George Trewren

George Thomas Trewren was born 7/1/1821 in St Blazey, Cornwall.
In February 1860, while still in Cornwall he was offered a job at the job of Agent at Mona Mine by F.A Legg the Chief Agent for the mine based in London.. It is possible that GTT’s brother John who was working as an accountant for Legg may have been instrumental if putting GTT’s name forward.
GTT accepted the job and took over as Agent from Thomas Tiddy. Thomas Tiddy had been forced to resign as Agent following a strike by the miners against a new payment system which he had introduced. In the Census of March 1861 Trewren was recorded as a lodger living with a Mr Henry Edwards at Bodgadfa farm just outside Amlwch.
By April 1861 GTT was writing monthly reports on the conditions at the mine to Legg. In July of that year Evan Evans, the chief clerk at the Mona Mine was trying to find land for GTT to build a house, GTT ” having such an important job” A house was found and in October GTT took some time off to move his family up from Cornwall. His travelling expenses were paid for by the company.
In November 1861 John Petherick, a consulting engineer gave a report on the operations at both mines. GTT received a favourable mention in the report. GTT continued to supply monthly reports until April 1863 when a dispute arose between the miners and GTT over his alleged favouritism towards two Cornish brothers called Thomas and William Buzza.
Only the underground workers were involved in the dispute which eventually become a strike. Evan Evans the Mona Mine cashier, sympathized with the men admitting that when the Buzza brothers arrived they were personally conducted around the Mona Mine by Captain Trewren.
On 9th April Evan Evans was asked to report on the situation to Legg. He remarked that it was a serious mistake on Trewren’s part to treat the Buzza brothers as “being superior to the rest of the workmen. The trouble came to a head on a setting day in April 1863 when a bargain refused by two Welsh miners was accepted by the Cornishmen at the same price. The Welshmen claimed that it had been a preconceived plan on the part of the Agent to fix the price of the bargain so it should fall into the hands of the Cornish men. There was a strong tradition amongst the Welsh miners of not accepting a bargain that had been turned down by another group of workers.
On 14th April Legg wrote to Evans saying that dismissal of Trewren was not justified as this was the first time of any improper conduct. However, Evans was instructed to investigate further and report to Legg while” concealing his opinion from the men”
Trewren wrote himself to Legg on 15th April denying any fault. By 26th April Trewren was advocating a hard line with the men in as the agents were left ” ..entirely in the hands of the present workmen”
The Welsh men refused to work and tried to drive the Buzza brothers out of the mine. The Buzza’s were saved from harm only by Trewren’s intervention. Such violent ill feeling had not been known before, and matters were not helped by Trewren’s attitude of letting the strike continue, believing miners could not hold out for long. The Cornishmen left as the could not work their bargain. the miners’ leader Owen Roberts was sacked.
The events seemed to settle and in October 1863 the normal monthly reports from Trewren to Legg started again. However, by April 1864 in reply to Legg’s call for greater efficiency, Trewren was suggesting a ” competitive party employing as many newcomers as possible regardless of kindred of tongue from England or Ireland”
Trewren also had complaints about a builder Mr Jones who had been employed to build a new house for him. he moved into the new house in February 1864. The final surviving routine mine report from Trewren to Legg seems to be dated around June 1865.
Trewren’s wife died in childbirth at Railway villas in Amlwch on 9/2/1867 but at that time Trewren was not in Amlwch. From August 1867 the routine monthly reports of the mine were being written by Capt Thomas Mitchell.
The children of Trewren are recorded as living in Methusalem street Amlwch in the 1871 census. Trewren eventually died in Liverpool on1st November 1876.