The Forest of Dean - An Historical and Descriptive Account

H. G. (Henry George) Nicholls

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• Publié par: ludus
• Publié le: 08 décembre 2010
• Nombre de lectures: 32
• Langue: English

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The Forest of Dean, by H. G.
Nicholls
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H. G. Nicholls
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Title: The Forest of Dean
An Historical and Descriptive Account
Author: H. G. Nicholls
Release Date: February 3, 2008 [eBook #24505]
Language: EnglishCharacter set encoding: ISO-646-US (US-ASCII)
***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK
THE FOREST OF DEAN***
This ebook was transcribed by Les Bowler.
Portraits of two Iron-Miners
Title Page
the
FOREST OF DEAN;
an historical and
descriptive account,
derived from personal
observation, and other
sources, public,
private, legendary, and
local.
By H. G. NICHOLLS, M.A.,
PERPETUAL CURATE OF HOLY TRINITY, DEAN
FOREST.John Murray, Albemarle Street.
1858.
PREFACE.
Disappointment expressed by others and felt by
myself that a History of the Forest of Dean should
never have appeared in print, and an impression that
a considerable amount of interesting information
relative to it might be brought together, combined I
may add with the fact that there seemed no probability
of such a work being otherwise undertaken until old
usages and traditions had passed away, have induced
me to attempt its compilation. I here venture to
publish the fruit of my labours, in the hope that the
reader may derive some portion of that pleasure which
the prosecution of the work has afforded me, and
trusting that the same indulgent consideration which
led the officers of the Government, the gentlemen of
the neighbourhood, and many of the intelligent
Foresters to aid in the execution, will by them and the
public be extended to the work itself.
I have endeavoured to make it as complete as
possible by supplying every known circumstance,
mostly in the words of the original narrator, and yet
trying so to harmonize the whole as to engage the
attention of the general reader, but more particularly
of the residents in the district, by acquainting them
with the past and present state of one of the most
interesting and remarkable localities in the kingdom.
H. G. N.July, 1858.
CONTENTS.
CHAPTER I.—a.d. 1307–1612. 1
Origin of the name “Dean”?—The Buck Stone and o
ther Druidical remains—“The Scowles,” &c., and oth
er ancient iron-mines, worked in the time of the Ro
mans—Symmond’s Yat, and other military earthwor
ks—Domesday Book, and investment of this Forest
in the Crown—William I., and probable date of Free
Miners’ Franchise—Castle of St. Briavel’s first built;
Giraldus—Flaxley Abbey founded—King John at Fla
xley and St. Briavel’s—The constables of St. Briavel’
s, and wardens of the Forest—Date of the ruins of
St. Briavel’s Castle—Iron-forges licensed by Henry I
II.—Perambulation of 1282, and first “justice seat”—
Seventy-two itinerant forges in the Forest—Date of
miners’ laws and privileges—Perambulation of 1302
—Edward I., grants in the Forest—Newland Church
founded—Free miners summoned to the sieges of
Berwick, &c.—Edward II., grants in the Forest—Edw
ard III., ditto—Richard II., ditto—Henry IV., ditto—H
enry V., ditto—Henry VI., ditto—Severn barges stop
ped by Foresters—Edward IV., and retreat hither of
the Earl Rivers and Sir J. Woodville—Edward VI. far
med the Forest to Sir A. Kingston—Design of the Sp
aniards to destroy the Forest—Papers from Sir J. C
æsar’s collection, viz. Sir J. Winter’s negotiations rel
ative to the ironworks, &c.—Blast furnaces erected2
CHAPTER II.—a.d. 1612–1663.
4
Grants in the Forest to Earl of Pembroke—Mining re
stricted to the foresters—Iron cinders of old working
s re-smelted in the new furnaces—Last justice seat
held in 1635, extending the limits of the Forest to th
ose of Edward I.—Grant to E. Terringham—Forest
