of Mumbles Marble. A third fireplace (No. 3), in room 4, is in the original part of the Abbey building (Marino) and is made of a

The Voss family memorial tablet at Nicholston Church65, 66 is made of polished limestone and is held in place by two pieces of Mumbles Marble. The tablet bears the name of P. Rogers and was made circa 1820. An older Voss tablet is also made of polished limestone, characterised by fossil brachiopods shells and possibly originating from Carmarthenshire or Pembrokeshire (see below).

    On the wall of the South side of Oystermouth Church16 is a memorial stone of white marble erected in memory of Daniel Shewen of Thistleboon House and his wife Jane Shewen (see Plate 4). The background surrounding stone is a grey limestone with white veins, which has a similar appearance to Mumbles Marble and attributed by me, to the local marble works at West Cross. The date post 1813 is also appropriate. The adjacent wall tablet (in the middle of the South wall), in memory of Henry Thomas and his two sons is the work of P. Rogers. It is unfortunate that the white inscription plaque is set in a black (paint) background, which obscures the appearance of the natural stone, since it too may be of local limestone.

    In many of the unmade lanes in the village of Mumbles, pieces of limestone are to be found which over the years (indeed centuries) have become polished naturally into a marble. Along the beach also, are polished limestone pebbles. In a few places in Mumbles the kerbstones of limestone have over the years become polished.

Other British Marbles made of polished Carboniferous Limestone

In South Wales, the outcrop of Carboniferous Limestone extends from Pembrokeshire in the West to Monmouthshire in the East. It is not surprising therefore, to find that Carboniferous Limestone has been extensively used for building purposes in South Wales. North5 shows that part of the wall of Cardiff Castle is built of such limestone from Wenvoe. Davies8 refers to marble works at Llandaff Bridge, CastellCoch and Newton Nottage. Marble was also found near Merthyr, Pont Nedd Vaughan, Craig-y-Nos and near Tenby.8 Mr. Thomas Lloyd (Pers. comm., 1998) informs me that the Lydstep Quarry of Manorbier produced grey limestone, which was used for gravestones and window sills. The Tenby war memorial is made of Carboniferous Limestone and around the town (for example in Upper Frog Street) there are kerbstones of similar polished limestone. Numerous memorial tablets, made of polished limestone, are to seen in St Mary's Church, Tenby. Lewis62 and Davies8 refer to the limestone of Llangyndeyrn, Carmarthenshire, which produces a very fine black and speckled marble. The marble, which was of excellent quality for chimney pieces and other ornaments, was sent among other places to Bristol. There is in the collections of the Natural History Museum, London a polished specimen of marble from Newton Carew, Pembrokeshire (Specimen No. E III 97). It is of an appearance similar to that noted above for Llangyndeyrn Marble. North5 refers to dark-coloured limestones with shells (mainly brachiopods) that occur in Pembrokeshire, which have been used locally for mantelpieces and similar objects. In an account of Newton Nottage, Porthcawl, mention is made of the Mountain (the old name for Carboniferous) Limestone which has veins of a liver-coloured marble susceptible of a good polish.67

    In North Wales there is the fine-grained Penmon Limestone of Anglesey, which takes a good polish. Less well known is the Halkyn Marble produced from the crinoidal limestone of Flintshire.' The best known crinoidal limestone of Britain is from near Bakewell, Derbyshire, (which in this article, is claimed to have been used to produce the upper part of the font at Margam Abbey Church). A limestone from near Dent, Cumbria has been polished and used for church decoration. The dark  Poolvash Marble of the Isle of Man is well known, as is a fossiliferous coral limestone from Frosterley, Durham, which has been polished to produce the Frosterley Marble, and was much used for church decorations as for example, at Durham Cathedral and York Minster. Recent interest has centred on the use of Nidderdale Marble,68 a crinoidal limestone from Yorkshire. There has been an important marble industry centred on the village of Ashford-in-the-water, Derbyshire69,70 at least from the 16th century until the early years of the present century. Today, examples of inlaid Ashford Black Marble are much sought after.71

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I wish to sincerely thank the following for their information and assistance, since without their contributions this article would not have been possible.

