The Forest of Dean: An Historical and Descriptive Account Part 19

_Stigmaria_ ficoides.

_Ulodendron_ Lindleyanum, et Lucasii.

The same variations in thickness as well as "faults" which have been detected in the lower coal seams, occur in the middle measures, although they do not in any case a.s.sume the same magnitude as the "Horse" in the Coleford High Delf.

The heart of the Forest basin is well defined by its forming a slightly varied plateau, containing the inferior and comparatively unimportant seams of Woor Green coal, situated of course nearer to the surface than the other veins, but as yet only sparingly worked, and not accurately defined in its outcrop. The highest elevations in this portion of the district are:--Surridge, 658 feet; Speech-house, 581 feet; St. Paul's, Park End, 270 feet. The combined vertical thickness of the entire formation, descending from the top surface to the old red sandstone, is calculated by Mr. D. Williams at 2,765 feet, an opinion which is corroborated by Mr. Atkinson's highly interesting sections based on his practical acquaintance with the mining operations of the Forest.

Mr. Mushet obtained by a.n.a.lysis the following percentage of carbon in the various descriptions of coal, viz.:--

Lowery Delf 62.

Coleford High Delf 63.72, 63.61, and 60.96.

Churchway 60.33 and 64.135.

Rockey 61.735.

Starkey 61.53.

Park End Little Delf 58.15.

Smith Coal 63.36.

None of these sorts of coal emit "fire-damp" in their natural condition--a fact which adds so much to the safety of the pits; but "choke-damp" is very prevalent.

The sandstone matrix of these coal-beds const.i.tutes the grey and buff-coloured rock so well known in the neighbourhood of the Forest as a valuable building material, as well as for ornamental stonework.

Although for many years past it has been generally preferred to the gritstone of the district, and is commonly met with in the better specimens of stonework on this side the Severn, of which Mr. Telford's Over Bridge and Lord Somers's mansion at Eastnor are examples, yet originally such was not the case, since the earliest example of its being used for any considerable pieces of masonry occurs in the steeple of Ruerdean Church, a work of the 15th century. Now, however, almost all the 320 stone quarries worked in the Forest are of this stone, which is very pleasing in tint, and, if judiciously selected, very durable.

APPENDIX.

No. I.

Papers preserved in the Lansdowne Collection at the British Museum.

"Right Honourable,

"Acoording unto your Lordship's warrant, Wee repaired unto and have veiwed and duelie considered the severall woodes, known by the names of Great Bradley, Little Bradley, Stonegrove, Pigstade, Buckholde Moore, and the Copps; all lying together and conteyning by the measure of 16.5 foote the pole, 520 acres. In wch grounds we thinke (the woodes being muche differing in qualitie, by an equall proportion) there maie be raised for everie acre 30 coard of woode; reserving sufficient staddells according to the state, wch, according to the measure of the said grounds, amounted unto the number of 15,600 cordes of woode. Uppon conference with divers in the contrie, wee finde that such a quant.i.tie of woode is not suddainly to be vented in anie other sorte then to the iron workes, wch causeth either the cheapnes or dearnes of the same; the contrie not vallewing the said woodes uppon the stem above XIIIID the coard, although to the iron workes it may be vallued at IIs VId the coard. So that according to the rate of the contrie, the said proportion of woode is worthe CCCCCV li.

And according to the compictacon for the iron works, the same maie be vallued at MIXCLX li. We imagine that the charge of ffensing the said woodes, circuting 4 miles, will cost, to be done and kept according to the state, aboute CC markes. The rent is 20 li. per ann.

"ROBERT TRESWELL. J. NORDEN. THO. MORGAN."

The wood standing in the 6 copses above named, Sir Edward Winter proposed to buy for 800 lib., cutting and carrying away the same, one copse after another, in 5 years' time. But this proposal was so impugned as to elicit the ensuing defence from Sir E. Winter:--"A true Answere to the objections made against my late bargaine for some of his Mties coppices or colletts adioyning to the fforest of Deane.

"'1. Ffirst, that contrarie to the intention of this bargaine, I have alredie cut downe a great number of tymber-trees, whereas to this howre not any one is felled of that kynde or any other.

"'2. That a follower of my Ld of Worcester's should survey those woodes is a wilful mistakinge, synce by the particules it appeares that one Mr Hervye made this survey by warrant from the late L. Trer.

"'3. That I should gaine a 1000 li. per ann. by this bargaine is soe vayre and ympossible a thing as deserves noe Aunswere.

