Early records.
Freeminers' rights have existed from "tyme out of Minde and after in tyme." Freemining has been practised continuously from the remotest past. Today written records exist from 1244, showing Freeminers were exercising their rights to minerals in the Forest of Dean. The earliest Mine Law Court documents survive from 1469 (now in the Gloucestershire Archive - PRO).
In 1612 a parchment document was produced called the ‘Dean Miners’ Lawes and Privileges’ (PRO); existing versions contain references and phrases that hint at possibly being copied from an earlier Latin or French document. The existing document contains 41 laws and privileges for the winning of Myne (iron ore) and Se Cole (coal). The rights of access are outlined and the method of staking a claim, known as a ‘gale.’ The duties of the Gaveller (the King’s representative) and assistant Deputy Gavellers are outlined, these include the collection of royalties in cash or kind. It also mentions the miner's court “that is called Myne Lawe,” held at St Briavels Castle.
Royal Charter.
There are many interesting facts associated with medieval Freeminers; amongst them, undermining of castle and town walls; they fought in Wales, Scotland and France, they helped recapture the border town of Berwick upon Tweed several times during the 13th and 14th Centuries, as it passed back and forth between Scottish and English hands. Oral tradition, tells us that it was for their services provided at Berwick that Edward I granted Dean Miners a Royal Charter.
French Campaigns.
Freeminers fought in France amongst many campaigns throughout the Hundred Years War, they famously fought at the battles of Crecy (1346) and Agincourt (1415). Dean miners were an important part of the King’s armoury, they became known as the 'King's Pyoneers,' used to create earthworks and undermine fortifications, as well as being useful fighters. Coming from the Forest of Dean, the miners were experts with the long bow, excellent archers through formal practice on Sundays, but also through hunting and poaching. They were renowned for their hardiness and ferocity in battle.
Agincourt Campaign.
During Henry V's French campaign of 1415, 120 Freeminers were taken to France, by Sir John Greyndour who was lord of the manor, constable of St Briavels castle and presided over the Mine Law Court. The miners were used at the siege of Harfleur and fought at the subsequent battle of Agincourt; of the 120 who went, only 63 survived. The miners helped renovate their guild church at Abenhall, nr Mitcheldean, to give thanks for their safe return. Today Abenhall church contains important Freemining emblems from that time, including the beautiful early 15thC font, showing coats of arms of prominent families and those of the colliers and smiths who fought at the battle. Above the sealed up North doorway is a stone showing the iron miner's coat of arms, including a relief head of a determined miner wearing an archer's cap.
Shortly after their return from France, Henry V sent his brother, John Duke of Bedford (also Gaveller of the Forest of Dean), to present the Freeminers with a document, thanking them for their service in France and re-confirming their mining customs.
Freemining sailors!
In 1576 a dozen Freeminers were selected to go on board ship with one of England’s great sea captains - Martin Frobisher. They were part of a series of adventures trying to discover the elusive North-West Passage; a route around the North American continent. Although ultimately unsuccessful, they landed on an island off what is now the Canadian coast and brought back mineral samples, presented to the court of Queen Elizabeth I.
18th century.
Towards the end of the 18th century conflicting mining interests arose, particularly created by the influence and rapid growth of the Industrial Revolution. Entrepreneurs from Bristol and South Wales began to look for ways into Forest of Dean mining, allowing outside interests; the Mine Law Court was a major barrier. The Court became embroiled in disputes and struggled to enforce its decisions, especially as outside interests began working with some miners. Disputes culminated in 1777, with the theft of the complete Freeminers' records that had been held in a locked box at the Speech House. The Mine Law Court stopped functioning. 50 years later, Freeminer's documents reappeared, in the hands of Crown officers and were used as evidence during a series of Crown inquisitions in the 1830’s. Some of the original documents did not reappear, including the important letter from Henry V and no Freeminers' charter is known today. The Dean Miners’ Lawes and Privileges and some later Mine Law Court Orders however did re-appear, becoming the basis for the Rules and Regulations in the Acts of Parliament, which Freeminers work to today.
19th Century.
Deep coal and iron reserves below water level, could not be mined without substantial investment. So with increasing pressure from outside interests, more Freeminers began working with 'foreigners' who wanted to create larger, deeper collieries and iron mines, than had ever been attempted in the Forest of Dean.
A Royal Commission was set up in 1831 and its reports culminated with the ‘Dean Forest Mines Act 1838’. This was Public Act with local effect (a hybrid Act), codifies the Freeminers’ customs and rights to minerals in the Forest of Dean. The Freemining custom became modern Parliamentary Statutes. The Second Schedule to the Award of Mines Act 1841 - Rules and Regulations for the working of Gales, gives the rules for working mines, administered by the Deputy Gaveller today.
