Forest of Dean

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The overlays that highlight 17th century London features are approximate and derived from Wenceslaus Hollar’s maps:

Open location in Google Maps: 51.800882, -2.545210

11 Annotations

First Reading

vicenzo  •  Link

A useful place for the Navy to get timbers and there be iron works and then there be unsavory characters that collect in the shadows but there be some of bambi's relatives also.

The Royal Forest of Dean is approximately 120 miles west of London (via the M4), 65 miles from Birmingham (via the M5), and approximately 35 miles from Bristol to the centre of the forest.
http://www.fweb.org.uk/dean/locat…
The Forest of Dean lies in west Gloucestershire in the angle formed by the rivers Severn and Wye as they approach their confluence.

From: British History Online
Source: Forest of Dean: Introduction. A History of the County of Gloucester: Volume V, N. M. Herbert (Editor) (1996).
URL: http://www.british-history.ac.uk/…

http://www.fweb.org.uk/dean/deanh…

vicenzo  •  Link

a place for masts and iron:
A PERUSAL was made of the Survey of 38, being the Foundation of Sir John Wintour's Patent; and in That Survey then was found, and returned, 61,928 Tons of Timber, and 105,557 other Trees.

From: British History Online
Source: House of Commons Journal Volume 8: 22 May 1663. Journal of the House of Commons: volume 8, (1802).
URL: http://www.british-history.ac.uk/…
Date: 11/03/2005

Cumgranissalis  •  Link

Dean Forest.
Upon Information, That, it being recommended, by Orders of this House, to the Lord High Treasurer, to consider of the Claim of Sir John Wintour, to the Forest of Deane; and also by what Means the King's Revenue in the said Forest might be advanced, and the Timber and Wood be preserved and increased; his Lordship had returned his Report, in Writing, to the House; and that there had a Commission of Survey since issued by his Lordship's Directions; and that the same was executed, and returned; and the Return did now rest in his Lordships Hands;
Ordered, That Mr. Mountague, Mr. Harbord, Mr. Hungerford, and Mr. Bunkley, do attend the Lord High Treasurer; and desire his Lordship, that he would be pleased to give Direction for the bringing in, and leaving, the Return of the said Commission of Survey concerning the Forest of Deane, with the Clerk of this House, that the same may be taken into further Consideration

From: 'House of Commons Journal Volume 8: 12 May 1662', Journal of the House of Commons: volume 8: 1660-1667 (1802), pp. 426-27. URL: http://www.british-history.ac.uk/…. Date accessed: 16 May 2005.

Pauline  •  Link

from Chambers's Encyclopaedia, 1906
Dean, Forest of, a picturesque hilly tract, 34 sq. miles in extent, in the west of Gloucestershire, between the Severn and the Wye, and within the hundred of St. Briavels, is an ancient royal forest. It was almost entirely disafforested by Charles I., on a sale to Sir John Wintour, but was re-afforested by act of parliament very shortly after the Restoration. A greater part still [1906] remains crown property and about one-half is appropriated for the growth of timber for the navy. It is divided into six 'walks,' which contain woods of oak, beech, etc. There are coal and iron mines, and quarries of stone suitable for building and making grindstones, troughs, and rollers....

Paul Timbrell  •  Link

The Romans had worked the iron ore in the Forest of Dean, but had only been able to smelt it with wood The result was that only some of the iron was extracted. Large 'cinders' were left in the areas where smelting had been done. Evidently by Sam's time the process of heating these cinders with coal to extract the rest of the iron had begun.The town of Cinderford was named after these lumps of clinker and when I was working there in the late 1960s some cinders could still be seen alongside the brook in Valley Road.

in Aqua Scripto  •  Link

dispute over use? Deane Forest.
Sir Charles Harbord reports from the Committee of the Revenue, That, upon Complaint made, That there are about Five hundred Cutters of Wood set on Work by Sir John Wintour, in the Forest of Dean; who, by virtue of some late Grant from his Majesty, claims all the Trees there, saving only such as are marked for Ship Timber for his Majesty's Navy, computed to contain Eleven thousand Tons of Timber fit for that Use; and excepting that Part of the Forest called the Lea Baily [ http://www.pepysdiary.com/encyclo… ]; and that his Majesty hath been deceived in the Account made by Sir John Wintour, whereupon that Grant was obtained; and that, if great Care be not taken to prevent it, the said Trees, reserved for Ship Timber, may be cut down, and the Timber cut into Cord-wood; which would be an irreparable Loss, and of great Importance, at a time when Timber is grown so scarce and dear, by reason of the great Waste thereof, made in that Forest, and elsewhere, since the Troubles began.
Ordered, That Sir John Wintour be summoned to attend this House the Second Day of May next; and to bring with him his Patent, by which he makes Claim to the Trees in the Forest of Deane, to the end the same may be perused: And that, in the mean time, he, and his Agents and Workmen, be restrained from felling or cutting down any more Timber Trees in the said Forest of Deane; and from carrying away, or cleaving, or cutting into Cord-wood, any Timber of the Trees already felled: And that the Leaving of a Copy of this Order with Sir John Wintour's Lady, or at his House here in London, shall be a good Service and Summons.

