Forest of Dean
Encyclopedia
County
A county is a jurisdiction of local government in certain modern nations. Historically in mainland Europe, the original French term, comté, and its equivalents in other languages denoted a jurisdiction under the sovereignty of a count A county is a jurisdiction of local government in certain...
of Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn, and the entire Forest of Dean....
, England. The forest
Forest
A forest, also referred to as a wood or the woods, is an area with a high density of trees. As with cities, depending where you are in the world, what is considered a forest may vary significantly in size and have various classification according to how and what of the forest is composed...
is a roughly triangular
Triangle
A triangle is one of the basic shapes of geometry: a polygon with three corners or vertices and three sides or edges which are line segments. A triangle with vertices A, B, and C is denoted ....
plateau bounded by the River Wye
River Wye
The River Wye is the fifth-longest river in the UK and for parts of its length forms part of the border between England and Wales. It is important for nature conservation and recreation.-Description:...
to the west and north, the River Severn
River Severn
The River Severn is the longest river in Great Britain, at about , but the second longest on the British Isles, behind the River Shannon. It rises at an altitude of on Plynlimon, Ceredigion near Llanidloes, Powys, in the Cambrian Mountains of mid Wales...
to the south, and the City of Gloucester
Gloucester
Gloucester is a city, district and county town of Gloucestershire in the South West region of England. Gloucester lies close to the Welsh border, and on the River Severn, approximately north-east of Bristol, and south-southwest of Birmingham....
to the east.
The area is characterised by over 110 square kilometres (42.5 sq mi) of mixed woodland, one of the surviving ancient woodland
Ancient woodland
Ancient woodland is a term used in the United Kingdom to refer specifically to woodland that has existed continuously since 1600 or before in England and Wales . Before those dates, planting of new woodland was uncommon, so a wood present in 1600 was likely to have developed naturally...
s in England. A large area was reserved for royal hunting before 1066, and remained as the second largest Crown forest in England, the largest being New Forest
New Forest
The New Forest is an area of southern England which includes the largest remaining tracts of unenclosed pasture land, heathland and forest in the heavily-populated south east of England. It covers south-west Hampshire and extends into south-east Wiltshire....
. Although the name is often used loosely to refer to that part of Gloucestershire between the Severn and Wye, the Forest of Dean proper has covered a much smaller area since mediaeval times. In 1327 it was defined to cover only the royal demesne
Demesne
In the feudal system the demesne was all the land, not necessarily all contiguous to the manor house, which was retained by a lord of the manor for his own use and support, under his own management, as distinguished from land sub-enfeoffed by him to others as sub-tenants...
and parts of parishes within the hundred of St Briavels
St Briavels
St Briavels is a medium sized village and civil parish in the Royal Forest of Dean in west Gloucestershire, England; close to the England-Wales border, and south of Coleford. It stands almost above sea level on the edge of a limestone plateau above the valley of the River Wye, above an ancient...
, and after 1668 the Forest comprised the royal demesne only. This area is now within the civil parishes of West Dean
West Dean, Gloucestershire
West Dean is a civil parish, situated in the Forest of Dean district of Gloucestershire, England.-History:The Forest of Dean was an extra-parochial area in the St Briavels hundred of Gloucestershire. It was without the usual parish structure until the West Dean and East Dean townships were formed...
, Lydbrook
Lydbrook
Lydbrook is a civil parish in the Forest of Dean, a local government district in the English county of Gloucestershire. It comprises the districts of Lower Lydbrook, Upper Lydbrook, and Joys Green.-Introduction:...
, Cinderford
Cinderford
Cinderford is a small town on the eastern fringe of the Forest of Dean in Gloucestershire, England. A population of 8,116 people is recorded in the 2001 census....
, Ruspidge
Ruspidge
Ruspidge is a village in the Forest of Dean district of west Gloucestershire, England.It is located near the town of Cinderford and near the Forest of Dean...
, and Drybrook
Drybrook
Drybrook is a village and civil parish in the Forest of Dean in west Gloucestershire, England.- Location :It lies near the middle of the Royal Forest, about three miles from Cinderford, and about two miles from Mitcheldean.- Population:...
.
Traditionally the main sources of work in the area have been forestry
Forestry
Forestry is the interdisciplinary profession embracing the science, art, and craft of creating, managing, using, and conserving forests and associated resources in a sustainable manner to meet desired goals, needs, and values for human benefit. Forestry is practiced in plantations and natural stands...
– including charcoal
Charcoal
Charcoal is the dark grey residue consisting of carbon, and any remaining ash, obtained by removing water and other volatile constituents from animal and vegetation substances. Charcoal is usually produced by slow pyrolysis, the heating of wood or other substances in the absence of oxygen...
production - iron
Iron
Iron is a chemical element with the symbol Fe and atomic number 26. It is a metal in the first transition series. It is the most common element forming the planet Earth as a whole, forming much of Earth's outer and inner core. It is the fourth most common element in the Earth's crust...
working and coal mining
Coal mining
The goal of coal mining is to obtain coal from the ground. Coal is valued for its energy content, and since the 1880s has been widely used to generate electricity. Steel and cement industries use coal as a fuel for extraction of iron from iron ore and for cement production. In the United States,...
. Archaeological studies have dated the earliest use of coal in the forest to Roman
Roman Britain
Roman Britain was the part of the island of Great Britain controlled by the Roman Empire from AD 43 until ca. AD 410.The Romans referred to the imperial province as Britannia, which eventually comprised all of the island of Great Britain south of the fluid frontier with Caledonia...
times, for domestic heating and industrial processes such as the preparation of iron ore.
The area gives its name to the local government district, Forest of Dean
Forest of Dean (district)
Forest of Dean is a local government district in Gloucestershire, England, named after the Forest of Dean. Its council is based in Coleford. Other towns in the district include Cinderford, Newent and Tidenham....
, and a Parliamentary constituency
Forest of Dean (UK Parliament constituency)
-Elections in the 2000s:- See also :* List of Parliamentary constituencies in Gloucestershire...
, all of which cover wider areas than the historic Forest. The administrative centre of the local authority is Coleford
Coleford, Gloucestershire
Coleford is a small market town in Gloucestershire, England in the west of the Forest of Dean with a population of 8,351 . It is situated some four miles east of the Welsh border, and is close to the Wye Valley, a popular walking and canoeing area...
which is also one of the main towns in the historic Forest area, together with Cinderford
Cinderford
Cinderford is a small town on the eastern fringe of the Forest of Dean in Gloucestershire, England. A population of 8,116 people is recorded in the 2001 census....
and Lydney
Lydney
Lydney is a small town and civil parish in the English county of Gloucestershire. It is located on the west bank of the River Severn, close to the Forest of Dean. The town lies on the A48 road, next to the Lydney Park gardens with its Roman temple in honour of Nodens.-Transport:The Severn Railway...
.
Geology
The Forest of Dean is formed of a raised basin of palaeozoic rocks folded in the Variscan OrogenyVariscan orogeny
The Variscan orogeny is a geologic mountain-building event caused by Late Paleozoic continental collision between Euramerica and Gondwana to form the supercontinent of Pangaea.-Naming:...
, similar to the South Wales coalfield
South Wales Coalfield
The South Wales Coalfield is a large region of south Wales that is rich with coal deposits, especially the South Wales Valleys.-The coalfield area:...
to the west. Underlain by great thicknesses of the Old Red Sandstone
Old Red Sandstone
The Old Red Sandstone is a British rock formation of considerable importance to early paleontology. For convenience the short version of the term, 'ORS' is often used in literature on the subject.-Sedimentology:...
, the basin is filled with Carboniferous
Carboniferous
The Carboniferous is a geologic period and system that extends from the end of the Devonian Period, about 359.2 ± 2.5 Mya , to the beginning of the Permian Period, about 299.0 ± 0.8 Mya . The name is derived from the Latin word for coal, carbo. Carboniferous means "coal-bearing"...
limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
s, sandstone
Sandstone
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...
s and coal measures
Forest of Dean Coalfield
The Forest of Dean Coalfield, lying under the Forest of Dean, in northwest Gloucestershire, is one of the smaller coalfields in the British Isles, although intensive mining during the 19th and 20th centuries has had enormous influence on the landscape, history, culture and economy of the area.For...
, all of which have contributed to the industrial history of the region.
