The Forest of Dean: An Historical and Descriptive Account

An Account of the Admeasurement of several Oak Trees in the Bailey Copse (North), A, B, C, D, E, and F.

N.B.—The Copse was open for many years, and the Oak underwood kept down by cattle browsing.  It was enclosed in 1813, and thickly stored, and the underwood cut in 1817.  It is now (1818) well stored with young Oaks of the same description as those measured.

An Account of the Admeasurement of Seven Beech Timber Trees growing in Doward Wood, near the walk by the side of the River Wye.  They are clean and smooth in the bark, and appear fast growing.

An Account of the Admeasurement of 14 Oak Timber Trees, A, B, C, D, E, F, and G, growing on Hall’s Hill, and H, I, J, K, L, M, and N, on Pritchard’s Hill, both near the Ride in the Highmeadow Woods.  The trees are probably now (1822) 80 or 90 years old.

FIRST PART.

An Account of the Admeasurement of nine Trees growing on York Lodge Hill: A, B, C are Oaks; D, E, F are Turkey Oaks; and G, H, I are Chesnuts.  These trees have been planted singly on the open Forest without any Fence (now 1836), about 20 years since.

FIRST PART.

The following letter of Mr. Vaughan, of Court Field on the Wye, near Lydbrook, merits insertion, as bearing testimony to the value of the preceding Tables compiled by Mr. Machen, exhibiting the growth of Trees in the Forest.

“Court Field, October 15, 1841.

“My dear Sir,

“I thank you very much for the interesting account you have sent me of the result of your observation during a series of years upon the growth of trees.  It is really a most curious document.  I ought to have thanked you sooner, but I was anxious, first, to compare your Table with the result of my own admeasurements of trees at Court Field in various situations; and give you, at the same time, the result of my calculations.

“I find that my experience fully corroborates yours, though it induces me to believe that the forest growth is slightly below an average—which the soil and situation would also induce one to imagine.

“I calculate, from your Table, that an oak-tree measuring 6 inches girt doubles its contents (exclusive of its increase in height and limb) in 5 to 6 years.  Whereas, a tree measuring 8½ inches, or half a foot girt, requires 10 or 12 years to double itself.

“With regard to the trees 170 years old, I find that A has increased 19 feet or 28 per cent. only in 30 years, and B 26 feet or 48 per cent. during the same period; neither, therefore, paying much interest on their value within the last 30 years.

“I calculate that the value of the acres of growing timber which you refer to (73 oaks averaging 58 feet) would be £624 at £7 10s. per 50 feet; or, if the original value of the land and expense of ploughing it amounted to £25, about twenty-five times its original value.

“If the thinnings be considered equivalent to the expense of protection-fences, &c., and £25 at compound interest for 170 years be calculated, £624 will be found to be less than 1/20 per cent. = a hundredth of 5 per cent. per annum.

“I remain, my dear Sir, very faithfully yours,

“John V. Vaughan.”

“Canop Furnace.—Most p^t new built, the rest repaired by the Farmers, 22^ft square, wheel 22^ft diam^r.  Furnace box built 4 years since by the Farmers.  Bridge-house 48^ft by 21, 9 high, built 4 years, Bellow’s boards 18^ft by 4.  Clerk’s house and stable built by the Farmers.  A cottage built by the Workmen belonging to the Works, now occupied by the Filler.  Built before the Farmers hired.—Founder’s house, Minecracker’s cabin, A Mine Kiln.

“Park Furnace.—Same dimensions, repaired 4 years since by the Farmers, Wheel and almost all the houses built by the Farmers.

“Park end Forge.—2 Ham^rs, 3 Fineries, 1 Chaffery, rep^d 2 years since, one of the Fineries new.

“Whitecroft Forge,—built ab^t 6 y^rs since by the Farmers, d° d°

“Bradley Forge.—d° d° d°

“Sowdley Furnace, built 3 years—Qu. if rebuilt?  Bridge house, p^t built by the farmers, p^t old and decay^d, Trow leading to the wheel, ½ made new 5 years since, decay^d, 5 Cottages, 1 built by the Farmers.  A dam a mile above Sowdley built by the Farmers.  A dam half a mile still higher, built long since.

