BACKGROUND
People living in The Forest of Dean have an unbroken history of mining and exploration for useful materials from beneath the ground. Tools discovered at ancient Forest of Dean mine sites, show ochre mining in particular has been practised since prehistoric times, when the rules for who had the right to mine may have been established. Ochre, iron ore and coal production by local miners was well established by the time of Roman occupation of the area and local mine operators were allowed to continue mining in their own right, this is possibly when the miners were considered Free from the Imperial State and the present mining customs began to be established. Later from Crown records, we know Forest of Dean miners continued to operate independently and their mining skills were highly regarded. Forest of Dean miners were taken on campaigns by the king, around the country, to Scotland and even France. Medieval Kings in particular found the Dean miner’s skills invaluable and might even ask for certain Freeminers by name. The Forest of Dean became one of the most important coal and iron mining districts of Britain. It's from the medieval period we have the first known written records of Freemining.
MEDIEVAL
By Norman times, Forest of Dean miners had become an important part of the national economy. As well as producing essential iron ore to make horseshoes, nails and weapons, Freeminers skills were seen as a useful military asset. They were particularly in demand during the Hundred Years War with France (1337-1453). You might like to visit the medieval Freeminer guild church of St Michael at Abenhall, Nr. Mitcheldean, which holds important early representations of Freemining.
ROYAL PATRONAGE
There are many references to medieval Freeminers, who were instrumental in recapturing Berwick upon Tweed several times during the 13thC-14thC, as it passed between Scottish and English hands. Tradition tells us that it was for these services, that Edward I granted the Dean Miners a Royal Charter.
Dean miners were called to campaigns that involved siege or earth works, especially during the Hundred Year's War (1337-1453). After Henry V's French campaign in 1415 (famously including the battle of Agincourt) the King’s brother, John Duke of Bedford (then Regent of England and Gaveller of the Forest of Dean) hand delivered a document to the miners on behalf of the King, re-confirming their custom after their services in France.
FRENCH CAMPAIGNS
Freeminers frequently fought in France during the Hundred Years War, documented as part of campaigns that included the famous battles at Crecy (1346) and Agincourt (1415) when 120 miners were indentured for the campaign by Sir John Greyndour who was then Constable of St Briavels castle. Oral history tells us that of the 120 miners that went, only 63 came home. Dean miners became known as 'The King's Miners' and 'King's Pyoneers', an equivalent role better known today as the Royal Engineers or 'Sappers.' They were used to break seiges by tunneling into a castle or town, 'undermining' fortifications and collapsing them, creating earthworks, trenches, helping build timber structures, installing stake defences etc.
As well as mining skills, most Dean miners were excellent archers and ferocious in hand to hand combat. They were hard men, used to operating in harsh conditions. By law from 1363 all English males from 15 - 60 years old were required to practice archery for at least two hours on Sundays and festival days, no other new-fangled distracting games such as football and golf were to be allowed to replace archery, on pain of death. Dean miners by their trade were already strong and able to pull powerful warbows; their archery skills were an asset during campaigns (even today archery practice areas known as 'The Butts', can still be found in local mining villages of Clearwell, Blakeney and Staunton).
As late as 1522 Henry VIII demanded 300 archers from the Forest of Dean to go to Dover to fight in France; the vast majority, if not all, would have been Freeminers. By the beginning of the 16th century archery was in serious decline throughout the country, the Forest of Dean was one of the last areas in England where large numbers of skilled archers could still be found.
FREE MINING SAILORS!
In 1577 a dozen Freeminers were requested to go on board ship with one of England's great sea captains - Martin Frobisher. They were to accompany him on his ultimately unsuccessful adventures, to discover the elusive North-West Passage; a trading route to Asia, around the North American continent. The expedition returned unsuccessful but with over two hundred tons of mineral samples (thought to contain gold), presented to the court of Queen Elizabeth I.
