The Forest of Dean: An Historical and Descriptive Account Part 1

The Forest of Dean.

by H. G. Nicholls.

PREFACE.

Disappointment expressed by others and felt by myself that a History of the Forest of Dean should never have appeared in print, and an impression that a considerable amount of interesting information relative to it might be brought together, combined I may add with the fact that there seemed no probability of such a work being otherwise undertaken until old usages and traditions had pa.s.sed away, have induced me to attempt its compilation. I here venture to publish the fruit of my labours, in the hope that the reader may derive some portion of that pleasure which the prosecution of the work has afforded me, and trusting that the same indulgent consideration which led the officers of the Government, the gentlemen of the neighbourhood, and many of the intelligent Foresters to aid in the execution, will by them and the public be extended to the work itself.

I have endeavoured to make it as complete as possible by supplying every known circ.u.mstance, mostly in the words of the original narrator, and yet trying so to harmonize the whole as to engage the attention of the general reader, but more particularly of the residents in the district, by acquainting them with the past and present state of one of the most interesting and remarkable localities in the kingdom.

H. G. N.

_July_, 1858.

CHAPTER I.

A.D. 1307-1612.

Origin of the name "Dean"?--The "Buck Stone," and other Druidical remains--"The Scowles," &c., and other ancient iron-mines, worked in the time of the Romans--Symmond's Yat, and other military earthworks--Domesday Book, and investment of this Forest in the Crown--William I., and probable date of Free Miners' Franchise--Castle of St. Briavel's first built; Giraldus--Flaxley Abbey founded--King John at Flaxley and St. Briavel's--The constables of St. Briavel's and wardens of the Forest--Date of the ruins of St. Briavel's Castle--Iron forges licensed by Henry III.--Perambulation of 1282, and first "Justice seat"--Seventy-two "itinerant forges" in the Forest--Date of Miners' laws and privileges--Perambulation of 1302--Edward I., grants in the Forest--Newland Church founded--Free miners summoned to the sieges of Berwick, &c.--Edward II., grants in the Forest--Edward III., ditto--Richard II., ditto--Henry IV., ditto--Henry V., ditto--Henry VI., ditto--Severn barges stopped by Foresters--Edward IV., and retreat hither of the Earl Rivers and Sir J. Woodville--Edward VI. farmed the Forest to Sir A. Kingston--Design of the Spaniards to destroy the Forest--Papers from Sir J. Caesar's collection, viz. Sir J. Winter's negotiations relative to the iron-works, &c.--Blast furnaces erected.

The district known as "the Forest of Dean" is situated within that part of Gloucestershire which is bounded by the rivers Severn and Wye. Its name is of doubtful origin. Was it so called from its proximity to the town of Mitcheldean, or Dean Magna, mentioned in Domesday Book, and which, agreeably to its name, is situated in a wooded valley, the word "Dean," or "Dene," being Saxon, and signifying a dale or den?--or do we accept the statement of Giraldus, and some other writers, that the Forest of Dean obtained its name from the Danes sheltering themselves in it, secured by its shades and thickets from the retaliation of the neighbouring people, whose country they had devastated?--Or, again, do we "fancy," with Camden, that "by cutting off a syllable it is derived from Arden, which word the Gauls and Britons heretofore seemed to have used for a wood, since two very great forests, the one in Gallia Belgica, the other amongst us in Warwickshire, are called by one and the same name, Arden"? This latter suggestion Evelyn, in his 'Sylva,' accepts, in which he is supported by the fact that the name of "Dean" is first met with in William the Norman's survey.

Probably the earliest trace of this locality being inhabited exists in the Druidical rocks which are found on the high lands on the Gloucestershire side of the Wye. The chief of them is "the Buck Stone,"

so called perhaps from the deer which sheltered beneath it, or else from its fancied resemblance to that animal when viewed from certain distant spots. It is a huge ma.s.s of rock poised on the very crest of Staunton Hill, which being of a pyramidal form, and almost 1000 feet high, renders the stone on its summit visible in one direction as far as Ross, nine miles off. A careful examination of the structure of the rock, and particularly of the character of its base, will show that its position is natural. But that the Druids had appropriated it to sacrificial purposes, is evident from a rudely hollowed stone which lies adjacent.

