in 1842 ford became the owner of bryndu colliery, glamorgan, after the owner, charles o'neill, became bankrupt owing him £6,000. ford set up a partnership with 2 of his sons – william augustus ford and horace alfred ford – to run the colliery. the partnership was dissolved in july 1858 following an explosion in the pit that killed 12 miners. there had been a previous explosion in 1853 when 4 miners had been killed.