The human story of the Industrial Revolution is a huge drama, taking into consideration the innovation, entrepreneurship, migrations, emigration and the social change from an agricultural and rural community to that of a heavily industrialised society. Violence also played its part in this change (e.g., the Daughters of Rebecca, Scotch Cattle) the formation of Friendly Societies and Unions by the working classes. Religious upheaval and the rise of Nonconformity also influenced the working population. The use of child and female labour also played initially an important part in the social changes and the class structure of the period.

It is of considerable importance to consider the contribution of the skills of the men employed in the iron and coal trades and the degree of technology, which they achieved, as initially the population was largely illiterate. Coal and iron are familiar terms that are associated with this era, as are the seaports of the South Wales coast. The local seaports of Briton Ferry Dock and Swansea reflect the huge developments of the ports of Barry and Cardiff.

On the smaller scale Nant y Bar reflects these huge social and technological changes. Initially the Afan Valley was a rural and remote community. The mainstays of the economy being farming and sheep. The indigenous population were employed in farm labouring, or looking after livestock. Married females looked after their large families, and their daughters were employed generally in domestic or agricultural capacities on the local farms.

The Tithe map of 1841 show smallholdings and fields rented or tenanted from local farmers who owned the land. During the early days of the 19th century communications were poor. Owing to the fact that the valley floor was thickly wooded the old roads, which stretched over the mountaintops, were used. The old Parish road stretching from Glyncorrwg to Neath was utilised. There was also the old road originating from the Llynfi Valley which travellers used whose destination was the then Borough of Aberafan or Neath.

Initially farmers used the coal deposits in the form of drift mines for domestic use. With the growing technology of the iron trade the demand for coal in the early part of the century increased, and more labour was employed by the farms to accommodate the demand for more coal. The thickly wooded valley floor had been used in the first instance as fuel in the iron making process but as this source of fuel became exhausted the demand for coal expanded. More manpower was needed to accommodate this expansion, and gradually the commercial use of coal started.

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