Prehistory
The area was inhabited in MesolithicMesolithic
The Mesolithic is an archaeological concept used to refer to certain groups of archaeological cultures defined as falling between the Paleolithic and the Neolithic....
times, and there are also remains of later megalithic monuments, including the Longstone near Staunton
Staunton, Gloucestershire
Staunton is the name of two different villages in the Forest of Dean in west Gloucestershire, England.This entry is for the one near Coleford...
and the Broadstone at Wibdon, Stroat. Barrows have also been identified at Tidenham
Tidenham
Tidenham is a village and civil parish in the Forest of Dean of west Gloucestershire, England, adjoining the Welsh border.The parish includes the villages of Tidenham, Beachley, Boughspring, Sedbury, Tutshill and Woodcroft, and according to the United Kingdom Census 2001 had a population of 5,316...
and Blakeney
Blakeney, Gloucestershire
Blakeney is a village in Gloucestershire, England. It is the largest village in the parish of Awre. It has views of the Forest of Dean.It dates back to AD 75, and was home to Thomas Sternhold, a groom of King Henry VIII's Robes.-References:*...
. Bronze Age
Bronze Age
The Bronze Age is a period characterized by the use of copper and its alloy bronze as the chief hard materials in the manufacture of some implements and weapons. Chronologically, it stands between the Stone Age and Iron Age...
field system
Field system
The study of field systems in landscape history is concerned with the size, shape and orientation of a number of fields. These are often adjacent, but may be separated by a later feature.-Types of field system:...
s have been identified at Welshbury Hill near Littledean
Littledean
Littledean is a village in the Forest of Dean, west Gloucestershire, England. The village has a long history and formerly had the status of a town. Littledean Hall was originally a Saxon hall, although it has been rebuilt and the current house dates back to 1612. The remains of a Roman temple are...
, and there are several Iron Age
Iron Age
The Iron Age is the archaeological period generally occurring after the Bronze Age, marked by the prevalent use of iron. The early period of the age is characterized by the widespread use of iron or steel. The adoption of such material coincided with other changes in society, including differing...
hill forts, notably those at Symonds Yat
Symonds Yat
Symonds Yat is a village in the Forest of Dean and a popular tourist destination, straddling the River Wye and the borders of the English counties of Herefordshire and Gloucestershire, it is within a few miles of the Welsh border...
and Welshbury. There is also archaeological evidence of early trading by sea, probably through Lydney
Lydney
Lydney is a small town and civil parish in the English county of Gloucestershire. It is located on the west bank of the River Severn, close to the Forest of Dean. The town lies on the A48 road, next to the Lydney Park gardens with its Roman temple in honour of Nodens.-Transport:The Severn Railway...
. Before Roman
Roman Britain
Roman Britain was the part of the island of Great Britain controlled by the Roman Empire from AD 43 until ca. AD 410.The Romans referred to the imperial province as Britannia, which eventually comprised all of the island of Great Britain south of the fluid frontier with Caledonia...
times, the area may have been occupied by the British Dobunni
Dobunni
The Dobunni were one of the Celtic tribes living in the British Isles prior to the Roman invasion of Britain. There are seven known references to the tribe in Roman histories and inscriptions. The latter part of the name possibly derives from Bune, a cup or vessel...
tribe, although few of their coins have been found in the area and control may have been contested with the neighbouring Silures
Silures
The Silures were a powerful and warlike tribe of ancient Britain, occupying approximately the counties of Monmouthshire, Breconshire and Glamorganshire of present day South Wales; and possibly Gloucestershire and Herefordshire of present day England...
.
The Romans
The area was occupied by the RomansRoman Britain
Roman Britain was the part of the island of Great Britain controlled by the Roman Empire from AD 43 until ca. AD 410.The Romans referred to the imperial province as Britannia, which eventually comprised all of the island of Great Britain south of the fluid frontier with Caledonia...
around 50 AD. They were attracted by the natural resources of the area, which included iron ore, ochre
Hematite
Hematite, also spelled as haematite, is the mineral form of iron oxide , one of several iron oxides. Hematite crystallizes in the rhombohedral system, and it has the same crystal structure as ilmenite and corundum...
and charcoal
Charcoal
Charcoal is the dark grey residue consisting of carbon, and any remaining ash, obtained by removing water and other volatile constituents from animal and vegetation substances. Charcoal is usually produced by slow pyrolysis, the heating of wood or other substances in the absence of oxygen...
. The coal mining
Coal mining
The goal of coal mining is to obtain coal from the ground. Coal is valued for its energy content, and since the 1880s has been widely used to generate electricity. Steel and cement industries use coal as a fuel for extraction of iron from iron ore and for cement production. In the United States,...
industry was also probably established on a small scale in Roman times. The area was governed from the Roman town of Ariconium
Ariconium
Ariconium was a road station of Roman Britain mentioned in Iter XIII of the Iter Britanniarum of the Antonine Itineraries. It was located at Bury Hill in the parish of Weston under Penyard, about east of Ross on Wye, Herefordshire, and about southeast of Hereford. The site existed prior to the...
at Weston under Penyard near Ross-on-Wye
Ross-on-Wye
Ross-on-Wye is a small market town with a population of 10,089 in southeastern Herefordshire, England, located on the River Wye, and on the northern edge of the Forest of Dean.-History:...
, and a road was built from there to a river crossing at Newnham on Severn
Newnham on Severn
Newnham on Severn is a village in west Gloucestershire, England. It lies near the Royal Forest of Dean, on the west bank of the River Severn, approximately 10 miles south-west of Gloucester and three miles southeast of Cinderford, at . It is on the A48 road between Gloucester and Chepstow,...
and port at Lydney. The "Dean Road" still visible at Soudley
Soudley
Soudley is a small but thriving village north of Lydney, west Gloucestershire, England.Nearby attractions include Dean Heritage Centre, Soudley Ponds and the Blaize Bailey viewpoint....
is believed to be a mediaeval rebuilding of the Roman road
Roman road
The Roman roads were a vital part of the development of the Roman state, from about 500 BC through the expansion during the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire. Roman roads enabled the Romans to move armies and trade goods and to communicate. The Roman road system spanned more than 400,000 km...
, and would have been an important route for the transport of iron ore and finished metal products. During Roman times there were important Roman villa
Roman villa
A Roman villa is a villa that was built or lived in during the Roman republic and the Roman Empire. A villa was originally a Roman country house built for the upper class...
s at Blakeney
Blakeney, Gloucestershire
Blakeney is a village in Gloucestershire, England. It is the largest village in the parish of Awre. It has views of the Forest of Dean.It dates back to AD 75, and was home to Thomas Sternhold, a groom of King Henry VIII's Robes.-References:*...
, Woolaston
Woolaston
Woolaston is a village and civil parish in the Forest of Dean district of Gloucestershire in South West England. It lies on the north side of the Severn Estuary approximately 5 miles from the Welsh border at Chepstow and is surrounded by woodland and agricultural land.-The Village and its...
and elsewhere, and towards the end of the Roman period, around the year 370, a major Roman temple
Roman temple
Ancient Roman temples are among the most visible archaeological remains of Roman culture, and are a significant source for Roman architecture. Their construction and maintenance was a major part of ancient Roman religion. The main room housed the cult image of the deity to whom the temple was...
complex dedicated to the god Nodens
Nodens
Nodents is a Celtic deity associated with healing, the sea, hunting and dogs. He was worshipped in ancient Britain, most notably in a temple complex at Lydney Park in Gloucestershire, and possibly also in Gaul...
was completed at Lydney
Lydney
Lydney is a small town and civil parish in the English county of Gloucestershire. It is located on the west bank of the River Severn, close to the Forest of Dean. The town lies on the A48 road, next to the Lydney Park gardens with its Roman temple in honour of Nodens.-Transport:The Severn Railway...
. The central parts of the woodlands in the Forest are believed to have been protected for hunting since Roman times.
The medieval period
The history of the area is obscure for several centuries after the end of the Roman period during the so called Dark Ages, though at different times it may have been part of the Welsh kingdoms of Gwent and of ErgyngErgyng
Ergyng was a Welsh kingdom of the sub-Roman and early medieval period, between the 5th and 7th centuries. It was later referred to by the English as Archenfield.-Location:...