From: 'House of Commons Journal Volume 8: 13 April 1663', Journal of the House of Commons: volume 8: 1660-1667 (1802), pp. 470-71. URL: http://www.british-history.ac.uk/…. Date accessed: 16 April 2006.

Second Reading

San Diego Sarah  •  Link

And more photos ...

This sweet corner of western Gloucestershire, used as a royal hunting ground even before William the Conqueror arrived in 1066, is a rare survivor of an ancient forest and a glorious place to spot bluebells each spring.

It comprises more than 42 square miles (110 sq km) of mixed woodland, which might not sound huge, but its rich ecology allows foxgloves and other wildflowers to flourish, and its inhabitants include rare butterflies, birds and wild boar. The latter were largely reintroduced illegally in 2004 to the dismay of some.
Wild boar roamed these woods when Tudor kings ruled, providing much of the meat served up in their notorious banquets.
Back then, timber from here was also considered particularly fine and was used to build ships.
The early 17th-century the village of Clearwell was home to 22 craftsmen and tradespeople, including two grindstone hewers and a lime burner.

https://www.britain-magazine.com/…

Third Reading

San Diego Sarah  •  Link

The Forester's Horn is proudly displayed atop St. Briavels castle. The old symbol of "Forest Law", it marked the castle as the center for medieval law and authority in the Forest of Dean.

Royal forests were set aside for the exclusive use of the king and any nobles he appointed as their guardians. This meant the local people were prohibited from touching basically anything within the forests, including hunting animals, gathering firewood etc. without special dispensation. Punishments for breaking these rules were harsh and could include blinding and cutting off of privates for repeat poachers, while the castle was used as a prison for others.

With the ready supply of iron ore within the Forest of Dean, St. Briavels became a hub of metalworking, producing thousands of horseshoes, crossbow quarrels, nails and other items for the many wars throughout this time, including 50,000 horseshoes for Richard I as he prepared for the Third Crusade.

When Magna Carta was signed in 1215 the laws changed and a new Charter of the Forest was enacted, to mitigate some of the excesses of the old Norman rule.
King John fortified St. Briavels castle further, but in 1292 Edward I ordered massive twin-towered gatehouse to be built. It was Edward who changed Forest culture forever, granting privileges to true-born Foresters that are still in force today.

In recognition of the work of Forest miners at the siege of Berwick, where they used their expertise to undermine the castle's defences, Edward I granted every man born within the "the Hundred of St. Briavels" the right to "free mine" within its bounds.
This meant that anyone could set up an iron, coal or ochre mine of their own anywhere they liked, as long as they notified the Verderers who were now responsible for overseeing Forest law, and it was not in a garden, an orchard, or a churchyard.

This unique law is still in force today, although with the closing of the birthing unit at the old Dilke hospital fewer people are being born who qualify, leaving only home-born Foresters to carry on the tradition.

St. Briavels castle continued to be used as a prison even as it became more dilapidated, and became a debtor's jail for unfortunate souls who were not incarcerated at the "state of the art" debtor's jail at Littledean.

The prison was closed in 1842, lay in an almost ruined state for around a century before it was repaired and refurbished after WWII to be used a youth hostel, which is still the situation at St. Briavels castle today.

San Diego Sarah  •  Link

CONCLUSION

The castle stands with the village built around it, the church opposite and an inn next door, lending it a quaint atmosphere despite its dark history. On each Whit Sunday a "Dole" is enacted, where bread and cheese was traditionally thrown from the castle walls to the public below, in commemoration of King John doing this around 1210.
The food is now thrown from a platform outside the church but the tradition goes on, and some folklore has grown up around it.
Miners used to take pieces of this bread and cheese into the pits and shafts to keep them safe from harm and to bring them luck, as they were considered blessed, while others used to place the cheese under their pillow at night to trigger prophetic dreams which might show their future.

St. Briavels is a wonderful castle in a beautiful setting, steeped in history and better still: you can stay the night there!

Pictures available at
https://www.facebook.com/groups/c…

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References

Chart showing the number of references in each month of the diary’s entries.

1662

1663

1667