The Forest miners of the present day are well acquainted with the geological structure of their neighbourhood, more especially with the out-crop, succession, and dip of the mineral veins. In short, their natural endowments are fully equal to the general standard, and only require cultivation, as frequently appears from the quickness with which they detect the bearings of any pecuniary transaction, and their proneness to litigation. Many superstitions, however, still linger amongst them, such as the use of charms and incantations, a belief in witchcraft and an evil eye, a resort to "wise men," and even to the minister of the parish as being a "Master of Arts," or for some of the offertory money, out of which to have a charm-ring made. They are likewise inclined to give credence to tales of apparitions, and to regard sickness and accident as fated and inevitable. From their having been for so many generations an isolated and peculiar people, most of them are ignorant of the rest of the world, and have of course a correspondingly exaggerated idea of their own importance. It is pleasing to observe the sympathy they manifest towards the sick amongst them, or such as have been accidentally injured; and although most independent in their notions, and impatient of con "So, when states and empires shaking I, comparatively speaking, Am secure from strife and care. "Though the wintry blast should wither "And like thee, I too shall perish, When my life's brief summer 's o'er; "Winter past, so drear and hoary, From the darkness of the tomb." trol, they seem always thankful for real kindness. What they chiefly lack is more generosity and candour towards strangers, and a clearer understanding of their duties as protectors of the national property, in respect of the crops of timber which grow around them. In most mining districts the moral habits of the people are more or less in a low state, and they are certainly not worse here than elsewhere. One source of evil arises from the large ablutions which their working underground necessitates. The process of washing on their return from the pit is not performed as privately as it might be, and the effect of this upon the moral perceptions of the people, huddled together in their small cottages, is very injurious. It is a pity some arrangement is not made for having washhouses at the pits, where a supply of hot water from the boilers might be easily obtained for the purpose. One half of the Forest population is understood to be employed at the coal-works, a fourth part at those of iron, whose red dresses make them easily known, and the remaining portion are employed in the quarries and woods, &c. Horses of a bad breed, donkeys, mules, cattle, sheep, pigs, and geese abound, owing to the free pasture afforded by the open Forest, the three former having been used for many generations in carrying iron-mine, coal, charcoal, &c. Farming operations are necessarily very limited. Cider obtained from the styre apple used to be a common beverage; but that fruit has long been extinct, and malt-liquor is now mostly preferred. Gardening is little attended to, the colliers generally feeling indisposed to further exertion after returning from the pit. In few instances only are bees kept. Formerly much of the wearing apparel was made from home-spun wool, woven or knitted in the neighbourhood; but this is not now the practice. The turf-covered cabin, resting on four dry walls, without windows, and pierced only by a low door, with * The preservation of the existing crop depends mainly upon the practical inculcation of this principle. a very rude fireplace and chimney in "the pine end," and partially paved with rough stones, once the habitation of the Forest "cabiner," is now almost entirely superseded by two-floored cottages, often containing not less than four apartments. In bygone days a few neighbours, taking advantage of a moonlight night, accomplished the erection of a cabin ere the morning dawned, in which case it was supposed that the keepers had no power to pull it down. To show the eagerness with which poor families sought to establish themselves in the Forest, it may be mentioned that they took possession of the ancient mine-caves, walling up the back and front, leaving a vent for the smoke in the former, and in the latter a gap as an entrance. Their pastimes used to be dancing and foot-ball, to the great delight of people of all ages: indeed there are several spots yet called from the above circumstance "the dancing green." Wakes were likewise very popular, and also the game of fives, so that at Ruerdean one side of the church tower was whitewashed for the purpose, and resorted to even on Sundays. Some of the provincialisms of the district occur in the following words" yat" (gate), tump" (hillock), "teart (sharp), "spract" (lively), "twich" (touch), "near a anoust" (near the same), "anunt" (opposite). 66 Peculiarities also occur in the selection of Christian names, including these - Benedicta, Abia, Winifred, Kezia, Barzillai, Sibylla, Eve, Saba, Sabina, Beata, Tryphena, Belinda, Myra, Terzah, Nimrod, River, Milson, Miles, &c.* On account of the dense woods with which the Forest was anciently covered, added to the fact that except at Newland, and perhaps at Park End, no churches were * "River Jordan" occurs in the neighbouring parish registers many times during the last 150 years; also "Providence Potter;" one of whose representatives, a sad drunken fellow, once went to his humane squire in great distress. The worthy gentleman, after suggesting various expedients, but to no purpose, at last said "Well! he could see nothing for it but to trust in Providence." "Lord bless ye, Sir, why, Providence has been dead these ten years." built within it, we may conclude that at an early period its population was small, the persons engaged in the iron and coal works then living, as many of the working people do now, in the adjoining parishes. Our earliest information as to the number of inhabitants residing within its present limits relates to the time of the Commonwealth, when "400 cabins of beggarly people living upon the waste, and destroying the wood and timber, were thrown down." In 1712 Sir R. Atkins states that "there had been many cottages in it, but that they "had been lately pulled down, leaving only the six "keepers' houses." He gives 6,090 as the total population of the outlying parishes, thus distributed : 66 66 1 At the close of the century, the Forest, as now bounded, comprised 589 houses, which in 1803 had increased to 696, the number of free miners being then 662. Since that time the inhabitants of the Forest have gone on increasing as follows: of whom about 1,789 have the right of voting for Members of Parliament. The annual value of property existing in the Forest, not belonging to the Crown, was estimated in 1849 at 13,6037. 14s. 2d., and in 1856 at 18,4927. 178. 7d. Churches and schools - CHAPTER X. Religious provisions before the Reformation Rev. P. M. Procter, Vicar of Newland, lectures in Thomas Morgan's cottage The erection of a place for worship proposed Rev. H. Berkin opens a Sunday-school Mr. Procter uses his chapel schoolroom Mr. Berkin lectures in the Foresters' cottages Builds Holy Trinity Church (1817) - His assiduous labours and death in 1847 Christ Church, Berry Hill - Mr. Procter's death-His successors Rev. H. Poole builds St. Paul's, Park End, and school- Rev. J. J. Ebsworth - St. John's, Cinderford, consecrated 1844 Lydbrook Church consecrated 1851 - Government aid to the churches and schools. rooms PREVIOUS to the Reformation, care seems to have been taken to provide the population of the Forest with the means of religious worship. The border churches of Mitcheldean and Newland were far larger than the people residing in their immediate neighbourhood required; and there were others, of which the memorials only remain in the names of "Chapel Hill" and "Church Hill,” the former in the parish of English Bicknor, and the latter at Park End. This last was connected apparently with Ruerdean, if we may judge from the "Churchway" which ran in that direction and gave the name to an adjacent colliery. The "Laws and Customes" of the free miners, dating as far back certainly as the year 1300, show that the services of the Church were then generally known-the King's Gaveller being therein directed to visit the mine "between Mattens and Masse," and the miner was to "swear by his faith." For 200 years after the Reformation no further provision was made, indeed none was apparently required, as the Forest had been more than once nearly depopulated during that period, and was said to be almost without inhabitants in 1712. In common with many other mineral districts, especially those in the West, the Rev. John Wesley established a connection with our Forest miners. He visited Coleford as early as 1756, and did so again in 1763; and his Journal thus records these visits : |