, and the Beachley
Beachley
Beachley is a village in Gloucestershire, England, near the border with Wales. It is located on a peninsula at the junction between the Rivers Wye and Severn, where the Severn Bridge ends and the smaller secondary bridge for the River Wye begins. The tidal drop here is one of the highest in the UK...
and Lancaut
Lancaut
Lancaut is a deserted village in Gloucestershire, England, located alongside the River Wye, around two miles north of Chepstow. It occupies a narrow-necked promontory formed by a curve of the river, which acts as the border between England and Wales. Little remains of the village today, except...
peninsulas east of the Lower Wye remained in Welsh control at least until the 8th century. Around 790 the Saxon
Anglo-Saxons
Anglo-Saxon is a term used by historians to designate the Germanic tribes who invaded and settled the south and east of Great Britain beginning in the early 5th century AD, and the period from their creation of the English nation to the Norman conquest. The Anglo-Saxon Era denotes the period of...
king Offa of Mercia
Offa of Mercia
Offa was the King of Mercia from 757 until his death in July 796. The son of Thingfrith and a descendant of Eowa, Offa came to the throne after a period of civil war following the assassination of Æthelbald after defeating the other claimant Beornred. In the early years of Offa's reign it is likely...
built his Dyke
Offa's Dyke
Offa's Dyke is a massive linear earthwork, roughly followed by some of the current border between England and Wales. In places, it is up to wide and high. In the 8th century it formed some kind of delineation between the Anglian kingdom of Mercia and the Welsh kingdom of Powys...
high above the Wye, to mark the boundary with the Welsh
Welsh people
The Welsh people are an ethnic group and nation associated with Wales and the Welsh language.John Davies argues that the origin of the "Welsh nation" can be traced to the late 4th and early 5th centuries, following the Roman departure from Britain, although Brythonic Celtic languages seem to have...
. The Forest of Dean then came under the control of the diocese
Diocese
A diocese is the district or see under the supervision of a bishop. It is divided into parishes.An archdiocese is more significant than a diocese. An archdiocese is presided over by an archbishop whose see may have or had importance due to size or historical significance...
of Hereford
Hereford
Hereford is a cathedral city, civil parish and county town of Herefordshire, England. It lies on the River Wye, approximately east of the border with Wales, southwest of Worcester, and northwest of Gloucester...
. Throughout the next few centuries Vikings conducted raids up the Severn, but by the 11th century the kingdom of Wessex
Wessex
The Kingdom of Wessex or Kingdom of the West Saxons was an Anglo-Saxon kingdom of the West Saxons, in South West England, from the 6th century, until the emergence of a united English state in the 10th century, under the Wessex dynasty. It was to be an earldom after Canute the Great's conquest...
had established civil government in the area. The core of the forest
Forest
A forest, also referred to as a wood or the woods, is an area with a high density of trees. As with cities, depending where you are in the world, what is considered a forest may vary significantly in size and have various classification according to how and what of the forest is composed...
was used by the late Anglo Saxon kings, and after 1066 the Normans
Normans
The Normans were the people who gave their name to Normandy, a region in northern France. They were descended from Norse Viking conquerors of the territory and the native population of Frankish and Gallo-Roman stock...
, as their personal hunting ground. The area was kept stocked with deer
Deer
Deer are the ruminant mammals forming the family Cervidae. Species in the Cervidae family include white-tailed deer, elk, moose, red deer, reindeer, fallow deer, roe deer and chital. Male deer of all species and female reindeer grow and shed new antlers each year...
and wild boar, but also became important for its timber
Timber
Timber may refer to:* Timber, a term common in the United Kingdom and Australia for wood materials * Timber, Oregon, an unincorporated community in the U.S...
, charcoal
Charcoal
Charcoal is the dark grey residue consisting of carbon, and any remaining ash, obtained by removing water and other volatile constituents from animal and vegetation substances. Charcoal is usually produced by slow pyrolysis, the heating of wood or other substances in the absence of oxygen...
, iron ore and limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
. The name of the area originates at this time, probably derived from the dene, or valley
Dene (valley)
A Dene, derived from the Old English denu and frequently spelled dean, used to be a common name for a valley, in which sense it is frequently found as a component of English place-names, such as Rottingdean and Ovingdean....
, near Mitcheldean
Mitcheldean
Mitcheldean is a small town in the east of the Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire, England.-History:Mitcheldean was a thriving community for many centuries due to the town's proximity to iron ore deposits...
, with areas known as Dene Magna (large) and Dene Parva (small). The manor of Dean was the Forest's administrative centre in the late 11th century.
The Hundred of St. Briavels
St Briavels (hundred)
St Briavels was an ancient hundred of Gloucestershire, England. It comprised the extra-parochial area of the Forest of Dean, and the ancient parishes of*Abenhall*English Bicknor*St Briavels*Littledean*Flaxley*Hewelsfield*Mitcheldean*Newland*Ruardean...
was established in the 12th century, at the same time as many of the Norman laws concerning the Forest of Dean were put in place. St. Briavels Castle became the Forest's administrative and judicial centre. Verderer
Verderer
Verderers are officials in Britain who deal with Common land in certain former royal hunting areas which are the property of The Crown.-Origins:...
s were appointed to act for the king and protect his royal rights, and local people were given some common rights
Common land
Common land is land owned collectively or by one person, but over which other people have certain traditional rights, such as to allow their livestock to graze upon it, to collect firewood, or to cut turf for fuel...
. Flaxley Abbey
Flaxley Abbey
Flaxley Abbey is a former Cistercian monastery in England, now a private residence, in the Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire.-History:Flaxley Abbey was founded in 1148 by Roger Fitzmiles, 2nd Earl of Hereford...
was also built and given certain rights and privileges. In 1296, miners from the Hundred of St Briavels were used by King Edward I
Edward I of England
Edward I , also known as Edward Longshanks and the Hammer of the Scots, was King of England from 1272 to 1307. The first son of Henry III, Edward was involved early in the political intrigues of his father's reign, which included an outright rebellion by the English barons...
at the siege
Siege
A siege is a military blockade of a city or fortress with the intent of conquering by attrition or assault. The term derives from sedere, Latin for "to sit". Generally speaking, siege warfare is a form of constant, low intensity conflict characterized by one party holding a strong, static...
of Berwick-on-Tweed in the Scottish Wars of Independence to undermine the town's defences and regain it from the Scots. As a result, the king granted free mining rights within the forest to them and their descendants; the rights continue to the present day. Miners at that time were mainly involved in iron mining. Although the presence of coal deposits in the district was well known and limited amounts of it had been recovered in Roman times, it was not practicable to use it for iron making with the methods of smelting
Smelting
Smelting is a form of extractive metallurgy; its main use is to produce a metal from its ore. This includes iron extraction from iron ore, and copper extraction and other base metals from their ores...
then in use. However, later the freeminer
Freeminer
Freeminer is an ancient title given to a coal or iron miners in the Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire, England, who have earned the right to mine personal plots, known as gales.-History of Freemining:...
rights were used mainly for coal mining. The activities of the miners were regulated by the Court of Mine Law.
The 16th - 18th centuries
Royal forest
A royal forest is an area of land with different meanings in England, Wales and Scotland; the term forest does not mean forest as it is understood today, as an area of densely wooded land...
by the Tudor
Tudor dynasty
The Tudor dynasty or House of Tudor was a European royal house of Welsh origin that ruled the Kingdom of England and its realms, including the Lordship of Ireland, later the Kingdom of Ireland, from 1485 until 1603. Its first monarch was Henry Tudor, a descendant through his mother of a legitimised...
Kings, and subsequently a source of food for the Royal Court. Its rich deposits of iron ore led to its becoming a major source of iron. Timber
Timber
Timber may refer to:* Timber, a term common in the United Kingdom and Australia for wood materials * Timber, Oregon, an unincorporated community in the U.S...
from the forest was particularly fine and was regarded as the best source for building ships.
The Speech House
Speech House
The Speech House is the administrative building of the Forest of Dean in Gloucestershire, England, lying at the centre of the forest on the road from Coleford to Cinderford....
, between Coleford
Coleford, Gloucestershire
Coleford is a small market town in Gloucestershire, England in the west of the Forest of Dean with a population of 8,351 . It is situated some four miles east of the Welsh border, and is close to the Wye Valley, a popular walking and canoeing area...
and Cinderford
Cinderford
Cinderford is a small town on the eastern fringe of the Forest of Dean in Gloucestershire, England. A population of 8,116 people is recorded in the 2001 census....
, was originally built in 1682 to host the Court of Mine Law and "Court of the Speech", a sort of parliament for the Verderer
Verderer
Verderers are officials in Britain who deal with Common land in certain former royal hunting areas which are the property of The Crown.-Origins:...
s and Free Miners managing the forest, game, and mineral resources of the area. The Gaveller and in latter times his Deputy were responsible for leasing gales - areas allocated for mining - on behalf of the Crown. The Speech House has been used as an inn and hotel since the 19th century.
During the 18th century, squatters began to establish roughly-built hamlets around the fringes of the Crown forest demesne. By about 1800, these new settlements had become well established at places such as Berry Hill
Berry Hill, Gloucestershire
Berry Hill is a small village in Gloucestershire, England not far from the town of Coleford.It is notable for being the birthplace of the writer,journalist and TV playwright Dennis Potter.- External links :* * * *...
and Parkend
Parkend, Gloucestershire
Parkend is a village, located at the foot of the Cannop Valley, in the Royal Forest of Dean, West Gloucestershire, England, and has a history dating back to the early 17th century...