surveyed in 1635—Sale of the woods to Sir J. Winte
r—Disturbances of the Civil War at Coleford, Highm
eadow, Ruardean—Adventures of Sir J. Winter at W
estbury, Little Dean, Newnham, Lydney—Events on
the north side of the Forest—Incidents of the Protec
torate, riots and devastations of the Forest—Sir J.
Winter’s patent restored—Effects of a great storm—
Survey of the Forest in 1662—Mr. J. Pepys and Sir
J. Winter on the Forest—The latter resumes his felli
ngs—Inhabitants suggest replanting and enclosing t
he Forest—Act of 20 Charles II., c. 3—Sir J. Winter’
s licence confirmed
4
CHAPTER III.—a.d. 1663–1692.
5
First “Order” of forty-eight free miners in Court—8,4
87 acres enclosed and planted—Speech-house beg
un—Second order of the Miners’ Court—The King’s
iron-works suppressed—The six “walks” and lodges
planned out—All mine-works forbidden in the enclos
ures—Third order of the Miners’ Court—Enclosures extended—Fourth order of the Miners’ Court—Spee
ch-house finished—The Forest perambulated—Fifth
order of the Miners’ Court—Proposal to resume the
King’s iron-works rejected—Sixth and seventh order
s of the Miners’ Court—Riots connected with the Re
volution—Eighth order of the Miners’ Court—Dr. Par
sons’s account of the Forest
5
CHAPTER IV.—a.d. 1692–1758.
8
Condition of the Forest described, and management
examined—Depredations—Ninth and tenth orders o
f the Miners’ Court—Timber injured by the colliers—
The Forest in its best state, 1712—Eleventh, twelfth
, and thirteenth orders of the Miners’ Court—Fourte
enth order of the Miners’ Court—Swainmote Court d
iscontinued—Extension of coal-works and injury of tr
ees—Forest neglected—Fifteenth, sixteenth, and se
venteenth orders of the Miners’ Court—Grant of 9,2
00 feet of timber to the Gloucester Infirmary
7
CHAPTER V.—a.d. 1758–1800.
3
Mr. John Pitt suggested 2,000 acres to be planted—
The Forest surveyed—Great devastations and encr
oachments—The roads—Act of 1786, appointing a
Commission of Inquiry—New plantations recommen
ded—Messrs. Drivers employed to report on the Forest—Corn riots—Mitcheldean market
8
CHAPTER VI.—a.d. 1800–1831.
7
Lord Nelson’s remarks on the Forest—Free miners
endeavour to restore their Court of Mine Law—Whit
e Mead Park planted—Act of 1808, authorising the r
eplanting of the Forest, six commissioners appointe
d for that purpose—Six enclosures formed in 1810
—Mice—Inquiry as to the best mode of felling timbe
r—Last of the enclosures formed 1816—First Forest
church consecrated—High Meadow Woods purchas
ed—General condition of the Forest—Unsuccessful
efforts to restore the encroachments to the Crown
—Plantations mended over—Ellwood and the Great
Doward Estates purchased—The blight—Single tree
s planted out by the roads—Blight on the oaks
1
CHAPTER VII.—a.d. 1831–1841. 1
0
Riots—Sessions of the Dean Forest Commissioners
relative to St. Briavel’s Court—Free miners’ claims
—Foreigners’ petition—State of the woods—Peram
bulation—Rights of Commonage—Relief of the poor
—Free miners’ petition—Parochial divisions—Fourth
and Fifth Reports of the Dean Forest Commissioner
s—Acts of 1838 and 1842—Award of the coal and iron mines—Enclosures thrown open, and new ones f
ormed—Provision for the poor—Mr. Machen’s mem
oranda
1
CHAPTER VIII—a.d. 1841–1858. 3
0
Messrs. Clutton’s, &c., Report on the Forest Timber
—Viscount Duncan’s Committee—Supply of 1,000 l
oads of timber to the Pembroke Dockyard, resumed
—Mr. Drummond’s Committee—Report of Mr. Brow
n—Messrs. Matthews’s Report
1
CHAPTER IX.
4
THE ORIGINAL OCCUPIERS OF THE FOREST.
3
The inhabitants of the Forest—Its Aborigines—Celti
c indications in the names of persons and places—T
he forty-eight free miners’ names appended to their
book of “Dennis,” contrasted with the present roll of
free miners—Traces of Saxon and Norman influenc
e—Early civilization indicated in the methodical char
acter of their mine laws, and in miners being summo
ned to several sieges, qualified by their acts of plun
der—Successive notices of the inhabitan