“Sowdley Forge, 2 Fineries, 1 Chaffery built 2 years, in the place of the old Forge.  Trows & Penstocks made new by the Farmers, decayed.

“Lydbrook Furnace, 23^ft long, 9 bottom, 23^ft deep, new built 3 y^rs since from the ground, 3 ^ft higher than before, much cracked.  A great Buttress behind the Furnace to strengthen it.

“Lydbrook Forge.—1 Chaffery, 2 Fineries, House built 4 years, being burnt by accident.”

“Cannope Furnace.—Now blowinge, and likely to contynue aboute 3 weeks.  The most part new built, and the rest repaired by the Farmers about 4 years since.  Stone walls, about 60^lb, consistinge of the stone body thereof 22 foote square, wherein are:—

    “In the fore front 4 Sowes of Iron }
      and the Tempiron Wall 3 Sowes    } 7 Sowes.

“A Wheele, 22 Foote diam^r, 7 Iron Whops, one the Waste, made about three years since.  With Shafte and all things belonginge about 20^lb, in good repaire.

“The Furnace Howse half tiled, built with timber 4 years since by the Farmers, cost about 80^lb, in repaire.

“The Bridge house, 21 foot broad, 48 foot longe, and 9 foote heigh, built about 2 years since, the bridge about 4 years, covered with bords bottomed with Planks.

“5 bellow bords ready sawed, 18^ft longe, 4^ft broad.  A Watter Trowe 1^ft at bottome and 15 ynches high, 75 yards longe, leadinge the water to the Wheele, cut out of the whole tymber, and ledged at the top, newe made within 4 years, and now in repaire, cost about 20^lb.

“The Hutch leading the Watter from the Wheele, 5 foot square, 85 foote long, not mended by these farmers, in repaire.

“In doinge of the saied Workes, besids the Hutch used by estimate about 150 Tonns, at viiis, and the Hutch about 40 Tonns, being trees only slitt and clapt together at 5^s the Ton.

“Outhouses.—The Furnace Keeper’s Cabbyne built of timber covered with bords built by the Farmers, cost 3^lb, 4 tonns.

“A Cottage neare the said Furnaces built by the workmen of the said Works, now enjoyed by the Filler there, and not belonging to the Workes.

“A Howse wherein the Clarke dwells, built by the Farmers w^th a stable, 20 Nob^s 6 Tonns.

“Another howse adjoyninge for the founder, built before the Farmers’ time.

“Another little cabbyne for the Myne Cracker, built before the Farmers’ time.

“A Myne Kilne not in repaire, built before the Farmers’ tyme, with 5 piggs of Iron in the walls, 20^s will repaire.

“Cole places.

“Implemnts—one paire of Bellowes furnished with iron implem^nts, somewhat defective in the lethers, valued at 15^lb, made by the Farmers, the repaire whereof will cost 6^lb 13^s 4^d.

“6 cambes of iron in Wheele Shafte waying about 4^cwt.

“3 water Trowes for the Worke.

“1 Grindstone, 19 longe Ringers, 1 short one, 1 Constable, 7 Sinder Shovells, 1 moulding Ship, 2 casting ladles, 1 cinder hooke, 1 Plackett, 2 buck stoves, 1 Tuiron hooke, 1 Iron Tempe, 1 Sinder plate, 1 dame plate.

“4 Wheele barrowes, 1 great Sledge, 1 Tuiron plate cast, 1 Shamell plate, 1 Gage, 1 crackt wooden beame and scales, furnished, and triangles, 1 ton of W^tts, Pigs used for weights upon the bellows poises, 3½^c of Rawe Iron, 1 new firkett in the Backside, 1 lader of 14 rungs, 1 dozen of cole basketts, 2 Myne hammers, 2 Myne Shovells, 2 Coale Rakes, 2 Myne Rakes, 2 baskes to put myne into the Furnace.