.
The Forest of Dean, with its huge iron-ore reserves and ready supply of timber, had been an area of national importance in the production of iron, using charcoal
Charcoal
Charcoal is the dark grey residue consisting of carbon, and any remaining ash, obtained by removing water and other volatile constituents from animal and vegetation substances. Charcoal is usually produced by slow pyrolysis, the heating of wood or other substances in the absence of oxygen...
, for hundreds of years. Despite there also being extensive coal measures, the local coal did not produce coke
Coke (fuel)
Coke is the solid carbonaceous material derived from destructive distillation of low-ash, low-sulfur bituminous coal. Cokes from coal are grey, hard, and porous. While coke can be formed naturally, the commonly used form is man-made.- History :...
that was ideal for smelting and local ironmaster
Ironmaster
An ironmaster is the manager – and usually owner – of a forge or blast furnace for the processing of iron. It is a term mainly associated with the period of the Industrial Revolution, especially in Great Britain....
s were reluctant to invest in the new technology. It was not until the last decade of the 18th century that coke-fired furnaces began to make an appearance in the Forest, with Cinderford
Cinderford Ironworks
Cinderford Ironworks, also known as Cinderford Furnace, was a coke-fired blast furnace, built in 1795, just west of Cinderford, in the Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire, England.-Background:...
, Whitecliff
Whitecliff Ironworks
Whitecliff Ironworks, sometimes referred to as Whitecliff Furnace, at Coleford, in the Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire, England, are industrial remains associated with the production of iron, using coke, in the Forest of Dean.-Background:...
and Parkend Ironworks
Parkend Ironworks
Parkend Ironworks, also known as Parkend Furnace, in the village of Parkend, in the Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire, England, was a coke-fired furnace built in 1799...
being built almost simultaneously.
The Dean Forest Riots
In 1808 ParliamentParliament
A parliament is a legislature, especially in those countries whose system of government is based on the Westminster system modeled after that of the United Kingdom. The name is derived from the French , the action of parler : a parlement is a discussion. The term came to mean a meeting at which...
passed the Dean Forest (Timber) Act, which included the provision to enclose 11000 acre (4,452 ha) of woodland. Between 1814 and 1816 all 11000 acre (4,452 ha) were enclosed.
There were bread riots in 1795 and in 1801. Ordinary Foresters were already poverty stricken, and now their plight had grown worse. They were denied access to the enclosed areas and so were unable to hunt in them or remove timber. In particular, they lost their ancient grazing and mining rights.
There were large enclosure riots in 1831. Unrest was growing and Warren James
Warren James
Warren James is a British jeweller and watchmaker. Established in 1979, the company now has 115 stores and is one of the largest independent jewellers in the United Kingdom....
emerged as a populist leader. Attempts to resolve the matter peaceably failed and on June 8, 1831, James, leading a group of over 100 foresters, proceeded to demolish the enclosure at Park Hill, between Parkend and Bream. Around 50 unarmed Crown Officers, were present, but powerless to intervene. On the Friday, a party of 50 soldiers arrived from Monmouth
Monmouth
Monmouth is a town in southeast Wales and traditional county town of the historic county of Monmouthshire. It is situated close to the border with England, where the River Monnow meets the River Wye with bridges over both....
, but by now the number of Foresters had grown to around 2000 and the soldiers returned to their barracks. On Sunday a squadron of heavily armed soldiers arrived from Doncaster and the day after, another 180 infantrymen arrived from Plymouth.
The Foresters’ resistance soon crumbled and most of those arrested elected to voluntarily rebuild the enclosures, rather than be charged with rioting. James was sentenced to death, but this was later commuted to transportation. He was sent to Van Diemen’s Land (Tasmania
Tasmania
Tasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...
) in October 1831, only to be pardoned five years later, although he never returned home.
There was a political riot in 1874. Conservatives were disliked in the Forest of Dean and on the polling day of 1874 in the market town of Cinderford there was a riot in which the conservative's party headquarters and nearby houses were ransacked and damaged.
'Who killed the bears?'
On 26 April, 1889, four Frenchmen and their two bears were making their way to Ruardean, having performed in Cinderford. They were attacked by an angry mob, enraged by claims that the bears had killed a child and injured a woman. The bears were killed and the Frenchmen badly beaten.It soon became clear that the bears had not attacked anyone. Police proceedings followed and a week later 13 colliers and labourers appeared before magistrates at Littledean, charged with ill-treating and killing the bears and assaulting the Frenchmen. All but two were found guilty on one or more charges, with another convicted a week later. A total of £85 was paid in fines - a huge sum in those days. A subscription was also launched which generously compensated the Frenchmen.
The term 'Who killed the bears?' existed for many years as an insult, directed particularly towards the people of Ruardean - despite the fact that all those convicted were from Cinderford.
Industrial development in the 19th and early 20th centuries
Exploitation of the Forest of Dean CoalfieldForest of Dean Coalfield
The Forest of Dean Coalfield, lying under the Forest of Dean, in northwest Gloucestershire, is one of the smaller coalfields in the British Isles, although intensive mining during the 19th and 20th centuries has had enormous influence on the landscape, history, culture and economy of the area.For...
developed rapidly in the early 19th century with increased demand from local ironworks, and when some of the earliest tramroads in the UK were built here to help transport the coal to local ports. The area was transformed by growth of mining
Mining
Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, from an ore body, vein or seam. The term also includes the removal of soil. Materials recovered by mining include base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, rock...
and the production of iron and steel.
In 1818/9 David Mushet
David Mushet
David Mushet was a Scottish metallurgist and the youngest son of Margaret Cochran and William Mushet.-Early life:Mushet was born on October 2, 1772, in Dalkeith, near Edinburgh. He was educated at Dalkeith Grammar School....
built a foundry at Darkhill
Darkhill Ironworks
Darkhill Ironworks, and the neighbouring Titanic Steelworks, are internationally important industrial remains associated with the development of the iron and steel industries. Both are scheduled monuments. They are located on the edge of a small hamlet called Gorsty Knoll, just to the west of...
, where he experimented with iron and steel making. In 1845, his youngest son, Robert Forester Mushet
Robert Forester Mushet
Robert Forester Mushet was a British metallurgist and businessman, born April 8, 1811, in Coleford, in the Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire, England. He was the youngest son of Scottish parents, Agnes Wilson and David Mushet; an ironmaster, formerly of the Clyde, Alfreton and Whitecliff...
, took over management of the site. One his greatest achievements was to perfect the Bessemer Process
Bessemer process
The Bessemer process was the first inexpensive industrial process for the mass-production of steel from molten pig iron. The process is named after its inventor, Henry Bessemer, who took out a patent on the process in 1855. The process was independently discovered in 1851 by William Kelly...
by discovering the solution to early quality problems which beset the process.
In a second key advance in metallurgy Mushet invented 'R Mushet's Special Steel'
Mushet steel
Mushet steel, also known as Robert Mushet's Special Steel , self-hardening steel and air-hardening steel, is considered the first tool steel and air-hardening steel. It was invented in 1868 by Robert Forester Mushet. Prior to Mushet steel, steel had to be quenched to harden it...
(R.M.S.) in 1868. It was both the first true tool steel
Tool steel
Tool steel refers to a variety of carbon and alloy steels that are particularly well-suited to be made into tools. Their suitability comes from their distinctive hardness, resistance to abrasion, their ability to hold a cutting edge, and/or their resistance to deformation at elevated temperatures...
and the first air-hardening steel. It revolutionised the design of machine tools and the progress of industrial metalworking, and was the forerunner of High speed steel
High speed steel
High speed steelMost copyeditors today would tend to choose to style the unit adjective high-speed with a hyphen, rendering the full term as high-speed steel, and this styling is not uncommon . However, it is true that in the metalworking industries the styling high speed steel is long-established...
.
The remains of Darkhill are now preserved as an Industrial Archaeological Site of International Importance and are open to the public.
Cinderford
Cinderford
Cinderford is a small town on the eastern fringe of the Forest of Dean in Gloucestershire, England. A population of 8,116 people is recorded in the 2001 census....
was laid out as a planned town in the mid-19th century, but the characteristic form of settlement remained the sprawling hamlets of haphazardly placed cottages. Characteristics shared with other British coalfields, such as a devotion to sport, the central role of miners' clubs, and the formation of brass band
Brass band
A brass band is a musical ensemble generally consisting entirely of brass instruments, most often with a percussion section. Ensembles that include brass and woodwind instruments can in certain traditions also be termed brass bands , but are usually more correctly termed military bands, concert...
s, also helped to create a distinct community identity.
