THE FOREST
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THE FOREST BY JACOB KING
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The Forest of Dean is 110 square killometres of woodland located in the west part of Gloucestershire. Traditionally the main sources of work have been forestry – including charcoal production - iron working and coal mining. 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. The Forest of Dean Coalfield, underlying the Forest of Dean, in west 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 hundreds of years, mining in the Forest of Dean Coalfield has been regulated through a system of freemining, in which individuals who qualify, are granted leases to mine specified areas, known as gales. The Coal Industry Nationalisation Act 1946 exempted the Forest of Dean because of its unique form of ownership and history, allowing the unique privilege to continue intact. Towards the end of the 18th century, as the industrial revolution began to take hold, increasing demand for coal and iron led to conflicting mining interests and the Court became bogged down with disputes. Deep coal and iron reserves could not be mined
without substantial investment and the Crown became determined to introduce the free market into the Forest. They began by outlawing the Mine Law Court in 1777 and all the documents from the Mine Law Court were stolen by Crown Officials. A Royal Commission was appointed in 1831 to inquire into the nature of the mineral interests and freemining customs in the Forest of Dean, leading to the passing of the Dean Forest Mines Act 1838,[5] which now forms the basis of Freemining law. It confirmed the Freeminers’ exclusive right to the minerals of the Forest of Dean, but also allowed Freeminers to sell their gales to a non-Freeminers; further opening up the Forest to outside industriali-
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sation. The collieries or gales, most of which were small, were given “imaginative” somewhat unusual names, such as Strip and At It, Gentleman Colliers or Rain Proof. They took coal from seams or delfs named Rocky, Lowery and Starkey. Child labour was used extensively underground to drag loads of coal up to 1942 when it was made illegal. In 1904 some gales were amalgamated into seven groups in order to mine on a larger scale from deeper seams and the output reached one million tons annually. Output declined after World War II and the last big pit closed in 1965 and the area was subject to opencast working. Coal is still mined on a
very small scale. This book aims to shine a light on the coal mining that is carried out today, although the scale has shrunk. We live in a critical time regarding our natural resources and the timeline for coal can now be calculated in worryingly realistic and relatable figures. The miners that I have been able to meet have more optimistic views, the Hopewell colliery where I spent much of my time is currently in the process of transforming itself from part-time mine with a reliance on tourism to a more full-time coal mine. During the summer months a visitors mine is open along with a cafe and refreshments. The museum is an attempt to show visitors the history and tradition of
freemining. Robin Morgan, the longest-serving current miner (66 years), is leading the transformation. The independence of the free miners means they aren’t as fearful about coal and it’s eventual perish, it is a sub-culture of miners detached from the world view. The thing most important thing is preserving the tradition. To qualify to be a free miner, one must have been born within the Hundreds of St Briavels, and be at least 21 years of age, and have worked a year and a day in a coal or iron mine. Up until 2010 it was also essential that anybody wishing to be a miner was male, this was then ammended however and labelled archaic, Elaine Morman being the first female.
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“All male persons born or hereafter to be born and abiding within the said Hundred of St Briavels, of the age of twenty one years and upwards, who shall have worked a year and a day in a coal or iron mine within the said Hundred of St Briavels, shall be deemed and taken to be Free Miners.� the Dean Forest (Mines) Act 1838
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“I can’t imagine not mining – wouldn’t know what to do with myself.”
Robin Morgan, Hopewell, 2014.
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“I don’t want to be the last free miner...how can you let 800 years of history fade away...”
Richard Daniels, Hopewell, 2015.
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“I don’t make any money out of it – I have to keep cutting coal to pay for it.” Robin Morgan
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Hopewell Colliery, 2014.
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Hopewell Mine Entrance, 2015.
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Down the mine the first realisation is the cold temperature and dirt that envelop this workplace. Richard and David once down in the mine, spoke about the efforts required to maintain it as a working one. They spoke of Robin in years gone by collecting and engineering the timber and steel that makes up the structure and protects them whilst they collect the coal, a mammoth endeavour.
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Currently, the miners are working towards establishing a fully working mine at the Hopewell Colliery. I joined them as they had to do the tedious jobs of readying the mine for this. This included collecting carriage after carriage of dirt that stood between the miners and the coal they aim to recover. This job is made even more tedious by the small workforce, making this a very long process. There is however a determination and willingness that occupies every task the miners have to carry out that has served them throughout the generations.
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“All I am doing is keeping the mine alive so it is here long after I am gone.� Robin Morgan
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Phoenix Colliery, 2014.
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Monument Colliery, 2015.
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