Mr. D. J. Adams. Mrs. K. Anderson. Ms. O. Anitee. Mrs. S. R. Austin, Mr. S. Baldwin, Mr. W. Barrington. Canon D. G. Belcher, Ms. E. Bennet, Dr. R. Bevins. Mr. and Mrs. A. E. Birt, Mr. C. Birt, Mr. D. Boyes. Dr. H. Buckley, Mr. P. Burton. Mrs. B. Cardy. Mr. S. Carlisle. Mr. P. Carter, Mrs. W. Cope, Ms. G. Davidson. Dr. M. Dorling, Dr. R. Dreesen, Rev. K. Evans, Dr. T. Ford, Ms. Jill Forwood, Mr. G. Gabb. Professor R. A. Griffiths. Mr. R. Griffiths, Dr. E. Groessens. Mr. W. Hancock, Mr. D. Harry, Professor F. Hodson, Mr. J. V. Hughes. Mrs. J. D. James, Rev. A. G. Jones, Ms. W. L. Kirk, Mr. T. Lloyd, Mr. T. Metheun-Campbell, Mr. M. Mitchell. Rev. R. Morgan, Mr. B. Morris, Neath and Port Talbot L.E.A.. Mr. G R. Orrin. Oystermouth Historical Association. Mr. D. Palmer, Dr. M. A. Parkes, Rev. D. R. Payne. Rev. E. Phillips. Mr. T. Phillips. Dr. W. H. Ramsbottom, Mr. K. Reeves, Dr. E. Robinson. Mr. P. Rogers. Mrs. J. Sabine, Mr. W. Sanders. Dr. A. Sanderson, Rev. S. Sarapuk, Mr. and Mrs. J. Saunders. Mr. L. R. Sparrow, Staff Cambrian Index Service. Staff Carmarthen Museum, Staff Swansea Reference Library, Staff West Glamorgan Archive Service, Mrs. L. Taylor, The Warriors Oystermouth Church, Mr. T. J. Thomas, Dr R. S. Thomas, Mr. J. Towns, Mrs. B. Walk, Dr. P. N. Wyse Jackson. A special thank you also to the late Professor T. R. Owen and the late Mr. E. L. Reynolds for introducing me so enthusiastically to the local limestones.

Editor's Note formatting will soon be completed

REFERENCES AND NOTES

1 The Cambrian. 24-05-1878.

2 The Cambrian. 15-10-1808.

3 The Cambrian Visitor. 1813.

4 The Cambrian. 19-10-1816.

5 North. F. J.. 1930. Limestones, their origins, distributions and uses, Thomas Murby, London, 467pp.6 Owen. T. R., 1966, The Limestones of Gower, Gower, XVII. 30-34.

7 Owen, T. R., 1972, The Carboniferous Limestone of Gower. Gower, XI, 4-6.

8 Davies, W., 1814, General view of the agriculture and domestic economy of South Wales, London, vol. I, 613 pp.

9 Blagrove, G. H., 1888, Marble decorations and the terminology of British and foreign marbles: A Handbook, C. Lockwood & Sons, London, 122 pp.

10 Pearse and Brown, 1860. Guide to the Mumbles and adjacent bays, Pearse and Brown, Swansea, 36pp.

11 W.G.A.S., Document Nos. DD Z 25/135 and DD Z 25/60u.

12 W.G.A.S. Document DD Z 25/60 S.

13 Adams, D. J., 1984, The restoration of Margam Abbey Church in the 19th Century. Transactions, Port Talbot Historical Society. No. 3, Vol. III, 60-67.

14 Adams, D. J., 1988, The tomb of Thomas Mansel Talbot. An Anthology. Friends of Margam Abbey.

15 Jenkin, D., 1813. A description of Swansea and its Environs, David Jenkin, Swansea, 63 pp.

16 Orrin, G. R. and Cowley, F. G., 1990, A History of All Saint's Church, Oystermouth, Gomer Press, 110pp.

17 Groessens, E., 1984, Ornamental and building stones of Belgium, Stone Industry, June, 7pp.

18 Griffiths, R. A., 1977, Clyne Castle Swansea, University College of Swansea, 61pp.

19 Lewis, J., 1851, The Swansea Guide, William Mathias Brewster, 72pp.

20 Gabb, G., 1986, The Story of the Village of Mumbles, D. Brown and Sons, Cowbridge, 80pp.

21 See W.G.A.S. Document D/D Z 371/2 as detailed below and Oystermouth Tithe Appointment of 1844.

22 The Cambrian, 15-10-1808.

23 The Cambrian, 19-10-1816.

24 The Cambrian, 13-04-1816.

25 W.G.A.S. Document No. D/D BF E/155.

26 W.G.A.S. A map, Document No. DD AWH 1401.

27 The Cambrian, 17-11-1824.

28 The Cambrian, 17-06-1826.

29 (See 1840, Schedule of Manuscripts of Duke of Beaufort at the National Library of Wales,

Aberystwyth, Document No. 1408, 'Appointment of old marble works, cottages etc. at Norton Burrows'). The document indicates a repurchase on 29th September, 1852. A copy of the sale catalogue is held at W.G.A.S. Document D/D Z 371/2. The catalogue includes a map showing the old marble works. The buildings were previously shown as a house on map 28 entitled 'Oystermouth Castle and lands situate in the Parish of Oystermouth' with an 1802 date (W.G.A.S. Document D/D/ Beau E/l Duke of Beaufort Gower & Kilvey Estate).