20th century Freemining.
During the two World Wars, many Forest of Dean miners were recruited to join pioneer corps. During the First World War hundreds of local miners volunteered, in particular joining the 13th Batallion of the Gloucestershire Regiment also known as the 'Forest of Dean Pioneers', the 5th and 9th Batallion Glosters and the Royal Monmouthshire Regiment Royal Engineers. Miners were well used to hard physical labour, to the conditions and hardship encountered in the trenches. Miners became involved in making and repairing defences, as well as involvement in tunnelling schemes. Their work was dangerous, often working in no-mans land during the night. Due to the nature of their work creating such heavy losses, the 13th Forest of Dean Pioneers was disbanded by the army just before the end of the First World War, to become a training cadre.
Although they had experienced such horrific losses amongst their colleagues, many miners later rejoined similar Regiments during the Second World War, even though mining was a reserved occupation.
Following the beginning of Coal Nationalisation in 1938, the Forest of Dean was exempted due to its unique form of ownership and history. The Coal Industry Nationalisation Act 1946 also included specific exemptions. Some large colliery gales were subsequently purchased by the National Coal Board (NCB) but a small royalty continued to be paid by the Board, to the Freeminer Deep Gale Trustees. The last deep mine closed on Christmas Day 1965 and the payments ceased.
As large mines closed and NCB miners began looking for work, some NCB miners began their own collieries, or went to work in existing Freemines. Throughout the 1960's/70's there were over 20 collieries, usually operated by just a few men at each mine. One of the largest of these later Freemines was Hopewell colliery, run by the Hinton brothers and employing around a dozen miners at any time. Hopewell closed for a while in 1989, to be re-opened as a working colliery with an underground musem.
More recently, Freeminers have been involved in projects as diverse as tunnelling projects under the Severn, the Channel Tunnel, Combe Down Stone Mines stabilisation.
There are currently six small coal mines operating, one iron mine and a handful of stone quarries. Two of the Freemines are open to the public.
http://www.hopewellcolliery.com/
https://clearwellcaves.com/about-us/#ochresection
Early records.
Freeminers' rights have existed from "tyme out of Minde and after in tyme." Freemining has been practised continuously from the remotest past. Today written records exist from 1244, showing Freeminers were exercising their rights to minerals in the Forest of Dean. The earliest Mine Law Court documents survive from 1469 (now in the Gloucestershire Archive - PRO).
In 1612 a parchment document was produced called the ‘Dean Miners’ Lawes and Privileges’ (PRO); existing versions contain references and phrases that hint at possibly being copied from an earlier Latin or French document. The existing document contains 41 laws and privileges for the winning of Myne (iron ore) and Se Cole (coal). The rights of access are outlined and the method of staking a claim, known as a ‘gale.’ The duties of the Gaveller (the King’s representative) and assistant Deputy Gavellers are outlined, these include the collection of royalties in cash or kind. It also mentions the miner's court “that is called Myne Lawe,” held at St Briavels Castle.
Royal Charter.
There are many interesting facts associated with medieval Freeminers; amongst them, undermining of castle and town walls; they fought in Wales, Scotland and France, they helped recapture the border town of Berwick upon Tweed several times during the 13th and 14th Centuries, as it passed back and forth between Scottish and English hands. Oral tradition, tells us that it was for their services provided at Berwick that Edward I granted Dean Miners a Royal Charter.
French Campaigns.
Freeminers fought in France amongst many campaigns throughout the Hundred Years War, they famously fought at the battles of Crecy (1346) and Agincourt (1415). Dean miners were an important part of the King’s armoury, they became known as the 'King's Pyoneers,' used to create earthworks and undermine fortifications, as well as being useful fighters. Coming from the Forest of Dean, the miners were experts with the long bow, excellent archers through formal practice on Sundays, but also through hunting and poaching. They were renowned for their hardiness and ferocity in battle.
Agincourt Campaign.
During Henry V's French campaign of 1415, 120 Freeminers were taken to France, by Sir John Greyndour who was lord of the manor, constable of St Briavels castle and presided over the Mine Law Court. The miners were used at the siege of Harfleur and fought at the subsequent battle of Agincourt; of the 120 who went, only 63 survived. The miners helped renovate their guild church at Abenhall, nr Mitcheldean, to give thanks for their safe return. Today Abenhall church contains important Freemining emblems from that time, including the beautiful early 15thC font, showing coats of arms of prominent families and those of the colliers and smiths who fought at the battle. Above the sealed up North doorway is a stone showing the iron miner's coat of arms, including a relief head of a determined miner wearing an archer's cap.