In shape "the Buck Stone" is almost flat on the top, and four-sided, the north-east side measuring sixteen feet five inches, the north seventeen feet, the south-west nine feet, and the south side twelve feet. The face of the rock on which it rests slopes considerably, and the bearing point is only two feet across. This part may be an unbroken neck of rock, but apparently the entire block has crushed down upon its base, as though, from having once formed the extremity of the portion of cliff near, it had fallen away, and had accidentally balanced itself in its present position. {2} The texture of "the Buck Stone" is similar to that of the slab of rock on which it rests, commonly known as the old red sandstone conglomerate of quartz pebbles (a stratum of which extends through the whole district), exceedingly hard in most of its veins, but very perishable in others; and hence perhaps the form and origin of this singular object.

[Picture: The Buck Stone]

In addition to the above, there is a large ma.s.s of grit-stone, from nine to ten feet high, standing in a field on the north side of the road leading from Bream to St. Briavel's, named "the Long Stone." Another, called by the same name, and of similar character, occurs on the north-east side of the Staunton and Coleford road; but nothing remarkable is known of either of them, only their weather-worn appearance shows that they have been exposed to the action of the elements during many centuries.

Next in order of time to the above remains are the ancient Iron-mines, locally termed "Scowles," {4} which were undoubtedly worked when this island was occupied by the Romans. This appears certain from the coins, &c., which have been found deeply buried in the heaps of iron cinders derived from the workings of these mines. A highly interesting MS.

Dissertation, written about the year 1780 by Mr. Wyrrall, on the ancient iron-works of the Forest, a subject on which he was well informed, being a resident in the neighbourhood, is conclusive on this head. He states:--"Coins, fibula, and other things known to be in use with that people (the Romans), have been frequently found in the beds of cinders at certain places: this has occurred particularly at the village of Whitchurch, between Ross and Monmouth, where large stacks of cinders have been found, and some of them so deep in the earth, eight or ten feet under the surface, as to demonstrate without other proof that they must have lain there for a great number of ages. The present writer has had opportunities of seeing many of these coins and fibula, &c., which have been picked up by the workmen in getting the cinders at this place, in his time; but especially one coin of Trajan, which he remembers to be surprisingly perfect and fresh, considering the length of time it must have been in the ground. Another instance occurs to his recollection of a little image of bra.s.s, about four inches long, which was then found in the cinders at the same place, being a very elegant female figure, in a dancing att.i.tude, and evidently an antique by the drapery."

Numerous additional traces of the same people have been discovered in this neighbourhood, viz., a Roman pavement, tesserae, bricks, and tiles at Whitchurch, already mentioned; remains of Ariconium, a town, it seems, of blacksmiths, at Bollitree; a camp, bath, and tessellated pavement at Lydney; and coins to a large amount, indicative of considerable local prosperity, on the Coppet Woodhill, at Lydbrook, Perry Grove, and Crabtree Hill--of Philip, Gallienus, Victorinus, Claudius Gothicus, &c.

Crabtree Hill being situated near the centre of the Forest, renders the discovery of Roman antiquities there especially interesting. On 27th August, 1839, a man who was employed to raise some stone in Crabtree Hill, of which several heaps were lying on the surface, in turning over the stone found about twenty-five Roman coins. The next day, in another heap about fifty yards distant, he found a broken jar or urn of baked clay, and 400 or 500 coins lying by it, the coins being for the most part those of Claudius II., Gallienus, and Victorinus. The spot is rather high ground, but not a hill or commanding point, and there do not appear any traces of a camp near it. Some of the stones seemed burnt, as if the building had been destroyed by fire. There was no appearance of mortar, but the stones had evidently been used in building, and part of the foundation of a wall remained visible. A silver coin of Aurelius was likewise picked up.

Similar discoveries have been made in other places. At Seddles...o...b.., in Suss.e.x, one of the earliest iron-making localities in the kingdom, Mr.

Wright, in his interesting work ent.i.tled 'Wanderings of an Antiquary,'

mentions several Roman coins, especially one of the Emperor Diocletian, having been met with in a bed of iron cinders, manifestly of great antiquity, since four large oaks stood upon its surface.

