Forest of Dean
Although the name is used loosely to refer to the part of Gloucestershire between the Severn and Wye, the Forest of Dean proper has covered a much smaller area since the Middle Ages.
Archaeological studies have dated the earliest use of coal to Roman times for domestic heating and industrial processes such as the preparation of iron ore.[3] The area gives its name to the local government district, Forest of Dean, and a parliamentary constituency, both of which cover wider areas than the historic Forest.
The administrative centre of the local authority is Coleford, one of the main towns in the historic Forest area, together with Cinderford and Lydney.
[citation needed] Gerald of Wales, writing in the 12th century, refers to the area as Danubia which may translate as "land of Danes" following the Viking settlements in that era.
[6] The area was inhabited in Mesolithic times,[7] and there are also remains of later megalithic monuments, including the Longstone[8] near Staunton and the Broadstone[9] at Wibdon, Stroat.
[11] The area was governed from the Roman town of Ariconium at Weston under Penyard near Ross-on-Wye, and a road was built from there to a river crossing at Newnham on Severn and port at Lydney.
The area was kept stocked with deer and wild boar and became important for timber, charcoal, iron ore and limestone.
The Hundred of St Briavels was established in the 12th century, at the same time as many Norman laws concerning the Forest of Dean were put in place.
[15] Residents of the hundred over 18 can graze sheep in the Forest in accordance with an agreement between Forestry England and the Commoners Association.
Elaine Morman, an employee at Clearwell Caves in the Forest, who had worked as a miner of ochre for a number of years, raised a claim of sexual discrimination against the Forestry Commission.
After Mark Harper MP raised the matter in the House of Commons, the Forestry Commission reversed its position and agreed to register her.
[18] In the 17th century, as a result of King Charles I's decision to rule without Parliament, he sought to raise finances through grants of royal forest lands.
[23] Despite the abundance of coal, it was not until the last decade of the 18th century that local ironmasters were prepared to invest in the technology needed to produce iron from coke, when coke-fired furnaces at Cinderford, Whitecliff and Parkend were built almost simultaneously.
In 1808 Parliament passed the Dean and New Forests Act 1808, which included the provision to enclose 11,000 acres (4,500 ha) of woodland.
Attempts to peaceably resolve the matter failed, and on 8 June 1831, James, leading more than 100 Foresters, demolished the enclosure at Park Hill, between Parkend and Bream.
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.
The Princess Royal Colliery Company was founded in 1891 to work Park Gutter and Flour Mill Pits.
[35] Cinderford 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 bands, created a distinct community identity.
The tradition of independence in the area resulted in a great number of smaller and not necessarily economically successful mines.
Many mines have now been reclaimed by the forest and the area is characterised by picturesque scenery punctuated by remnants of the industrial age and small towns.
There remains a number of industrial areas but the focus has been to capitalise on the scenery and to create jobs from tourist attractions and the leisure sector.
Significant numbers of residents work outside the area, commuting to Gloucester, Cheltenham, Bristol, Newport and Cardiff.
The Forest of Dean is formed of a raised basin of palaeozoic rocks folded in the Variscan Orogeny, similar to the South Wales coalfield to the west.
[38] Problems have included ploughing up gardens and picnic areas, attacking dogs and panicking horses, road traffic accidents, and ripping open rubbish bags.
The mixed forest supports one of Britain's highest concentrations of goshawks and a viewing site at New Fancy is manned during February and March.
The Forest of Dean is also a stronghold for Britain's only venomous snake, the European adder, although its population is now believed to be in dramatic decline.
Other key routes include: Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2) levels, measured using roadside diffusion tubes, are generally well below the UK national target for clean air, set at 40 μg/m3 (micrograms per cubic metre).
CrossCountry runs limited services to the station, linking the Forest to Birmingham New Street and onward destinations in the Midlands.
[58] In 1978, the members of Led Zeppelin reconvened at the castle after a period apart, and began writing and rehearsing what became their In Through the Out Door album.