“Parke Furnace.—The stone body thereof 22 foote square in the Front, 2 broken sowes, one taken thence, 2 sowes in the Wall.

“Repaired 4 years since by the Farmers, viz., the backe wall from the foundation to the top, and parte of the wall over the Bellows, 40^lb it cost.

“The Water Wheele 22^ft heigh, w^th a Shaft whereon 7 whops, 2 Gudgions and 2 brasses, built about the same tyme, in repaire, valued at 20^lb.  The Furnace Howse tiled, built with stone wall 9 foot heigh, 22 foote square, the Roof good, built about the same tyme, in repair, saving a Lace by the Bridge.  The stone worke valued at 10^lb.  The Carpenter’s worke one the roofe at 20^s, the tilinge valued at 6^lb 13^s 4^d.

“A Pent house under the Furnace, 10^s.

“The Bridge House 42^ft longe, 22^ft broad, the said walles 8½ foot, covered with boards, double bottomed with plancke, upon stronge sleepers, valued at 40^lb.

“Fence Walls all built by the Farmers about 4 yeares since.

“100 Foote of trowes made of square timber, hollowed and covered with plancke, valued at 10^lb, made by the Farmers.

“An Iron cast grate one the same watercourse.

“A watercourse of half a mile one the North of the Furnace, at the head thereof a dam and a small breach, wants soweringe, otherwise good, cutt by the Farmers, and cost them 20^lb, and will cost 3^lb.

“A Water course of above ½ mile to the South, made before their tyme.

“The Hutch built with stone and covered with plankes of 6 foot heigh, 3 foot broad, 70^ft, saving about 11 foot at the vent which is timber, repaired by the Farmers, in repaire, but the Courant stopt below with cinders, 13^lb 6^s 8^d; the cutting of a newe will cost 8^lb.

“The Fownder’s howse built before the Farmers’ tyme.

“A Cottage adjoininge.

“A Cabbyne for the bridge-server, covered with boards, built by them about a yeare since, 3 tonns, 18^ft longe, 11 broad, valued at 5^lb.

“A Cabbyne adjoining to the Furnace for the Furnace Keeper, about a Tonn, built by the Farmers, and valued at 2^lb.

“A Faire Howse, the ends stone built, the rest with Timber 50 foot longe, 16 broad; in it is a crosse building stories heigh, in repaire, tiled, built before the Farmers now granted, with 2 stables belonging, of tymber.

“A smale cottage, now William Wayt’s.

“A myne kilne, the inside in decay, the piggs of iron taken out of the draught thereof, the repaire will cost 2^lb.

“Tymber in doeinge of }
the saied worke ..  } 150 Tonnes, worth vis viiid the tonne.

“Implemnts.—1 pr bellowes open with the furniture of iron thereto belonging, defective in the lethers, valued at 13^lb 6^s 8^d, the repaire will cost 10^lb.; 2 buckstaves, 1 dam-plate, 2 sinder plats, 1 tuiron plate, 1 plackett, 1 gadge, 1 tuiron hoocke, 1 dam hoocke or stopinge hoocke, 4 iron shovells, 9 ringers, 6 cole baskets, 2 wheel barrows, 2 myne hammers, 1 coale rake, 2 cinder raks, 1 great sledge, 1 ringer hammer, 1 constable, 1 shammell plate, 6 iron cambs.

“1 Grindstone, 2 bellowe boards, never used, and 4 old ones, 1^lb 10^s.

“Collyers’ Hurdles.

“The tymber ymployed about the said worke estimated at 140 tonns, and valued at 8^s the tonn, 56^lb.

“The Repaire of the body of the furnace and the buildings, beames thereto belonginge, and other defects, to make it fit to blowe, estimated at 60^lb.

“Parkend Forge—consistinge of 2 hamers, 3 Fyneryes, and 1 chaffery, repayered about 2 years since by the Farmers, viz., 2 newe drome beames, 2 great hamers, shafts with wheeles and armes all newe, the body of the forge repaired in sundry places, one of the fyneryes built newe with the whole and shafts.