In the later 19th century and the early 20th the Forest was a complex industrial region, including deep coal mines and iron mines, iron and tinplate works, foundries, quarries and stone-dressing works, wood distillation works producing chemicals, a network of railways, and numerous minor tramroads. The tradition of independence in the area resulted in a great number of smaller and therefore not necessarily economically successful mines. In 1904 the Gaveller oversaw a period of amalgamation of mines, which allowed deeper bigger mines to be sunk. During the early 20th century, annual output from the coalfield rarely fell below 1 million tons.
Changes since the mid-20th century
The importance of mining to the area is shown by the fact that as late as 1945 half of the male working population of the area worked in the coal industry. However after the Second World War increased pumping costs and other factors made the coalfield less economic. The last commercial iron mine in the district closed in 1946 and this was followed in 1965 by the closure of the last large colliery, Northern United. There are still a number of small private mines in operation, worked by freeminerFreeminer
Freeminer is an ancient title given to a coal or iron miners in the Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire, England, who have earned the right to mine personal plots, known as gales.-History of Freemining:...
s, with Hopewell Colliery now open to the public.
With the decline of the mines, the area has undergone a period of significant change, ameliorated to some extent by a shift to high technology, with companies establishing themselves in the area, attracted by grants
Grant (money)
Grants are funds disbursed by one party , often a Government Department, Corporation, Foundation or Trust, to a recipient, often a nonprofit entity, educational institution, business or an individual. In order to receive a grant, some form of "Grant Writing" often referred to as either a proposal...
and a willing workforce.
Many of the mines have now disappeared into the forest and today the area is characterised by picturesque scenery punctuated by remnants of the industrial age and small industrial towns. There remain a number of industrial areas but the focus in recent years has been to capitalise on the exceptional scenery and to create more jobs from tourist attractions and the leisure opportunities afforded by the forest. Significant numbers of residents also now work outside the area, commuting
Commuting
Commuting is regular travel between one's place of residence and place of work or full time study. It sometimes refers to any regular or often repeated traveling between locations when not work related.- History :...
to the nearby cities of Gloucester
Gloucester
Gloucester is a city, district and county town of Gloucestershire in the South West region of England. Gloucester lies close to the Welsh border, and on the River Severn, approximately north-east of Bristol, and south-southwest of Birmingham....
, Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
and Cardiff
Cardiff
Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...
.
Foresters
If born within the hundred of St BriavelsSt Briavels
St Briavels is a medium sized village and civil parish in the Royal Forest of Dean in west Gloucestershire, England; close to the England-Wales border, and south of Coleford. It stands almost above sea level on the edge of a limestone plateau above the valley of the River Wye, above an ancient...
, an ancient administrative area covering most of what is now considered the Forest of Dean, one is classed as a true Forester. This classification bestows a unique right for (traditionally) males who are over 21 and have worked in a mine for a year and a day — they can register to be a freeminer
Freeminer
Freeminer is an ancient title given to a coal or iron miners in the Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire, England, who have earned the right to mine personal plots, known as gales.-History of Freemining:...
. These ancient rights that were put on the statute books in the Dean Forest (Mines) Act 1838, the only public act to affect private individuals.Residents of the hundred who are over 18 can also graze sheep in the Forest in accordance with an agreement between the Forestry Commission and the Commoners Association.
In October 2010, for the first time, a woman won the right to be classified as a Freeminer. Elaine Morman, an employee at Clearwell Caves
Clearwell Caves
Clearwell Caves, at Clearwell in the Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire, England, is a natural cave system which has been extensively mined for iron ore. It now operates primarily as a mining museum....
in the Forest, who had worked as a miner of ochre
Ochre
Ochre is the term for both a golden-yellow or light yellow brown color and for a form of earth pigment which produces the color. The pigment can also be used to create a reddish tint known as "red ochre". The more rarely used terms "purple ochre" and "brown ochre" also exist for variant hues...
for a number of years, raised a claim of sexual discrimination against the Forestry Commission
Forestry Commission
The Forestry Commission is a non-ministerial government department responsible for forestry in Great Britain. Its mission is to protect and expand Britain's forests and woodlands and increase their value to society and the environment....
. After Mark Harper
Mark Harper
Mark James Harper British politician and self-employed accountant . He is the Conservative Member of Parliament for Forest of Dean and is currently the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Cabinet Office, with ministerial responsibility for Political and Constitutional Reform.-Early life...
MP raised the matter in the House of Commons, the Forestry Commission reversed its position and agreed to register her.
Ecology
The forest is composed of both deciduousDeciduous
Deciduous means "falling off at maturity" or "tending to fall off", and is typically used in reference to trees or shrubs that lose their leaves seasonally, and to the shedding of other plant structures such as petals after flowering or fruit when ripe...
and evergreen
Evergreen
In botany, an evergreen plant is a plant that has leaves in all seasons. This contrasts with deciduous plants, which completely lose their foliage during the winter or dry season.There are many different kinds of evergreen plants, both trees and shrubs...
trees. Predominant is oak
Oak
An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus Quercus , of which about 600 species exist. "Oak" may also appear in the names of species in related genera, notably Lithocarpus...
, both pedunculate
Pedunculate Oak
Quercus robur is commonly known as the Pedunculate Oak or English oak. It is native to most of Europe, and to Anatolia to the Caucasus, and also to parts of North Africa.-Taxonomy:Q...
and sessile
Sessile Oak
Quercus petraea , the Sessile Oak, also known as the Durmast Oak, is a species of oak native to most of Europe, and into Anatolia.-Description:...
. Beech
Beech
Beech is a genus of ten species of deciduous trees in the family Fagaceae, native to temperate Europe, Asia and North America.-Habit:...
is also common, and sweet chestnut
Sweet Chestnut
Castanea sativa is a species of the flowering plant family Fagaceae, the tree and its edible seeds are referred to by several common names such Sweet Chestnut or Marron. Originally native to southeastern Europe and Asia Minor, it is now widely dispersed throughout Europe and parts of Asia, such as...
has grown here for many centuries. The forest is also home to Foxgloves and other wild flowers. Conifers include some Weymouth Pine dating from 1781, Norway spruce
Norway Spruce
Norway Spruce is a species of spruce native to Europe. It is also commonly referred to as the European Spruce.- Description :...
, douglas fir and larch
Larch
Larches are conifers in the genus Larix, in the family Pinaceae. Growing from 15 to 50m tall, they are native to much of the cooler temperate northern hemisphere, on lowlands in the north and high on mountains further south...
. The deer are predominantly fallow deer
Fallow Deer
The Fallow Deer is a ruminant mammal belonging to the family Cervidae. This common species is native to western Eurasia, but has been introduced widely elsewhere. It often includes the rarer Persian Fallow Deer as a subspecies , while others treat it as an entirely different species The Fallow...
and these have been present in the forest since the second world war currently numbering around 300 (there were no deer in the Dean from about 1855 when they were removed in accordance with an Act of Parliament. A number of the fallow deer in the central area of the forest are melanistic
Melanism
Melanism is an undue development of dark-colored pigment in the skin or its appendages, and the opposite of albinism. It is also the medical term for black jaundice.The word is deduced from the , meaning black pigment....
. More recently a few roe deer
Roe Deer
The European Roe Deer , also known as the Western Roe Deer, chevreuil or just Roe Deer, is a Eurasian species of deer. It is relatively small, reddish and grey-brown, and well-adapted to cold environments. Roe Deer are widespread in Western Europe, from the Mediterranean to Scandinavia, and from...
and muntjac deer have arrived, spreading in from the East but in much smaller numbers.
The Forest is also home to wild boar; the exact number is currently unknown but exceeds a hundred. The boar were illegally re-introduced to the Forest in 2006. A population in the Ross-on-Wye area on the northern edge of the forest escaped from a wild boar farm around 1999 and are believed to be of pure Eastern European origin; in a second introduction, a domestic herd was dumped near Staunton
Staunton, Gloucestershire
Staunton is the name of two different villages in the Forest of Dean in west Gloucestershire, England.This entry is for the one near Coleford...
in 2004, but these were not pure bred wild boar —attempts to locate the source of the illegal dumps have been unsuccessful. The boar can now be found in many parts of the Forest.
Locally there are mixed feelings about the presence of boar. Problems have included the ploughing up of gardens and picnic areas, attacking dogs and panicking horses, road traffic accidents, and ripping open of rubbish bags. The local authority undertook a public consultation and have recommended to the Verderers that control to a lower level is necessary - this is currently being considered. Under its international obligations the UK government is obliged to consider the reintroduction of species made extinct through the activities of man, the wild boar included.
