List of Castles in Gloucestershire - St. Brival’s Castle -
Motte-and-bailey castles were the most common type of castle in England following the Norman Conquest… other early castles were built in the Forest of Dean to shield the city of Gloucester from Welsh incursions. Many of these castles were abandoned soon after the conquest as security improved. To the south of Gloucestershire, Bristol Castle formed the next substantial fortification, with another network of castles in Herefordshire providing defence to the north. After the fall of FitzOsbern's son, Walter de Gloucester rose to power in the region, followed by his son, Miles de Gloucester. In the final years before the outbreak of the civil war of the Anarchy, the Gloucesters were extensively developing their primary castle at Gloucester. Gloucester was a key battleground in the conflict from 1139–53 between the rival rulers of Stephen and Empress Matilda. Warfare in England at the time centred on castles and attrition warfare and the largely pro-Angevin supporters of Matilda in Gloucestershire responded with a rush of castle-building. Many of these were destroyed by Stephen during the war, or after the conflict when Henry II attempted to restore royal control over these critical fortifications, although recent scholarship has indicated that less Gloucestershire castles were destroyed in the 1150s than once thought.
In the 13th and 14th century, fortified manor houses became a more popular form of fortification. By the 16th century, most Gloucestershire castles were in disuse, although some, such as Gloucester and St Briavels remained in use as administrative centres or gaols. Several castles in Gloucestershire were damaged or slighted in the English Civil War from 1642–9. In the 18th and 19th century, prison reform brought an end to the use of Gloucestershire castles as gaols, leaving only a handful of occupied castles as private homes in the 21st century.
St Briavels is a medium-sized village and civil parish in the Royal Forest of Dean in west Gloucestershire, England; close to the England-Wales border, and 5 miles south of Coleford. It stands almost 800 feet above sea level on the edge of a limestone plateau above the valley of the River Wye, above the ancient meander of the liver.
History. The village, once known as ‘Ledenia Parva’ (Little Lydney), is sheltered behind the crumbling walls of its 12th century moated Norman Castle, which was garrisoned by Miles of Gloucester for King Henry I as early as 1130. The castle was later granted to him with the Forest of Dean in July 1141 when he was made Earl of Hereford.
St. Briavels Castle has been a Norman fortress, a Royal castle and hunting lodge of King John of England, and was also visited by Henry II, who made the castle the administrative and judicial centre for the Forest of Dean. It has also been a prison, a school and a private house, but today it is a youth hostel.
The castle and St Mary’s Parish Church, built in 1089, must have been the site of a considerable community, for the castle was the home of the Constable of the Forest of Dean… Cut off from the rest of England by the tidal Severn River to the east and the treacherous tidal Wye to the west, the Forest was in many ways more isolated than most other parts of the country. As a result, this area produced a culture, language and way of living peculiarly its own. The Forest is full of ancient customs and traditions.
In 1155 the castle of the Forest of Dean was held by the Crown after the revolt of Roger Fitzmiles, 2nd Earl of Hereford. It then remained as a Crown possession for the rest of the Middle Ages.
Freemining. In the Middle Ages, local miners were highly valued for their digging skills during military campaigns… after undermining the foundations of Berwick Castle at Berwick-on-Tweed, King Edward I granted ‘Free-Mining’ status to all Forest of Deal coal and ore miners. This authority gave Freeminers the right to dig for minerals anywhere in the Forest of Dean except beneath churchyards, orchards and gardens. To be a Freeminer, an individual has be be “born and abiding within the ‘Hundred of St. Briavels’, of the age of 21 and upwards who shall have worked for a year and a day in a coal or iron ore min or stone quarry within in the Hundred.”
A Forester, is a resident natural of the Forest of Dean, born within the ancient administrative area of the Hundred of St Briavels. There are still several traditional Forester families living and working in the area keeping the ancient traditions and right alive.
Freemining, free roaming sheep grazed on common land, and grazing of pigs in the Forest, are rights and responsibilities extended to the people of St Briavels that are still exercised today, although more so elsewhere in the Forest of Dean.
Hundred of St Briavels. Between the 11th and 13th century, the shire counties were split into hundreds. St Briavels is the largest in the Forest of Dean and its boundaries approximate to the Forest boundaries.
Under James I and Charles the castle was traditionally granted to the Earls of Pembroke. By the time of the English Civil War, St Briavels Castle was held by Philip Herbert, the 4th Earl and a friend of the king’s. Philip Herbert sided with Parliament, however, and St Briavels’ played little part in the conflict. With the Restoration and the return of Charles II. to power in 1660, the castle was removed from the Earls of Pembroke and given instead to Henry, Lord Herbert of Raglan for life. After Henry’s death, Duke of Beaufort was granted the property; after the disgrace of the Duke a few years later, the castle changed hands again, with the subsequent owners being more modest figures in English public life than had been the case in the previous years.
Is a moated Norman castle at St Briavels in the English county of Gloucestershire; noted for its huge Edwardian gatehouse that guards the entrance.