“The harmes to the great hamers newe and in repaire, valued at 12^lb.

“One other finerye chimney, made within the yeare, 5^lb, 3 newe trowes through the bay, 26^ft longe a piece, covered with planke one the west side, 13^lb 6^s 8^d.

“The hamer hutch one the west side, heigh and broad one the one side, plancked in the bottome ranges of tymber with spreaders conteyninge 150 foote in length, 40^lb.

“The chaffery wheele in the west side, old and decayed, 3^lb to repaire it.

“One longe trowe one the est side leadinge the watter to the fynerye, 66 foote longe, 6^lb 13^s 4^d; another great trowe with a penstocke, 32 foote, cost 3^lb 6^s 8^d; 1 great penstocke in the hamer trowe, 14 foot longe, 2 foote square, 40^s.

“2 Water Pricke Posts with his laces, 4^lb.

“The Hamer Hutch one the west side, 4 foote square, bottoms and sides with plancks, 2 ranges of timber 150 foote longe, 10^lb.

“The bodye of one Fynerye wheele all newe, made within 2 yeares last past by the Farmers.

“One little house for the carpenter to work in one the bay.

“Two ranges of tymber worke in the lower side of the bay, consistinge of sils, laces, and posts, built by the Farmers within 2 yeares, 120 foote, 12 heigh, 80^lb.

“The front of the bay where the water is led to the west side and drawinge gates built about 2 years since.  Stone walls on each side, 5^lb.

* * * * *

The same careful investigator (Mr. Wyrrall) of every particular relating to the iron-works of the Forest formed a glossary of the terms used in the above specifications, which not only sufficiently explains them, but also shows that very similar apparatus continued to be used in this neighbourhood up to the close of the last century.  It proceeds thus:—

“Sows of Iron are the long pieces of cast iron as they run into the sand immediately from the furnace; thus called from the appearance of this and the shorter pieces which are runned into smaller gutters made in the same sand, from the resemblance they have to a sow lying on her side with her pigs at her dugs.  These are for working up in the forges; but it is usual to cast other sows of iron of very great size to lay in the walls of the furnaces as beams to support the great strain of the work.

“Dam Plate is a large flat plate of cast iron placed on its edge against the front of the furnace, with a stone cut sloping and placed on the inside.  This plate has a notch on the top for the cinder or scruff to run off, and a place at the side to discharge the metal at casting.

“The Shaft of a wheel is a large round beam having the wheel fixed near the one end of it, and turning upon gudgeons or centres fixed in the two ends.

“The Furnace House I take to be what we call the casting house, where the metal runs out of the furnace into the sand.

“The Bridge is the place where the raw materials are laid down ready to be thrown into the furnace.  I conceive that it had its name (which is still continued) from this circumstance—that in the infancy of these works it was built as a bridge, hollow underneath.  It was not at first known what strength was required to support the blast of a furnace bellows; and the consequence was that they were often out of repair, and frequently obliged to be built almost entirely new.

“Bellows Boards—not very different from the present dimensions.

“The Hutch, or as it is now corruptly called the Witch, a wide covered drain below the furnace-wheel to carry off the water from it, usually arched, but here only covered with timbers to support the rubbish and earth thrown upon it.

“Cambs are iron cogs fixed in the shaft to work the bellows as the wheel turns round.

“Cinder Shovels, iron shovels for taking up the cinders into the boxes, both to measure them and to fill the furnace.

“Moulding Ship, an iron tool fixed on a wooden handle, so formed as to make the gutters in the sand for casting the pig and sow iron.

“Casting Ladles, made hollow like a dish, with a lip to lade up the liquid iron for small castings.

“Wringers, large long bars of iron to wring the furnace, that is to clear it of the grosser and least fluid cinder which rises on the upper surface, and would there coagulate and soon prevent the furnace from working aright.