The Dean is also well known for its Western birds; Pied flycatchers, Redstart
Redstart
Redstarts are a group of small Old World birds. They were formerly classified in the thrush family , but are now known to be part of the Old World flycatcher family Muscicapidae...
s, Wood Warbler
Wood Warbler
The Wood Warbler is a common and widespread leaf warbler which breeds throughout northern and temperate Europe, and just into the extreme west of Asia in the southern Ural Mountains...
s and Hawfinch
Hawfinch
The Hawfinch, Coccothraustes coccothraustes, is a passerine bird in the finch family Fringillidae. Its closest living relatives are the Evening Grosbeak from North America and the Hooded Grosbeak from Central America especially Mexico.This bird breeds across Europe and temperate Asia...
es can be regularly seen at RSPB Nagshead
Nagshead
RSPB Nagshead is a woodland reserve, located on the western edge of Parkend, in the Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire.More than half of the reserve consists of 19th-century oak woodland, which is now managed solely for its conservation and landscape value....
. The mixed forest also supports Britain's best concentration of Goshawks and a viewing site at New Fancy is manned during February and March. Peregrine Falcons can be easily seen nesting from the viewpoint at Symonds Yat
Symonds Yat
Symonds Yat is a village in the Forest of Dean and a popular tourist destination, straddling the River Wye and the borders of the English counties of Herefordshire and Gloucestershire, it is within a few miles of the Welsh border...
rock. Mandarin ducks, which nest up in the trees, and Reed warblers can be seen at Cannop Ponds
Cannop Ponds
Cannop Ponds are two large ponds, just north of Parkend in the Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire, England. The ponds, and surrounding area, are a popular tourist destination....
and Cannop Brook, running from the ponds through Parkend
Parkend, Gloucestershire
Parkend is a village, located at the foot of the Cannop Valley, in the Royal Forest of Dean, West Gloucestershire, England, and has a history dating back to the early 17th century...
, is famed for its Dippers.
Butterflies of note are the Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary
Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary
The Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary , called the Silver-bordered Fritillary in North America, is a butterfly of the Nymphalidae family...
, Wood White and the White Admiral or Limenitis camilla
Limenitis camilla
The White Admiral, Limenitis camilla, is a butterfly of the Nymphalidae family. They are found in woodland throughout southern Britain and much of Europe and Asia, extending as far east as Japan....
. Gorsty Knoll
Gorsty Knoll
Gorsty Knoll is a small hamlet, located in the Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire, England. The internationally important remains of Darkhill Ironworks and the Titanic Steelworks, are located on the edge of the hamlet. Gorsty Knoll is also famed for its Glow worms....
is famed for its glow-worms and Woorgreen's lake for its dragonflies.
Famous inhabitants
- Wayne BarnesWayne BarnesWayne Barnes is an English international rugby union referee. He was educated at Whitecross School in Lydney, where he was head boy, Monmouth School and at the University of East Anglia. He became a professional referee in April 2005, giving up a career in law to do so...
, international rugby union referee, lived in Bream, and played for Bream RFC. - Jane CouchJane CouchJane Couch, MBE became the first officially licensed British female boxer in 1998. In a 14-year professional career, she won five world titles and announced her retirement from boxing on 1 December 2008...
, winner of five women's World Boxing titles, lives in Lydney. - Members of the band EMFEMF (band)EMF were an indie dance band from the United Kingdom. The band, from the Forest of Dean in Gloucestershire, came to prominence at the beginning of the 1990s. During its initial eight year run , EMF had released three studio albums and had gone on hiatus and reformed twice...
are from Cinderford. - Winifred FoleyWinifred FoleyWinifred Mary Foley was an English writer.-Forest life:...
, author who wrote about her childhood in the forest, was born in Brierley. - Edna HealeyEdna HealeyEdna May Healey, Baroness Healey , née Edmunds, was a British writer, lecturer and filmmaker.-Life and career:...
, author and wife of Denis HealeyDenis HealeyDenis Winston Healey, Baron Healey CH, MBE, PC is a British Labour politician, who served as Secretary of State for Defence from 1964 to 1970 and Chancellor of the Exchequer from 1974 to 1979.-Early life:...
, was born in the Forest and lived in Coleford. - Warren JamesWarren JamesWarren James is a British jeweller and watchmaker. Established in 1979, the company now has 115 stores and is one of the largest independent jewellers in the United Kingdom....
, a miners' leader who led the Free Miners to action against the Crown, was born on the edge of Parkend. - David MushetDavid MushetDavid Mushet was a Scottish metallurgist and the youngest son of Margaret Cochran and William Mushet.-Early life:Mushet was born on October 2, 1772, in Dalkeith, near Edinburgh. He was educated at Dalkeith Grammar School....
, a Scottish metallurgist who pioneered techniques for iron production, lived in Coleford from 1810 to 1844. - Robert Forester MushetRobert Forester MushetRobert Forester Mushet was a British metallurgist and businessman, born April 8, 1811, in Coleford, in the Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire, England. He was the youngest son of Scottish parents, Agnes Wilson and David Mushet; an ironmaster, formerly of the Clyde, Alfreton and Whitecliff...
, who discovered a way to perfect the Bessemer Process, and who produced the first commercial steel alloys, was born in Coleford. - Dennis PotterDennis PotterDennis Christopher George Potter was an English dramatist, best known for The Singing Detective. His widely acclaimed television dramas mixed fantasy and reality, the personal and the social. He was particularly fond of using themes and images from popular culture.-Biography:Dennis Potter was born...
, author and playwright who frequently used the region as a setting in his work, was born near Coleford. - J. K. RowlingJ. K. RowlingJoanne "Jo" Rowling, OBE , better known as J. K. Rowling, is the British author of the Harry Potter fantasy series...
, author of the Harry PotterHarry PotterHarry Potter is a series of seven fantasy novels written by the British author J. K. Rowling. The books chronicle the adventures of the adolescent wizard Harry Potter and his best friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, all of whom are students at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry...
series, lived on the southern edge of the Forest at TutshillTutshillTutshill is a small village within the parish of Tidenham in the Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire, England. It is located on the eastern bank of the River Wye, which forms the boundary with Wales at this point and which separates the village from the town of Chepstow...
from 1974 to 1983. - Dick WhittingtonRichard WhittingtonSir Richard Whittington was a medieval merchant and politician, and the real-life inspiration for the pantomime character Dick Whittington. Sir Richard Whittington was four times Lord Mayor of London, a Member of Parliament and a sheriff of London...
, also known as Richard Whittington and who later became Lord Mayor of the City of London, was born in Pauntley, now part of the Forest of Dean district. - Jimmy YoungJimmy Young (disc jockey)Sir Jimmy Young CBE was a British singer, disc jockey and radio interviewer.-Early life:...
, the BBC Radio 1BBC Radio 1BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation which also broadcasts internationally, specialising in current popular music and chart hits throughout the day. Radio 1 provides alternative genres after 7:00pm including electronic dance, hip hop, rock...
and BBC Radio 2BBC Radio 2BBC Radio 2 is one of the BBC's national radio stations and the most popular station in the United Kingdom. Much of its daytime playlist-based programming is best described as Adult Contemporary or AOR, although the station is also noted for its specialist broadcasting of other musical genres...
DJ was born in Cinderford. - Joe MeekJoe MeekRobert George "Joe" Meek was a pioneering English record producer and songwriter....
, record producer and composer of 'Telstar' was born in Newent in 1929.
Towns and villages
The list below includes towns and villages within or adjoining the historic Forest; it does not include settlements which are located outside that area but which are within the larger District CouncilForest of Dean (district)
Forest of Dean is a local government district in Gloucestershire, England, named after the Forest of Dean. Its council is based in Coleford. Other towns in the district include Cinderford, Newent and Tidenham....
area.
- Alvington
- Aylburton
- Berry HillBerry Hill, GloucestershireBerry Hill is a small village in Gloucestershire, England not far from the town of Coleford.It is notable for being the birthplace of the writer,journalist and TV playwright Dennis Potter.- External links :* * * *...
- BlakeneyBlakeney, GloucestershireBlakeney is a village in Gloucestershire, England. It is the largest village in the parish of Awre. It has views of the Forest of Dean.It dates back to AD 75, and was home to Thomas Sternhold, a groom of King Henry VIII's Robes.-References:*...
- BreamBream, GloucestershireBream is a village in the Forest of Dean, west Gloucestershire, England.-History:The actual age of Bream is not known, although there may have been a settlement before the Romans came to Britain...