"'Yet that your Lpp maye see howe much Th' informer hath exceeded therein, himselfe or any man els _shall purchase my interest for a tenth parte of his valuation_. Which I write not in any sorte to capitulate with your Lpp; for wthout any consideration at all, I am redie to yealde upp this bargaine, rather then by reteyning thereof to harbour in your n.o.blest thoughts the least ill conceipt of mee or my proceedinges. But nowe, Sr, howe profitable a bargaine you have made for the Kinge, these considerations followinge will easely demonstrate--ffor whereas in former tyme a greater proffit was never raised out of these wooddes than XXVS per ann. vntill my Ld your ffather and Sr Walter Myldemaye did let them by lease, and soe made VIILI rent, wthout any ffyne, your Lpp hath now made 500li ffyne, and 20li rent, wch is noe smale improvement, consideringe that _these 25 yeares last past not one pennye rent or proffitt otherwise hath bene made out of them, but left as a thing forgotten_. That the coppice woodd or vnderwoodd through the abuse of the last ffarmer, who never inclosed these wooddes, and the contynuall spoyle and havocke of the country thereabouts, _is utterly destroyed_.

That there is nothinge nowe eft in 4 of those 6 coppices for wch I have bargained but old beaches, heretofore topt and lopt, whereof many of them nowe are scarce worth the cuttinge out to any man but myselfe, in respect of my iron workes beinge soe nere to them. That the other twoe coppices which are well stored have nothinge in them but younge beaches, and some other woodd of XX or x.x.x yeares growth. That in dyvers of those coppices there are many acres wch have noe manner of woodd standing vpon them at all. Lastly, that the enclosinge of these coppices wth a sufficient mound will cost me 200 markes the least, beside the great quant.i.tie of woodd that must necessarilye be spent therein, for wch no manner of allowance is made mee, &c. &c. &c.'"

The next MS. in Sir J. Caesar's collection seems designed to promote the extension of the iron-works, and relates several interesting particulars.

It is headed "Reasons to move his Mtie to make vse and profitt of the woodes within the fforest of Deane." The Forest woods are said to "containe of great standing woodes, though of severall and different sortes, 15,000 acres, parte beinge tymber, and parte other, the most parte well sett, the lawndes not accompted. The same fforest is a forest for waste, and of soe ill condicon for hunting, as that the preservinge the woodes thereof will nether yield pleasure to the hunter nor profitt to the owner; and the woodes thereupon soe subject to waste, will dayly grow worse and worse. The fforest is for II. or III. myles vpon the skirts soe exceedingly wasted, as well by the inhabitants as other the borderers adiacent, that yt is grief to see soe many goodly trees to be spoiled, the vse whereof hath bene such as yt hath converted the tymber trees to Dotards, and that almost generally vpon the borders of the same fforest. The liberty of makinge sale of the wood hath bred in the same such a mult.i.tude of poore creatures, as it is lamentable to thinke soe many inhabitants shall lyve vpon soe bare provision as vpon spoile of the fforest woodes, wch yf in tyme yt be not forseene, will consume all his Mties woodes without accompte. It appeareth by Recorde, that in the raigne of Henry III., Edward I., II., and III., and longe sithence, there were divers forges within the fforest, and noe other but the Kinge's only; and of these there were VIII. at one tyme, as appeareth by the accompt of Maurice de Scto Amando, and the rest were _Forgium Itinerans ad sicc.u.m in bosco de_, _&c_. All lyberty beinge prohibited for cuttinge of greene wood but to his Mates owne forge. And whosoever cutt greene wood was by the officer of the Bayliwycke attached for the same. Also by negligence of former officers the inhabitantes of the said forest have much insulted by cuttinge of trees in the said forest, whereas by Recorde it appeareth the Kynge's Warrant was in former tymes obtayned for cuttinge of deade trees, and who soe cutt, shredd, or lopped great wood wthout good warrant, was from tyme to tyme attached, presented, and made to paye for ye same. There are, to keepe and preserve the woodes of the said forest, tenn woodwardes, or Baylyfes of ffee, who hould Landes by that service, viz. Per servitum custodiendi bosc.u.m Domini Regis infra Ballinam, &c. Yet late experience proveth that they, their Tenauntes and Servantes, are as great spoilers as any others. And the antient Recordes make mencon, that some of these woodwardes have forfeyted their Bayliwyckes, and have compounded wth the Kinge to have them againe regranted. It appeareth alsoe by Recordes, that the King hath bene answered of Browsewood wthin the Forest of Deane, and therein is sett downe what ffees were from tyme to tyme allowed to the keeper and what not. The profitt to be made of the said woodes is either by convertinge the same to coles, and soe for makinge iron or otherwise by sellinge of the tymber by the tonne. In wch disposition of the woodes there wil be lytle or noe difference in advantage. But of the two the makinge of coles will be lykely to yield most profitt."