“Constable, a bar of very great substance and length, kept always lying by a furnace in readiness for extraordinary purposes in which uncommon strength and purchase were required.  I suppose this name to have been given to this tool on account of its superior bulk and power, and in allusion to the Constable of St. Briavel’s Castle, an officer heretofore of very great weight and consequence in this Forest.

“Cinder Hook, a hook of iron for drawing away the scruff or cinder which runs liquid out of the furnace over the dam plate, and soon becomes a solid substance, which must be removed to make room for fresh cinder to run out into its place.

“Plackett, a tool contrived as a kind of trowel for smoothing and shaping the clay.

“Buckstones, now called Buckstaves, are two thick plates of iron, about 5 or 6 feet long, fixed one on each side of the front of the furnace down to the ground to support the stone work.

“Tuiron Plate is a plate of cast iron fixed before the noses of the bellows, and so shaped as to conduct the blast into the body of the furnace.

“Tuiron Hooke, a tool contrived for conveying a lump of tempered clay before the point of the tuiron plate, to guard the wall from wearing away as it would otherwise do in that part, there being the greatest force of the fire.

“Shammel Plate, a piece of cast iron fixed on a wooden frame, in the shape of a ──│, which works up and down as a crank, so as for the camb to lay hold of this iron, and thereby press down the bellows.

“Firketts are large square pieces of timber laid upon the upper woods of the bellows, to steady it and to work it.

“Firkett Hooks, two strong hooks of square wrought iron fixed at the smallest end of the bellows to keep it firm and in its place.

“Gage, two rods of iron jointed in the middle, with a ring for the filler to drop the shortest end into the furnace at the top, to know when it is worked down low enough to be charged again.

“Poises, wooden beams, one over each bellows, fixed upon centres across another very large beam; at the longest end of these poises are open boxes bound with iron, and the little end being fixed with harness to the upper ends of the firketts are thus pressed down, and the bellows with it by the working of the wheel, while the weight of the poises lifts them up alternately as the wheel goes round.”

“After they have provided their ore, their first work is to calcine it, which is done in kilns, much after the fashion of our ordinary lime-kilns; these they fill up to the top with coal and ore untill it be full, and so putting fire to the bottom, they let it burn till the coal be wasted, and then renew the kilnes with fresh ore and coal: this is done without any infusion of mettal, and serves to consume the more drossy part of the ore, and to make it fryable, supplying the beating and washing, which are to no other mettals; from hence they carry it to their furnaces, which are built of brick and stone, about 24 foot square on the outside, and near 30 foot in hight within, and not above 8 or 10 foot over where it is widest, which is about the middle, the top and bottom having a narrow compass, much like the form of an egg.  Behind the furnace are placed two high pair of bellows, whose noses meet at a little hole near the bottom: these are compressed together by certain buttons placed on the axis of a very large wheel, which is turned round by water, in the manner of an overshot mill.  As soon as these buttons are slid off, the bellows are raised again by a counterpoise of weights, whereby they are made to play alternately, the one giving its blast whilst the other is rising.

“After these furnaces are once at work, they keep them constantly employed for many months together, never suffering the fire to slacken night or day, but still supplying the waste of fuel and other materials with fresh, poured in at the top.

“Several attempts have been made to bring in the use of the sea coal in these works instead of charcoal; the former being to be had at an easy rate, the latter not without a great expence; but hitherto they have proved ineffectual, the workmen finding by experience that a sea coal fire, how vehement soever, will not penetrate the most fixed parts of the ore, by which means they leave much of the mettal behind them unmelted.

“From these furnaces they bring the sows and piggs of iron, as they call them, to their forges; these are two sorts, though they stood together under the same roof; one they call their finery, and the other chafers: both of them are upon hearths, upon which they place great heaps of sea coal, and behind them bellows like those of the furnaces, but nothing near so large.