- BrierleyBrierley, GloucestershireBrierley is a village in the Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire at .It has a petrol station and shop, the Swan public house and bus services to other places....
- BroadwellBroadwell, Forest of DeanBroadwell is a village in the English county of Gloucestershire. It belongs to the civil parish of Coleford, which is also its post town. Broadwell is approximately east of Coleford. The village lies at the western edge of the Forest of Dean....
- Cinderford
- Clearwell
- ColefordColeford, GloucestershireColeford is a small market town in Gloucestershire, England in the west of the Forest of Dean with a population of 8,351 . It is situated some four miles east of the Welsh border, and is close to the Wye Valley, a popular walking and canoeing area...
- Coalway
- Drybrook
- Edge EndEdge End, Gloucestershire-Location & Amenities:Edge End is about 1.5 miles NW of Coleford and about 1 mile north of the Royal Forest of Dean College. Originally close to some mine workings, all of which have now closed, the hamlet consists of about 100 or so private dwellings, with no pubs, shops or schools .The village is...
- English Bicknor
- Harrow HillHarrow Hill, GloucestershireFor the area of north west London see Harrow on the HillHarrow Hill is a village situated in the Forest of Dean in Gloucestershire, England. It is contiguous with the larger village of Drybrook. The village has its own football club, Harrow Hill F.C....
- HewelsfieldHewelsfieldHewelsfield is a village and parish in the Forest of Dean District of Gloucestershire, England. It is located 6 miles south of Coleford and 5 miles north-east of Chepstow, close to the Wye valley and partly within an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The parish also includes the separate...
- HuntleyHuntley, GloucestershireHuntley, Gloucestershire, is a village on the A40 located seven miles west ofGloucester in the north of the Forest of Dean.- History :Huntley is mentioned in the Domesday Book as Huntelei....
- Joys GreenJoys GreenJoy's Green is a village in the Forest of Dean in west Gloucestershire, England. Dave Lawrence lives here enit-Amenities:The village contains a post office / village shop and a newly constructed recreation ground with playground equipment...
- LittledeanLittledeanLittledean is a village in the Forest of Dean, west Gloucestershire, England. The village has a long history and formerly had the status of a town. Littledean Hall was originally a Saxon hall, although it has been rebuilt and the current house dates back to 1612. The remains of a Roman temple are...
- LonghopeLonghopeLonghope is a village in west Gloucestershire, situated just outside the Forest of Dean, England, United Kingdom.The placename Longhope means "long, enclosed valley" which describes the aspect of the village....
- LydbrookLydbrookLydbrook is a civil parish in the Forest of Dean, a local government district in the English county of Gloucestershire. It comprises the districts of Lower Lydbrook, Upper Lydbrook, and Joys Green.-Introduction:...
- Milkwall
- MitcheldeanMitcheldeanMitcheldean is a small town in the east of the Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire, England.-History:Mitcheldean was a thriving community for many centuries due to the town's proximity to iron ore deposits...
- NewlandNewland, GloucestershireNewland is a village in the Forest of Dean in Gloucestershire, England.It is notable for its parish church of All Saints, known as the 'Cathedral of the Forest'.- References :***-External links:...
- ParkendParkend, GloucestershireParkend is a village, located at the foot of the Cannop Valley, in the Royal Forest of Dean, West Gloucestershire, England, and has a history dating back to the early 17th century...
- PillowellPillowell-Description:Pillowell sits on the south-eastern edge of the Forest of Dean. Its coordinates are 51.75° N 02.55° W. It is located 0.6 miles to the east of Whitecroft and 0.6 miles to west of Yorkley, and was established as a mining village....
- RuardeanRuardeanRuardean is a village in the Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire, England, to the west of Cinderford. It is situated on a hillside with views west towards the mountains of South Wales. Little now remains of the village's industrial history, but once it was a centre for iron ore smelting furnaces,...
- Ruardean HillRuardean HillRuardean Hill is a village in the English county of Gloucestershire, west of Gloucester.The southern slopes are wooded and are part of the northern edge of the Forest of Dean. The hill forms part of a low range of hills separating the River Severn from the River Wye. The hill's summit is the...
- Ruardean WoodsideRuardean WoodsideRuardean Woodside is a village in Gloucestershire, England, located in the Forest of Dean and tucked away behind Ruardean Hill and Brierley. The houses are affordable in the village as there is cheap council housing and cheap private housing due to the isolated location. There is a primary school,...
- RuspidgeRuspidgeRuspidge is a village in the Forest of Dean district of west Gloucestershire, England.It is located near the town of Cinderford and near the Forest of Dean...
- SoudleySoudleySoudley is a small but thriving village north of Lydney, west Gloucestershire, England.Nearby attractions include Dean Heritage Centre, Soudley Ponds and the Blaize Bailey viewpoint....
- SlingSling, GloucestershireSling is a village in Gloucestershire, England. The village is located between Clearwell and Bream.- External links :*...
- St BriavelsSt BriavelsSt Briavels is a medium sized village and civil parish in the Royal Forest of Dean in west Gloucestershire, England; close to the England-Wales border, and south of Coleford. It stands almost above sea level on the edge of a limestone plateau above the valley of the River Wye, above an ancient...
- StauntonStaunton, GloucestershireStaunton is the name of two different villages in the Forest of Dean in west Gloucestershire, England.This entry is for the one near Coleford...
- Steam MillsSteam MillsSteam Mills is a village in the Forest of Dean, west Gloucestershire, England.It has an industrial park for businesses , petrol filling station, carpet shop and Health & Safety specialist shop.It is home to Steam Mills Primary School.- External links :***...
- The PluddsThe PluddsThe Pludds is a village in the Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire, England . It has a village hall, and a post office.-External links:*...
- Westbury
- Whitecroft
- WoolastonWoolastonWoolaston is a village and civil parish in the Forest of Dean district of Gloucestershire in South West England. It lies on the north side of the Severn Estuary approximately 5 miles from the Welsh border at Chepstow and is surrounded by woodland and agricultural land.-The Village and its...
- YorkleyYorkley, GloucestershireYorkley is a village in west Gloucestershire, England.Near the town of Lydney, it has two pubs, a sub post office, few shops, a primary school and is home to Yorkley A.F.C and Yorkley Star Cricket Club.-References:***- External links :*...
Places of interest
- Beechenhurst Lodge
- BixsladeBixsladeBixslade, occasionally written Bix Slade, is a short, steep-sided, valley in the Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire. It begins on high ground at Bixhead, near Broadwell, and descends sharply to meet the Cannop Valley at Stonyhill Green...
- Blaize BaileyBlaize BaileyBlaize Bailey is a small hamlet and viewpoint on the eastern edge of the Forest of Dean, in Gloucestershire, England.The viewpoint was constructed using stone from a disused railway bridge at nearby Fetter Hill...
- Cannop Cycle CentreCannop Cycle CentreCannop Cycle Centre is a small woodland cycling centre, comprising mountain bike trails, visitor centre and bike shop. It is located on the site of a former colliery in the Cannop Valley, Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire. The nearest village is Parkend, away...
- Cannop PondsCannop PondsCannop Ponds are two large ponds, just north of Parkend in the Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire, England. The ponds, and surrounding area, are a popular tourist destination....
- Clearwell CavesClearwell CavesClearwell Caves, at Clearwell in the Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire, England, is a natural cave system which has been extensively mined for iron ore. It now operates primarily as a mining museum....
- Darkhill IronworksDarkhill IronworksDarkhill Ironworks, and the neighbouring Titanic Steelworks, are internationally important industrial remains associated with the development of the iron and steel industries. Both are scheduled monuments. They are located on the edge of a small hamlet called Gorsty Knoll, just to the west of...
- Cyril Hart Arboretum
- Dean Forest RailwayDean Forest RailwayThe Dean Forest Railway is a long heritage railway that runs between Lydney and Parkend in the Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire. The route was part of the Severn and Wye Railway which ran from Lydney to Cinderford. The society that operates the line started steam locomotive operations in 1971, and...
- Dean Heritage CentreDean Heritage CentreThe Dean Heritage Centre is located in the pretty valley of Soudley, Gloucestershire, England in the Forest of Dean and exists to record and preserve the unique social and industrial history of the area and its people...
- G.W.R. MuseumColeford Great Western Railway MuseumColeford Great Western Railway Museum is a railway museum located in Coleford, Gloucestershire, England. The museum was founded in 1988. Based in the former GWR Goods Shed along the Coleford Railway. There was also another station situated at Coleford, it was opened by the Severn and Wye Railway...
- Go ApeGo ApeGo Ape Ltd. is an outdoor pursuits company which runs 26 high wire adventure courses in forests in England, Scotland and Wales consisting of rope ladders, zip-lines, rope bridges, trapezes and swings...
