carrie-ann
9 years ago
Hi Just wondering if anyone can help me find out a bit about a lamp i have been given please. I have found the same one on ebay for $249, which tells me the one i have is the real thing and not just a tourist item. However i would like it confirmed either way by someone who knows what they are talking about as i haven't got a clue lol.
Its is about 6 Inches tall, name plate says E.Thomas & Williams Ltd...Cambrian...No HS2516 (this number is stamped on)...Makers Aberdare Wales. near the botton of the lamp the letters E.T.W are stamped, also stamped on it is Made in Wales UK.

Links for pictures:
http://www.salways.co.uk/Lamp1.JPG 

http://www.salways.co.uk/Lamp2.JPG 

I am interested in the history and what the number represents. not interested in the value.
Hope someone can help
Thankyou
rufenig
9 years ago
When you open it are there wire gauze "bonnets" in the space above the glass, or is it Empty.

ET & W made genuine miners lamps and now make some for the tourist market.
Is the wick round or oblong.

Answer these and we may be closer. :smartass:
carrie-ann
9 years ago
thankyou for answering.
I can't actually open it. so i don't know about the gauze, and the wick is oblong.

Ok i have got it open, that was fun lol. i am assuming you mean the gauze is sat on top of the glass, like a hat, if so no there's no gauze there.
rufenig
9 years ago
Ok well done.
It is probably a lamp sold as a replica., but as such it is one of the better ones. ET&W made lamps for miners then towards the end sold some as replicas without the gauzes.
The early ones were well made of very similar parts to those used in mines.

The lamp almost certainly is intended to run on paraffin.
The originals use a spirit similar to petrol.

Quite a nice lamp.
carrie-ann
9 years ago
Ah right ok, interesting information there, thank you for that. It does say on it warning usf only paraffin. There is also a little symbol on it but i can't make out what it is.
It is a very nice lamp. My mum in law gave it to me as its the sort of things i like, and i will keep it in the family. It belonged to my father in law, and she knows he had it back in the 80's, might have been before that, but she doesn't know. so its a good few years old.
Thank you again, at least now i have a better idea about its history :)

ps have you any idea what the number stamped on it will be please? its got No. HS2516
rufenig
9 years ago
On a lamp for underground use the number would identify the owner. The number is often the same as the token that was used to record who was underground. If lost or in an accident they would know who owned the lamp.

Almost impossible to even trace which pit some lamps were used in, never mind an individual miner.
carrie-ann
9 years ago
oh ok, thats interesting, so would a replica have that number on it? Yes i can imagine it would be near impossible now to find out who it belong to. I wish i had a time machine to go back to find out these things lol.
Graigfawr
9 years ago
It is a lamp made for the tourist / commemorative / momento market. The letters and numbers stamped on are the maker's model code and sequential production number.

For twentieth century flame safety lamps to be legal for use in UK coal mines, they had to possess two internal gauzes. This one, I believe, will have either a single gauze or none.

At around six inches tall, it somewhat resembles in size the lamps manufactured in the late nineteenth century and very early twentieth century for mine officials who only had limited need to use flame safety lamps to test for gas. Flame safety lamps used for lighting by colliers were around ten inches tall and slightly greater diameter than yours.
carrie-ann
9 years ago
Thank you πŸ™‚ Ah right ok that makes sense about the size now as someone told me they used bigger lamps than the one i have. Its all been very interesting to find out about my lamp, so thank you to both of you for your help πŸ™‚
David Munro
5 years ago
Hi I have the same lamp but don’t know how to open it? Any suggestions? Thanks

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