“In such finerys they first put their piggs of iron, placing three or four of them together, behind the fire, with a little of one end thrust into it, where softening by degrees they stir and work them with long barrs of iron till the mettal runs together in a round masse or lump, which they call an half bloome: this they take out, and giving it a few strokes with their sledges, they carry it to a great weighty hammer, raised likewise by the motion of a water-wheel, where applying it dexterously to the blows, they presently beat it into a thick short square; this they put into the finery again, and heating it red hot, they work it under the same hammer till it comes to the shape of a bar in the middle, with two square knobs in the ends; last of all they give it other beatings in the chaffers, and more workings under the hammer, till they have brought their iron into barrs of several shapes, in which fashion they expose them to sale.

“Forest of Deane to witt.Att a Court of Mine and Miners of Our Sovereign Lord the King, held att the Speech-ouse, in and for the Forest of Deane, on Tuesday the 13^th day of December, in the year of Our Lord one thousand seven hundred and forty-eight, before Christopher Bond, Esq^r, and Thomas James, gentleman, deputyes to the Right Honourable Augustus, Earl of Berkeley, Constable of the Castle of S^t Briavels, in the County of Gloucester, Christopher Bond, Esq^r, gaveller of the said mines, and Phillip Elly, deputy gaveller of the said mines.

“The names of the Jury.—Richard Powell, Simon Bannister, George Thomas, Frances Dutheridge, William Kerr, Richard Hawkins, Joseph Cooper, Samuel Kerr, Henry Roberts, William Meeke, Richard Tingle, James Teague.

“William Gagg otherwise Smith, and his Vearns, against James Bennett and his Vearns.

Another suit, dated 20th January, 1753, is also subjoined:—

“William Dukes and his vernes, plaintiffs, against William Keare and his vernes, defendants.

“We complain against William Keare and his vernes for wrongfully forbidding us out of a stone coal work, called the Gentlemen Colliers, within the Hundred of S^t Briavels, that we should not get any coal of the deep side of our former work, which coal our levell drains, and ours being the most ancient level.  We leave this to the best evidence.We have attended the place, and burned our light, according to our laws and customs, and through this wrong forbidd we are dampnified five pounds.  And whereas several forbidds have been given before, we, the aforesaid plaintiffs and defendants, left the same to the determination of Charles Godwin and Richard James, and we the said plaintiffs have duly observed the said determination, and that the said defendants have gone contrary to an order made by 48 free miners in getting of coal that our levell would have drained, and have dampnified our levell, whereby they have forfeited the penalty of the said Order.  And this we will prove by evidence, and the damages in getting coal we will leave to the Order in C^t.

“We deny the forbid given to him or his vernes.  We forbidd them in getting any coal betwixt our work and theirs, except their levell could dry it fairly.  There was an agreement betwixt us, and they went contrary to the agreement, and this we will prove ourselves and by witnesses.”

Here is a copy of an Agreement, resembling no doubt the one mentioned above:—

                                        “The mark of X Richd Powell.

                                        “The mark of X John Jenkins.

                                        “The mark of X James Elsmore.

                                        “The mark of X W^m Thomas.

                                        “The mark of X Thos Worgan.”

The following is a specimen of an official “Forbid:”—

“Thomas Hobbs.  I do hereby, in his Majesty King George the Third’s name, being owner and chief gaveller of his Majesty’s Forest of Dean, in the county of Gloucester, and of the coal and mines therein, forbid you, your verns, your servants, agents, or workmen, for getting, diging, or raising any more stone coal out of any fire pitt or pitts, or water pitt or pitts, a deep the Majors suff level gutter in the said Forest, or to permit or suffer any stone coal to be got, dug, or raised out of any such pitt or pitts, untill you have satisfied and paid me his Majesty’s gale and dues for working and getting coal in such pitts for two years last past, and untill you agree with me for the gale and dues of such pitt and pitts for the future.  If you break this forbid, you will incur the penalty of an Order made by forty-eight free miners.

              “Dated this 22d day of } John Robinson, &c.,
                          May, 1775.  } deputy gaveller.”

In the terms of a Memorandum, apparently of this date, or perhaps earlier, it is said:—