- Harts Barn Craft Centre
- Hopewell Colliery Museum
- Littledean Jail
- Mallards Pike Lake
- New FancyNew FancyNew Fancy is the site of an afforested coal spoil heap near Parkend in the Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire, England. It includes a picnic area, and a viewing site, in particular for goshawks. It is linked to the Forest of Dean Family Cycle Trail.-History:...
- Parkend IronworksParkend IronworksParkend Ironworks, also known as Parkend Furnace, in the village of Parkend, in the Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire, England, was a coke-fired furnace built in 1799...
- Parkend railway stationParkend railway stationParkend Station, in the village of Parkend, in the Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire, is the northern terminus of the Dean Forest Railway.-History:...
- Perrygrove RailwayPerrygrove RailwayThe Perrygrove Railway is a minimum gauge railway of gauge. It is a private heritage railway at Perrygrove Farm in the Royal Forest of Dean near Coleford, Gloucestershire, England...
- PuzzlewoodPuzzlewoodPuzzlewood is an ancient woodland site, near Coleford in the Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire, England. The site, covering 14 acres, shows evidence of open cast iron ore mining dating from the Roman period, and possibly earlier....
- RSPB NagsheadNagsheadRSPB Nagshead is a woodland reserve, located on the western edge of Parkend, in the Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire.More than half of the reserve consists of 19th-century oak woodland, which is now managed solely for its conservation and landscape value....
- Sculpture TrailForest of Dean Sculpture TrailThe Forest of Dean Sculpture Trail is a point of interest in the Forest of Dean in the county of Gloucestershire, England.The Sculpture Trail links several different site-specific sculptures commissioned for the forest. It is open from dawn to dusk every day of the year, with no admission charge. ...
- Soudley PondsSoudley PondsLying close to the village of Soudley in the Forest of Dean, west Gloucestershire, Soudley Ponds, also known as Sutton Ponds, comprise four linked man-made ponds lined in succession through the narrow Sutton Valley, and surrounded by stands of tall Douglas Fir....
- Speech HouseSpeech HouseThe Speech House is the administrative building of the Forest of Dean in Gloucestershire, England, lying at the centre of the forest on the road from Coleford to Cinderford....
- Symond's Yat
- Wenchford picnic site
- Whitecliff IronworksWhitecliff IronworksWhitecliff Ironworks, sometimes referred to as Whitecliff Furnace, at Coleford, in the Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire, England, are industrial remains associated with the production of iron, using coke, in the Forest of Dean.-Background:...
- Woorgreens Lake
In the media
- Heavy metalHeavy metal musicHeavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
band Black SabbathBlack SabbathBlack Sabbath are an English heavy metal band, formed in Aston, Birmingham in 1969 by Ozzy Osbourne , Tony Iommi , Geezer Butler , and Bill Ward . The band has since experienced multiple line-up changes, with Tony Iommi the only constant presence in the band through the years. A total of 22...
rented Clearwell CastleClearwell CastleClearwell Castle is a mock Gothic mansion located in Clearwell, Gloucestershire. First known as Clearwell Court, it was built for Thomas Wyndham in 1728 to replace an older house which occupied same site. Its name was changed to Clearwell Castle in 1908....
to write and record their fifth album, Sabbath, Bloody Sabbath in 1973. The band rehearsed in the castle dungeon for inspiration. - In 1998 the area was on national news as it was going through a bad heroin epidemic and several young people fatally overdosed within a short period of time.
- Many TV and film projects have been filmed at Clearwell CavesClearwell CavesClearwell Caves, at Clearwell in the Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire, England, is a natural cave system which has been extensively mined for iron ore. It now operates primarily as a mining museum....
, including the 2005 Christmas special of Doctor WhoDoctor WhoDoctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a time-travelling humanoid alien known as the Doctor who explores the universe in a sentient time machine called the TARDIS that flies through time and space, whose exterior...
. - In 2006, Coleford's St. John's Street was featured in a newspaper/magazine advert for the Renault ClioRenault ClioThe Renault Clio is a supermini car produced by the French automobile manufacturer Renault. Originally launched in 1990, it is currently in its third generation...
. - Scenes from the 2007 film OutlawOutlaw (2007 film)Outlaw is a 2007 action-crime-drama film written and directed by British filmmaker Nick Love. Outlaw stars Sean Bean, Danny Dyer, Bob Hoskins, Lennie James, Rupert Friend and Sean Harris.The film is set in the United Kingdom in 2006...
were filmed in Coleford. - The first and last episode of the first series of the television show PrimevalPrimevalPrimeval or primæval may refer to:* Primeval, a British science fiction television series.* Primeval , a 2007 film* Primeval , a score of music from the BBC TV series Doctor Who...
featured and was filmed in the Forest of Dean. - The novel Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows contains a passage that is set in the Forest of Dean. It also appears in the first of two films of the same name.
- The autobiography of WWII veteran Colin Hall "Dropped In It" includes a chapter on his struggle to provide for a new wife and son in the undeveloped Forest of Dean in the late 1940s.
- BBCBBCThe British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
Big ReadBig ReadThe Big Read was a survey on books carried out by the BBC in the United Kingdom in 2003, where over three quarters of a million votes were received from the British public to find the nation's best-loved novel of all time...
2003 Britain's favourite book winner "The Lord of the RingsThe Lord of the RingsThe Lord of the Rings is a high fantasy epic written by English philologist and University of Oxford professor J. R. R. Tolkien. The story began as a sequel to Tolkien's earlier, less complex children's fantasy novel The Hobbit , but eventually developed into a much larger work. It was written in...
" by J. R. R. TolkienJ. R. R. TolkienJohn Ronald Reuel Tolkien, CBE was an English writer, poet, philologist, and university professor, best known as the author of the classic high fantasy works The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, and The Silmarillion.Tolkien was Rawlinson and Bosworth Professor of Anglo-Saxon at Pembroke College,...
was championed by the survival expert Ray MearsRay MearsRaymond Paul "Ray" Mears is an English woodsman, instructor, author and TV presenter. His TV appearances cover bushcraft and survival techniques, and he is best known for the TV series Ray Mears' Bushcraft, Ray Mears' World of Survival, Extreme Survival, Survival with Ray Mears, Wild Britain with...
, who presented the book from PuzzlewoodPuzzlewoodPuzzlewood is an ancient woodland site, near Coleford in the Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire, England. The site, covering 14 acres, shows evidence of open cast iron ore mining dating from the Roman period, and possibly earlier....
. - The area has frequently provided film locations for the BBC. The early 1980s science-fiction drama Blake's 7Blake's 7Blake's 7 is a British science fiction television series produced by the BBC for its BBC1 channel. The series was created by Terry Nation, a prolific television writer and creator of the Daleks for the television series Doctor Who. Four series of Blake's 7 were produced and broadcast between 1978...
used several locations; the Russell T Davies reboot of Doctor WhoDoctor WhoDoctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a time-travelling humanoid alien known as the Doctor who explores the universe in a sentient time machine called the TARDIS that flies through time and space, whose exterior...
has also filmed in the area; Blake's 7 was conceived and produced by Terry Nation, who also wrote many Doctor Who scripts and created the Daleks. More recently, scenes from the BBC drama series MerlinMerlin (TV series)Merlin is a British fantasy-adventure television programme by Julian Jones, Jake Michie, Julian Murphy and Johnny Capps. It began broadcasting on BBC One on 20 September 2008. The show is based on the Arthurian legends of the wizard Merlin and his relationship with Prince Arthur but differs from...
were shot in the Forest. - The BBC nature programme Springwatch filmed the wild boar in 2009.
- Parts of Dennis PotterDennis PotterDennis Christopher George Potter was an English dramatist, best known for The Singing Detective. His widely acclaimed television dramas mixed fantasy and reality, the personal and the social. He was particularly fond of using themes and images from popular culture.-Biography:Dennis Potter was born...
's Pennies from Heaven (1978) take place, and were filmed, in the Forest of Dean. - In January 2011, 3000 protesters gathered at a rally organised by Hands off our ForestHands off our ForestHands off our Forest is a campaign group formed in 2010 to fight the UK Government's proposed sale of publicly owned land in the Forest of Dean. 'Hands off our Forest' describe themselves as a broad alliance of groups and individuals....
, to protest against the UK Government'sUnited Kingdom coalition government (2010–present)The ConservativeLiberal Democrat coalition is the present Government of the United Kingdom, formed after the 2010 general election. The Conservative Party and the Liberal Democrats entered into discussions which culminated in the 2010 coalition agreement, setting out a programme for government...
proposed sale of public forests.