Shortly after their return from France, Henry V sent his brother, John Duke of Bedford (also Gaveller of the Forest of Dean), to present the Freeminers with a document, thanking them for their service in France and re-confirming their mining customs.
Freemining sailors!
In 1576 a dozen Freeminers were selected to go on board ship with one of England’s great sea captains - Martin Frobisher. They were part of a series of adventures trying to discover the elusive North-West Passage; a route around the North American continent. Although ultimately unsuccessful, they landed on an island off what is now the Canadian coast and brought back mineral samples, presented to the court of Queen Elizabeth I.
18th century.
Towards the end of the 18th century conflicting mining interests arose, particularly created by the influence and rapid growth of the Industrial Revolution. Entrepreneurs from Bristol and South Wales began to look for ways into Forest of Dean mining, allowing outside interests; the Mine Law Court was a major barrier. The Court became embroiled in disputes and struggled to enforce its decisions, especially as outside interests began working with some miners. Disputes culminated in 1777, with the theft of the complete Freeminers' records that had been held in a locked box at the Speech House. The Mine Law Court stopped functioning. 50 years later, Freeminer's documents reappeared, in the hands of Crown officers and were used as evidence during a series of Crown inquisitions in the 1830’s. Some of the original documents did not reappear, including the important letter from Henry V and no Freeminers' charter is known today. The Dean Miners’ Lawes and Privileges and some later Mine Law Court Orders however did re-appear, becoming the basis for the Rules and Regulations in the Acts of Parliament, which Freeminers work to today.
19th Century.
Deep coal and iron reserves below water level, could not be mined without substantial investment. So with increasing pressure from outside interests, more Freeminers began working with 'foreigners' who wanted to create larger, deeper collieries and iron mines, than had ever been attempted in the Forest of Dean.
A Royal Commission was set up in 1831 and its reports culminated with the ‘Dean Forest Mines Act 1838’. This was Public Act with local effect (a hybrid Act), codifies the Freeminers’ customs and rights to minerals in the Forest of Dean. The Freemining custom became modern Parliamentary Statutes. The Second Schedule to the Award of Mines Act 1841 - Rules and Regulations for the working of Gales, gives the rules for working mines, administered by the Deputy Gaveller today.
20th century Freemining.
During the two World Wars, many Forest of Dean miners were recruited to join pioneer corps. During the First World War hundreds of local miners volunteered, in particular joining the 13th Batallion of the Gloucestershire Regiment also known as the 'Forest of Dean Pioneers', the 5th and 9th Batallion Glosters and the Royal Monmouthshire Regiment Royal Engineers. Miners were well used to hard physical labour, to the conditions and hardship encountered in the trenches. Miners became involved in making and repairing defences, as well as involvement in tunnelling schemes. Their work was dangerous, often working in no-mans land during the night. Due to the nature of their work creating such heavy losses, the 13th Forest of Dean Pioneers was disbanded by the army just before the end of the First World War, to become a training cadre.
Although they had experienced such horrific losses amongst their colleagues, many miners later rejoined similar Regiments during the Second World War, even though mining was a reserved occupation.
Following the beginning of Coal Nationalisation in 1938, the Forest of Dean was exempted due to its unique form of ownership and history. The Coal Industry Nationalisation Act 1946 also included specific exemptions. Some large colliery gales were subsequently purchased by the National Coal Board (NCB) but a small royalty continued to be paid by the Board, to the Freeminer Deep Gale Trustees. The last deep mine closed on Christmas Day 1965 and the payments ceased.
As large mines closed and NCB miners began looking for work, some NCB miners began their own collieries, or went to work in existing Freemines. Throughout the 1960's/70's there were over 20 collieries, usually operated by just a few men at each mine. One of the largest of these later Freemines was Hopewell colliery, run by the Hinton brothers and employing around a dozen miners at any time. Hopewell closed for a while in 1989, to be re-opened as a working colliery with an underground musem.
More recently, Freeminers have been involved in projects as diverse as tunnelling projects under the Severn, the Channel Tunnel, Combe Down Stone Mines stabilisation.
There are currently six small coal mines operating, one iron mine and a handful of stone quarries. Two of the Freemines are open to the public.
http://www.hopewellcolliery.com/
https://clearwellcaves.com/about-us/#ochresection