These succeeding papers, preserved with those already given, have also their interest:--

"Certain lands and tenemts holden by the face, and called new sett landes, wch the tenantes doe pa.s.se from partie to partie in the Kinge's Court at St Breuills, being all the Kinge's lands liing in the fforest of Deane in com' Glouc., every tenante there payeing a certein yerely rent to his Mts Bailiff. Imprimis, the parke of Thomas Baynham, Esqr, called Noxon, is parcell therof, except from the gutter to the pale towards his house, holden by the tenure aforesaid, 50li per ann.

"Item, the house and land of Richard Allowaye, gent., is so holden, 30li per ann.

"George Wirrelle's land at Bicknor, from the same towne to one Sipprian's howse, and so downe to Skidmore's house, and likewise to the fforest side, is of the like tenure, together wth other lands beyond his house, 50li per ann.

"Richard Carpenter's land, called 5 acres, and his corne leasowes, wth all his other landes ab.u.t.ting vpon Mr Thornburie's Myll, and so vp to the same forrest, is so holden, 15li pr ann.

"Mr Thornburie's Myll, wth all the landes thereunto belonginge, is so holden, 20li.

"Richard Wirgan's land, nere to a place called the Meine, wthin the said forrest, adioyning to the woodside, is of that same tenure, 10li.

"Christofer Bunn holdeth parcell of the same landes wch I have not viewed, 10li.

"The Earle of Pembrooke holdeth by lease for 5 yeres yet to come, Whitemayde Parke, wch was taken out of the forrest, of the like tenure, 20li.

"Sir Edward Winter's parke from the woodeside to the launde is of the like tenure, together wth the 2 highwaies wch have bene inclosed out of the forrest wthin this 20 yeres, 30li.

"Widowe Earwoode's ground from Mr Carpenter's to the forrest side is of the same tenure, 15li.

"Thomas Dininge's Myll, called Breame, wth all the landes and tenements thereto belonging, is so holden, as allso his house and land upon the hill, and all other his landes towardes Breame likewise.

"Item, all the lands from Conyers bridge, being a great quant.i.ty, to the forrest, are belonging to the same landes, but lately aliened & sould by deed, & now holden by demise, are of like tenure, being parcell of the forrest, 40li.

"Mr. Jeames, of Bristoll, holdeth 100li per ann. of the same tenure wthin the forrest.

"Md these are not halfe the landes on that side the forrest, but towards Mich.e.l.l Deane & little Deane there is muche more.

"Item, Willm. Hall hath land there wch a Dyer holdeth vnder him, & was taken out of the Kinge's comon, together wth other lands not yet throughly viewed.

"Item, all Wrurdyne is much more land, wch shall be viewed & sett downe hereafter.

"Item, Stanton's myne, wth much other land vnviewed, is so holden.

"All wch particulars doe but conteine but the least parte of the landes holden by the foresaid tenure."

Further particulars, of the same character as the above, and forming a part of the series now given, occur in the records of another survey, as follows:--

"Rent reserved for the farme of two Messuages and one Watermill, of which two Messuages one is called Sulley, the other Redmore; And of 5 cotages, with gardens and orchards to the same belonginge; and of one 30 Acres of Land, Meadow, Pasture, Arrable, and Woodland; Some whereof are called Salley fields, Gumspitt, Le Harper, Diwardens, Broadfeild, Radmore, Coppier, Kew-grove, Martin's Wall, and Ediland, conteyninge together CCCXLVII acres, one rood, and one perch, late in the occupacon of Edward James, lying in the fforest of Deane, in the County of Gloucester, of the yearely value of VIS and VIIID and IVS penny halfepenny.

"And of six Messuages, six Barnes, gardens, and orchards to the same belongings, And of XVI. several Closes of Land, Meadowe, Pasture, Arrable Land, and Woodland; Two whereof are called Cownedge, ten called Digges, one called Bradley, one Beggars' Thorne mead, one called Marshall's grove, and the other called ffernefeilde, and one other called Bradley, conteyninge in the whole Threescore and ten acres and three roods, lying in the fforest aforesaid, late in the occupation of Robert Pearke, of the yearly value of IIS and VID, &c. &c. &c.