In 1892 3 Cardiff miners were at a Miners Demonstration at Speech House and were arrested and charged with gambling for playing the game "Billy Fair-play" does anyone know what the game involved?

"Billy Fair play" in the context of mining

The Billy is used to weigh out the coal a miner / hewer produced - and then paid wages for

"Fair play" - just what it says on the pack !

Part of the problem is to do with screening the small coal bits and dust , from the sizable chucks. The miner was only paid for the sizeable chuncks rather than everything mined including the small pieces ( from memory)

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Ἀριστοτέλης A Gloster & Hereford Boy in the Forest of Dean ><((((*>

It is a gambling game. The game was one in which money was gambled on the ultimate destination of a marble which was rolled down a board sub-divided into coloured sections. I assume the charge for the Cardiff miners was one of Gambling in public.

My Great Grandfather, Levi Smith of Yorkley (1846-1909) was one of these and I was always told he was known as 'Billy Playfair'. I believe it was at the 'New Fancy' pit.