An interval of a few hundred years brings us to the probable date of the next cla.s.s of antiquities, viz. the military earthworks yet traceable in the neighbourhood. They are four in number, commencing with the lines of circ.u.mvallation which enclose the promontory of Beachley; next, the camp and entrenchments on the high lands of Tidenham Chase; then, a camp near the Bea.r.s.e Common; and, as a termination to the chain, the triple d.y.k.e defending Symmond's Yat. Some have regarded these remains as forming the southern termination of Offa's d.y.k.e, which that sovereign constructed about the year 760, to prevent the Welsh from invading his kingdom of Mercia; but they are not sufficiently uniform or continuous to warrant such a conclusion. They seem rather to be connected with the incident which the Chronicles of Florentius Vigorniensis relate as taking place A.D. 912:--"The Pagan pirates, who nearly nineteen years before had retired from Britain, approaching by the province of Gaul, called Lydivinum, return with two leaders, Ohterus and Hroaldus, to England, and, sailing round West Saxonia and Cornubia, at length reach the mouth of the river Sabrina (Severn), and, without delay, invade the northern lands of the British, and, exploring all the parts adjoining the bank of the river, pillage most of them. Cymelgeac, a British bishop who occupied the plains of Yrcenefeld (Archenfield), was likewise taken; and they, not a little rejoicing, carry him off to their ships, whom, not long after, King Edward ransomed for forty pounds of silver. Soon after, the whole force, leaving their ships, return to the aforesaid plains, and make their way for the sake of plunder; but suddenly as many of the inhabitants as possible of the adjoining towns of Hereford and Glevum (Gloucester) a.s.semble, and give them battle. Hroaldus, the leader of the enemy, and his brother Ohterus, the other leader, with a large part of the army, are slain. The rest are put to flight, and driven by the Christians into a certain fence (septum), where they are at length besieged, until they give hostages, so that as fast as possible they depart King Edward's realm." Mr. Fryer, of Coleford, ingeniously supposes that Symmond's Rock was the scene of the above contest, which may possibly be correct.

Edward the Confessor is stated in Domesday Book to have exempted the Forest of Dean from taxation, with the object apparently of preserving it from spoliation. The exact terms used are, "_has tras c' cessit rex E.

quietas a geldo pro foresta custod_," manifesting an interest in its protection on the part of the Crown, to which no doubt it had now become annexed. Probably in those early days the King possessed the right to all lands not under cultivation or already apportioned, just as the Sovereign of our own day exercises the right in our colonial territories, and makes specific grants to private individuals. Thus, Mr. Rudder, in his 'History of Gloucestershire,' remarks that "originally all the lands of the subject are derived from the Crown, and our forests may have been made when the ancient kings had the greater part in their own hands."

Agreeably with which principle, combined with the attractions which the Forest of Dean possessed as a hunting ground, it was sometimes visited for the sports of the chase by William the Conqueror, who in the year 1069 was thus diverting himself when he received information that the Danes had invaded Yorkshire and taken its chief city. Roused to fury by these tidings, he swore "by the splendour of the Almighty" that "not one Northumbrian should escape his revenge;" an oath which he put into prompt and terrible execution. It seems not improbable that upon one of these royal visits the miners of the Forest applied for and obtained their "customes and franchises," which, even in the less remote days of Edward I., were granted, as the record of them declares, "time out of minde."

The demand which the Conqueror made upon the citizens of Gloucester for thirty-six "Icres" of iron yearly, each of which comprised ten bars, made at their forges, six in number, wherewith to furnish his fleet with nails, was procured doubtless from this Forest, for which impost the above-named grant was possibly designed as a compensation.

The 'Annals' of Giraldus, relative to the reign of Henry I., inform us that the Castle of St. Briavel's, or Brulails was now built by Milo Fitz-Walter, with the design of confirming the royal authority in the neighbourhood, and of checking the inroads of the Welsh; but, extensive as its ruins still are, they seem to contain no trace of so early a period. The only vestige of that age is seen in the Parish Church, which stands opposite the north entrance of the castle. Henry created Fitz-Walter Earl of Hereford, and committed the castle of St. Briavel's, and the district adjoining, to his care. The 'Itinerary' of the same writer speaks of "the n.o.ble Forest of Dean, by which Gloucester was amply supplied with iron and venison." t.i.thes of the latter were given by this King to the Abbey there.

