AD 1750-1900 The Industrial Age

At the beginning of this period most of Wales was given over to agriculture. By AD 1831 more people in Wales were working in industry than agriculture. When James Watt developed the first widely used industrial steam engine in around 1787, the cylinders for the engines were made in Wales, near Wrexham. Existing industries throughout Wales and new ones such as potteries and cottonmills in the north east benefited from the new technology. However, dependence on coal for steam meant that most industrialisation took place close to coalfields like those of south Wales. Here, industries such as the ironworks in Merthyr Tydfil could quickly take advantage of steam power to increase both in size and profitability. Other parts of Wales missed out on the economic benefits of the Industrial Revolution.

At first it was expensive and laborious to move heavy raw materials such as coal and products such as pig iron to ports and cities. This was a particular problem in the mountains of south Wales were most of the coalfields were situated. During the late 18th century a network of canals was built to link the inland production areas with the ports. This enabled manufacturers to transport their goods easily for distribution and export. Later, in the 19th century, the development of the railway meant another revolution in transport for both commerce and pleasure.