30 Hall, A., 1899, History of Oystermouth, Alexandra Printing Co. Swansea, 44pp.

31 Thomas, N. L., 1978. Of Swansea West. The Mumbles- Past and Present, Gomer Press, 253pp.

32 See W.G.A.S. Document D/D Z 25/60q.

33 See W.G.A.S. Document No. D/D Z 25/73a D. John Adams. 'The restoration of Margam Abbey Church in the 19th century'.

34 Martin, J., 1993, The Penrice Letters 1768-1795, West Glamorgan County Archive Service, Swansea, 191pp.

35 Moore, P., 1986, Margam Orangery; West Glamorgan, A Glamorgan Archive Service Publication, 37pp.

36 See W.G.A.S. Family History Centre.

37 Lloyd, T., 1990, The Architects of Regency Swansea, Gower, 41, 56-69.

38 The 1838 Tithe map indicates that Philip Rogers was at Wellington Street (plot 2935, owned by Calvert Richard Jones), Wassail Street (plot 2833, owned by Thomas Shepperd) and at Adelaide Place (plot 3090 with the Mayor, Aldermen and Burgesses as owners).

39 The Cambrian, 05-12-1840; 10-10-1844.

40 A typical advert appeared in The Cambrian, 03-09-1838.

41 The South Wales Post, 24-02-1902.

42 The Cambrian, 26-08-1859.

43 The Cambrian, 23-02-1866.

44 The Cambrian, 05-12-1845.

45 The Cambrian, 25-10-1878.

46 See letter to The Cambrian, 17-12-1869.

47 The Cambrian, November. 1878.

48 Gabb. G.. 1987, Fig 29a. The Life and Times of The Swansea and Mumbles Railway, D. Brown

and Sons. Cowbridge, 80pp., Fig 29a.

49 The Cambrian, 16-11-1879.

50 Kirk. W. L.. 1995, On the trail of the J. H. Vivian Collection, The Geological Curator, 6, (4), 167-170.

51 Watson. J.. 1916, British and foreign marbles and other ornamental stones: A descriptive catalogue of the specimens in the Sedgewick Museum, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 485pp.

52 Evans, A. L.. 1979. The Story of Margam Abbey. The Margam Abbey R.A.C., 20pp.

53 Nevill. W. E., 1962, Stratigraphy and Origin of the Cork Red Marble, Geological Magazine, XCIX. (6). 480-491.

54 Wyse Jackson. P. N., 1993. The building stones of Dublin a walking guide, Country House

Dublin. 67pp.. and the 1998 Roadstone Calendar.

55 Kinahan. G. K.. 1887 Marbles & Limestones. J. Roy: Geol. Soc. lreland, 8 124-204.

56 W.G.A.S. Document No. D/D Z 25 69/Z.

57 Painting. D.. 1987. Amy Dillwyn. University of Wales Press. Cardiff, 110pp.

58 The account for this font appears to be referred to in the Penrice and Margam Document P & M

9186a. present in the W.G.A.S. Reference is made to a marble font at a cost of twenty pounds.

59 Hughes. J. V.. 1998. Margam Castle, West Glamorgan Archive Service, 79pp.

60 Griffiths. R. A.. 1988. Singleton Abbey and the Vivians of Swansea, Gomer Press, 67pp.

61 Morris. B.. 1995. The Houses of Singleton. A Swansea Landscape and its History, West Glam-

organ County Archive Service. 153pp.

62 Lewis. S.. 1863. A Topographical Dictionary of Wales, S. Lewis & Co., London, Vol. 11, 479pp.

63 Groessens. E.. 1984. Ornamental and building stones of Belgium. Stone Industry, June, 7pp.

64 Eden. C. H.. 1909. Black Toumai Fonts in England. The group of seven late Norman fonts from

Belgium. Elliot Stock, London. 32pp.

65 Orrin. G. R.. 1979. The Gower Churches. Crown Printers, 88pp.

66 Davies. J. D.. 1894. Historical notices of the Parishes of Penrice, Oxwich and Nicholaston in the

Rural Deanery of West Gower, Glamorganshire. Part IV. Cambrian Office. Swansea, 448 pp.

67 Knight. H. H.. 1853. An account of Newton Nottage. Glamorgan. Archaeologia Cambrensis, IV, 229-261.

68 Blacker. J. G. and Mitchell. M.. 1998. The use of Nidderdale Marble and other crinoidal limestones in Fountains Abbey, North Yorkshire. The Leeds Philosophical and Literary Society. 28pp.

69 Ford. T. D.. 1958, The Black Marble of Ashford-in-the-water, Derbyshire, Liverpool & Manchester Geological Journal, 2. (I) 44-59.

70 Ford. T. D.. 1997. The inlaid black marble of Ashford-in-the-water. Derbyshire. The rise and fall of a local-geology based industry. Geology Today. 13, (4). 144-148.

71 Tomlinson. J. M.. 1996. Derbyshire Black Marble, Peak District Mines Historical Society Special

Publication. 95pp.

72 According to The Cambrian (08-11-1867) the memorial headstone for John Probert was on show

at Philip Rogers Marble Works. Mr. Rogers also completed a marble mural to hang in the Unitarian Church (The Cambrian, 22-01-1869). The Cambrian (08-07-1870) reported that Mr. Philip Rogers donated a marble slab to Swansea Hospital.

73 The Cambrian, 13-10-1865.

74 The Cambrian reported. 19-06-1858. the arrival from Rouen of 'The Victoria' with plaster of Paris for Philip Rogers.