18th-19th CENTURY
Towards the end of the 18th century conflicting mining interests arose, created by a nationally insatiable demand for coal and iron created by the emerging Industrial Revolution. Powerful outside interests began to look towards the largely untapped coal and iron reserves in the Forest of Dean, they could see they were reserved solely to the Freeminers and they looked for a way in. The Freeminers' Mine Law Court had successfully protected and regulated Freemining for many centuries, but had become bogged down by disputes, embroiled with increasing pressures to allow outside interests to become partners or to operate and buy Forest of Dean mines. In 1777 the Mine Law Court records, which had been kept in a locked box at the Speech House, were stolen. Without records, the Court could no longer function properly and stopped operating, despite demands from many Freeminers that it should continue.
The Crown saw an opportunity to rationalise the system to suit all interests. Deep coal and iron reserves would not be mined without substantial investment from wealthy investors. Industrial interests from outside the Forest of Dean, particularly from the Protheroe and Crawshay families from Bristol and industrialised South Wales, were wishing to create larger and deeper coal and iron mines than had ever been dug in the Forest of Dean before. The existence of the Freeminers' custom meant outside interests were excluded, the custom had been enforced by the Mine Law Court, so it was seen as the major obstacle.
By the 1830’s the Mine Law Court had not been functioning for fifty years, the Crown held a series of formal Inquiries to establish the custom’s legitimacy and how it was now being applied. After intensive scrutiny, the ancient custom was transformed into the Dean Forest (Mines) Act 1838, codifying the custom and incorporating the rules of working that are applied today. However, under this new Act of Parliament a Freeminer was now entitled to sell their mine (gale) to a non Freeminer, which until then had been forbidden by custom and enforced by the Mine Law Court.
FREEMINING TODAY
In more recent times Freeminers have continued using their mining skills, fighting in Pioneer Corps' during the last two world wars and working on civil engineering projects such as tunneling under the river Severn at Gloucester, underground support for the Bream bypass, the Channel Tunnel, Combe Down stabilisation at Bath.
More recent legislation has continued to give specific exemptions to keep the Freemining custom intact today.
There are five small collieries (including Hopewell Colliery museum) still operating, one iron mine (Clearwell Caves) and some small walling stone quarries. Freemining has a long and proud history, most Forest families can tell a mining tale or two and will proudly claim a Freemining ancestor or relative. The Freemining custom has physically shaped the Forest of Dean and continues to be an important part of the culture that makes the area unique.
People living in The Forest of Dean have an unbroken history of mining and exploration for useful materials from beneath the ground. Tools discovered at ancient Forest of Dean mine sites, show ochre mining in particular has been practised since prehistoric times, when the rules for who had the right to mine may have been established. Ochre, iron ore and coal production by local miners was well established by the time of Roman occupation of the area and local mine operators were allowed to continue mining in their own right, this is possibly when the miners were considered Free from the Imperial State and the present mining customs began to be established. Later from Crown records, we know Forest of Dean miners continued to operate independently and their mining skills were highly regarded. Forest of Dean miners were taken on campaigns by the king, around the country, to Scotland and even France. Medieval Kings in particular found the Dean miner’s skills invaluable and might even ask for certain Freeminers by name. The Forest of Dean became one of the most important coal and iron mining districts of Britain. It's from the medieval period we have the first known written records of Freemining.
MEDIEVAL
By Norman times, Forest of Dean miners had become an important part of the national economy. As well as producing essential iron ore to make horseshoes, nails and weapons, Freeminers skills were seen as a useful military asset. They were particularly in demand during the Hundred Years War with France (1337-1453). You might like to visit the medieval Freeminer guild church of St Michael at Abenhall, Nr. Mitcheldean, which holds important early representations of Freemining.
ROYAL PATRONAGE
There are many references to medieval Freeminers, who were instrumental in recapturing Berwick upon Tweed several times during the 13thC-14thC, as it passed between Scottish and English hands. Tradition tells us that it was for these services, that Edward I granted the Dean Miners a Royal Charter.
Dean miners were called to campaigns that involved siege or earth works, especially during the Hundred Year's War (1337-1453). After Henry V's French campaign in 1415 (famously including the battle of Agincourt) the King’s brother, John Duke of Bedford (then Regent of England and Gaveller of the Forest of Dean) hand delivered a document to the miners on behalf of the King, re-confirming their custom after their services in France.
