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Forest of DeanHistoryThe forest is steeped in history. The Royal Forest of Dean was
first established by William the Conqueror, nearly one thousand years ago as a
royal hunting forest. There are Iron Age forts and the area was settled by the
Romans - the attraction was the natural resources of the area, including iron
ore, ochre and charcoal which are produced from the woods. Later, the forest was
used exclusively as Royal hunting grounds by the Tudor Kings (see royal
forest), but its rich deposits of iron ore led to its becoming a major source of
iron at this time. Timber from the forest was particularly fine and was regarded
as the best source for building ships, in see local places of interest... see |
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cluding possibly the Mary Rose, which
happened to sink, and Admiral Lord Nelson's ship, the Victory. Later still, the
exploitation of coal deposits led to a strong development of mining in the area,
with commercial mining continuing until 1965. Interestingly, Edward I granted
the powers that allowed those born in the Forest to mine coal freely. There
were, and are still, a number of small private mines in operation, with Hopewell
colliery now open to the public. 