[Picture: South side of the Nave in St. Briavel's Church]

In the fifth year of the succeeding reign of Stephen, by whom the gifts just mentioned were confirmed, the Forest of Dean, that is, its royal quitrents, were granted to Lucy, Milo Fitz-Walter's third daughter, upon her marrying Herbert Fitz-Herbert, the King's chamberlain, and progenitor to the present Earl of Pembroke and Montgomery. So profuse a gift on such an occasion may seem almost incredible; but its tenure, we must remember, was precarious, the Forest itself being continually exposed to danger by its proximity to the Welsh border. Mahel was this lady's youngest brother, of whom Camden records that "the judgment of G.o.d overtook him for his rapacious ways, inhumane cruelties, and boundless avarice, always usurping other men's rights. For, being courteously treated at the Castle of St. Briavel's by Walter de Clifford, the castle taking fire, he lost his life by the fall of a stone on his head from the highest tower." It should be observed, however, that, according to Sir R. C. h.o.a.re, Camden is mistaken in placing the scene of Mahel's catastrophe in the Forest of Dean; Brendlais, or Bynllys, as mentioned by Giraldus, being a small village on the road between Hereford and Hay, where a stately tower marks the site of the ancient castle of the Cliffords, in which most likely this tyrant lost his life.

In this year also, A.D. 1140, the Abbey of Flaxley was founded by Roger, the Earl of Hereford's eldest son, by whom it was partially endowed, and who named it "the Abbey of St. Mary de Dene," the site being formerly included in the precincts of the Forest. The inst.i.tution of the Abbey was confirmed by Henry II., who further enriched it by granting permission to the monks to feed their cattle, hogs, &c., in the Forest, repair their buildings with its timber, and have an iron-forge there. In course of years the Fitz-Herbert interest in the Forest and Castle of St.

Briavel's, pa.s.sing through the families of Henry de Bohun and Bernard de Newmarch, was released by the former to King John, who granted them at the close of his reign to John de Monmouth. The 'Itinerary' of this monarch shows that he often visited the neighbourhood, no doubt for the diversions of the chase, viz.:--

A.D. 1207, at Gloucester Nov. 14, Wednesday.

St. Briavel's ,, 15, Thursday.

,," ,, 16, Friday morning.

Flaxley ,, ,, ,, evening.

St. Briavel's ,, 17, Sat.u.r.day.

Hereford ,, 18, Sunday.

1212, at Flaxley ,, 8, Thursday.

,, ,, 9, Friday.

St. Briavel's ,, 10, Sat.u.r.day.

,, ,, 11, Sunday.

,, ,, 12, Monday.

Flaxley ,, ,, Monday evening.

1213, at St. Briavel's ,, 28, Thursday.

,, ,, 29, Friday.

Monmouth ,, ,, Friday evening.

,, ,, 30, Sat.u.r.day.

St. Briavel's ,, ,, ,, Flaxley ,, ,, ,, Gloucester ,, 30, Sat.u.r.day.

1214, at Braden's c.o.ke Dec. 11, Thursday.

Ashton ,, ,, ,, Flaxley ,, ,, ,,

From this date Bigland, in his 'County History,' arranges nearly an unbroken succession of the constables of St. Briavel's Castle, and wardens of the Forest of Dean, viz.:--

A.D. 1215 17 King John John de Monmouth.

1260 44 Henry III. Robert Waleran.

1263 47 ,, John Giffard (Baron).

,, ,, Thomas de Clace.

1282 12 Edward I. William de Beauchamp Earl of Warwick.

1289 19 ,, John de Bottourt (deprived).

1291 21 ,, Thomas de Everty.

1298 27 ,, John de Handeloe.

1300 29 ,, Ralph de Abbenhalle.

1307 1 Edward II. John de Bottourt (restored).

1308 2 ,, William de Stanre.

1322 15 ,, Hugh Le Despenser (senior).

1327 18 ,, John de Nyvers.