FRENCH CAMPAIGNS
Freeminers frequently fought in France during the Hundred Years War, documented as part of campaigns that included the famous battles at Crecy (1346) and Agincourt (1415) when 120 miners were indentured for the campaign by Sir John Greyndour who was then Constable of St Briavels castle. Oral history tells us that of the 120 miners that went, only 63 came home. Dean miners became known as 'The King's Miners' and 'King's Pyoneers', an equivalent role better known today as the Royal Engineers or 'Sappers.' They were used to break seiges by tunneling into a castle or town, 'undermining' fortifications and collapsing them, creating earthworks, trenches, helping build timber structures, installing stake defences etc.
As well as mining skills, most Dean miners were excellent archers and ferocious in hand to hand combat. They were hard men, used to operating in harsh conditions. By law from 1363 all English males from 15 - 60 years old were required to practice archery for at least two hours on Sundays and festival days, no other new-fangled distracting games such as football and golf were to be allowed to replace archery, on pain of death. Dean miners by their trade were already strong and able to pull powerful warbows; their archery skills were an asset during campaigns (even today archery practice areas known as 'The Butts', can still be found in local mining villages of Clearwell, Blakeney and Staunton).
As late as 1522 Henry VIII demanded 300 archers from the Forest of Dean to go to Dover to fight in France; the vast majority, if not all, would have been Freeminers. By the beginning of the 16th century archery was in serious decline throughout the country, the Forest of Dean was one of the last areas in England where large numbers of skilled archers could still be found.
FREE MINING SAILORS!
In 1577 a dozen Freeminers were requested to go on board ship with one of England's great sea captains - Martin Frobisher. They were to accompany him on his ultimately unsuccessful adventures, to discover the elusive North-West Passage; a trading route to Asia, around the North American continent. The expedition returned unsuccessful but with over two hundred tons of mineral samples (thought to contain gold), presented to the court of Queen Elizabeth I.
18th-19th CENTURY
Towards the end of the 18th century conflicting mining interests arose, created by a nationally insatiable demand for coal and iron created by the emerging Industrial Revolution. Powerful outside interests began to look towards the largely untapped coal and iron reserves in the Forest of Dean, they could see they were reserved solely to the Freeminers and they looked for a way in. The Freeminers' Mine Law Court had successfully protected and regulated Freemining for many centuries, but had become bogged down by disputes, embroiled with increasing pressures to allow outside interests to become partners or to operate and buy Forest of Dean mines. In 1777 the Mine Law Court records, which had been kept in a locked box at the Speech House, were stolen. Without records, the Court could no longer function properly and stopped operating, despite demands from many Freeminers that it should continue.
The Crown saw an opportunity to rationalise the system to suit all interests. Deep coal and iron reserves would not be mined without substantial investment from wealthy investors. Industrial interests from outside the Forest of Dean, particularly from the Protheroe and Crawshay families from Bristol and industrialised South Wales, were wishing to create larger and deeper coal and iron mines than had ever been dug in the Forest of Dean before. The existence of the Freeminers' custom meant outside interests were excluded, the custom had been enforced by the Mine Law Court, so it was seen as the major obstacle.
By the 1830’s the Mine Law Court had not been functioning for fifty years, the Crown held a series of formal Inquiries to establish the custom’s legitimacy and how it was now being applied. After intensive scrutiny, the ancient custom was transformed into the Dean Forest (Mines) Act 1838, codifying the custom and incorporating the rules of working that are applied today. However, under this new Act of Parliament a Freeminer was now entitled to sell their mine (gale) to a non Freeminer, which until then had been forbidden by custom and enforced by the Mine Law Court.
FREEMINING TODAY
In more recent times Freeminers have continued using their mining skills, fighting in Pioneer Corps' during the last two world wars and working on civil engineering projects such as tunneling under the river Severn at Gloucester, underground support for the Bream bypass, the Channel Tunnel, Combe Down stabilisation at Bath.
More recent legislation has continued to give specific exemptions to keep the Freemining custom intact today.
There are five small collieries (including Hopewell Colliery museum) still operating, one iron mine (Clearwell Caves) and some small walling stone quarries. Freemining has a long and proud history, most Forest families can tell a mining tale or two and will proudly claim a Freemining ancestor or relative. The Freemining custom has physically shaped the Forest of Dean and continues to be an important part of the culture that makes the area unique.