The Freeminers in the Forest of Dean are possibly unique in the whole world. I have never heard of any others like them. This is their story. First, I will explain what a Freeminer is.
Miners in the Forest of Dean were granted special rights by King Edward 1st, listed in the “Book of Dennis” These rights came as a reward, for the miners had helped this King break a siege on a castle by “sapping” under the walls. Sapping is something only a miner should attempt, it involves tunnelling under the wall and removing the foundations so the wall will fall down easier. It was Forest miners that broke this siege, and they were granted a Freeminer status. A Freeminer can pitch a mine anywhere in the forest, even on someone else’s land, and nothing can be done to stop them. Free rights to the coal and iron here are the Freeminers only, normal miners have to pay for it. To be a Freeminer, however, come with a price, you must meet certain standards. A Freeminer must be male, over the age of 21, must be the son of a Freeminer, and born within a 100th of St. Briavels, the 100th is a distance set by the crown which covers the most of the Forest of Dean. A Freeminer, to gain his status, must also work for a year and a day in the mines. To put in the light, working 9-5, 5 days a week, it would take 3 ½ years to gain your rights. Once a Freeminer, always a Freeminer, and the Foresters are proud of their heritage.
It is unfortunate that the Freeminers are dying out. With the closure of the maternity ward at the local hospital, more women are having their children in Gloucester, the nearest city, meaning you are not a born “forester” and cannot claim the rights. With fewer children being born inside the Forest of Dean, born and bred foresters are rare, and few of these children will go to claim their heritage, looking for more attractive jobs in high paid area. There are still a handful of Freeminers left, working in their mines, but their decline is being felt all over the forest as once active mines fall into disrepair, and the memorial list at a local church grows longer. The Freeminers of the Forest of Dean have but a short time left to them.