Originally built between 1075 and 1129 as royal administrative centre for the Forest of Dean. During the 13th century the castle became first a favorite hunting lodge for King John, and then the primary centre in England for the manufacture of quarrels, large numbers of which were required for crossbows in medieval warfare. The castle was transferred many times between royal favorites in the 14th and 15th centuries and slowly declined in appearance and importance. St Briavels Castle became used primarily as a court and as a notorious debtors’ prison, conditions being documented by the prison reformer John Howard in 1775. Following local riots and a parliamentary investigation in the 1830s, reforms in the 19th century brought an end to the castle’s use as a prison.
Extensive renovation at the turn of the 20th century allowed St Briavels Castle to be taken over a a Youth Hostel in 1948. It remains in this role today, owned by English Heritage and open to the public.
Forest of Deane -
http://www.forestofdeanhistory.org.uk/forest-history/whoowned/ Who Owned the Forest and How Was it Managed?
Royal Forests. Little is known of the Forest before 1066, when the ‘lords of Dene’ held their land free of tax in return for looking after ‘the forest’. By 1086, the Forest of Dean was among about twenty English forests owned directly by William the Conqueror. These royal forests were defined portions of unenclosed territory containing woods, open heath land and moors. Sometimes villages and farmland were also included. Although almost everything within a royal forest, the trees, herbage, animals and minerals, belonged to the monarch, local commoners enjoyed various rights of use such as grazing their stock, turf for fuel and wood for buildings.
Forest Law. Royal forests were governed by Norman forest laws. Amongst them was the monarch’s sole right to hunt the deer and wild boar to supply the royal larder. Forests also produced income for the exchequer [royal or national treasury]. Forest law was enforced through two strands of officials. One was headed by Justices of the Forests, advised by local and lesser officials such as Regarders and Foresters of Fee. The second strand came through the courts of the County High Sheriff and the Verderers [a judicial officer of a royal forest].
By 1207 the Forest was administered from St Briavels by the chief officer, the Warden of the Forest of Dean and Constable of St Briavels Castle. The latter had multiple roles of forester, manorial steward, justice and a responsibility to the Crown for supplying weapons and miners (as sappers [a soldier responsible for tasks such as building and repairing roads and bridges, laying and clearing mines, etc]). Unique to Dean Forest, was the Gaveller, who collected the royalties and administered the mines.
Bailiwicks.
Under forest law the Forest was divided into ten administrative areas called bailiwicks. They were held and cared for by a forester of fee, often a lord of an associated manor. In return for looking after their bailiwick they enjoyed some privileges.
Decline of Forest Law and the Act of 1688.
By the mid 1500s, forest law was almost forgotten. Some of the old offices continued to function including the Verderers’ Court which prosecute offences concerning deer, timber and encroachments. The woodland declined markedly until 1668 when an Act was passed to conserve it. Under the view of newly appointed Inclosure Commissioners, the Crown was empowered to inclose and fence 11,000 acres to protect young trees from grazing. Six new administrative Walks replaced the old bailiwicks and woodwardships.
1800 to 21015. The surviving royal forests were administered by the Surveyor General of the Office of Woods in London. Under the latter was the Deputy Surveyor of Dean Forest. An Act of 1808 led to new inclosures for Navy oak; each equipped with a lodge and woodman. Most of the old forest offices disappeared; the office of Gaveller was vested in the Commissioners of Woods.
The Forestry Commission was formed in 1919 to create a strategic, national reserve of timber and to develop forest policy. In 1924 King George 6 th passed the remaining royal forests to the nation. Thus Commission manages Dean for the production of timber, enhancement of the environment and public amenity.
https://books.google.com/books?id=gmSZ8Lj-6TkC&pg=PA7&lpg=PA7&dq=forest+of+dean+bailiwick&source=bl&ots=a--ropucPF&sig=8bVIy5vEjXsj2MTaMxG7kwk-naY&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiTqLW8tvvPAhUEhywKHdjoCU4Q6AEIPTAI#v=onepage&q=forest%20of%20dean%20bailiwick&f=false The Personalities of the Forest of Dean (1863) Constables and Keepers.
(pg 1) St. Briavels… Patron Saint of the Forest (Pipe Roll of 31 Henry I. 1131).
(pg 3) Of the Norman Castle of St. Briavel nothing is left (1863), except a few indestructible masses of thick walling, being a part of the old keep that fell a few hundred years ago. It formed the nucleus of the Edwardian structure.. Built to defend the interests of the crown, and preserve the neighborhood from the devastations of the Welsh. Evidence of its official occupation in the reign of Henry II by the King’s Constable -for so he was styled, in accordance with Norman usage -as a place for receiving the imposts [a tax] levied on the neighborhood, from whence also its supervision was attended to, is afforded by the following item from the Great Rolls of the Pipe.
A.D. 1130. “Hugh, son of William, son of Norman, renders composition… for the rent of the Forest of Dean, and the haiis of Herford.
Richard I (1189)... Of the pleas of Robert de Broc and his colleagues of the Forest. The same Sheriff (William Fitz Stephen) rendered account… for new ploughed lands in Gloucestershire. In pardon by liberty of the King’s charter to the Bishop of Worcester 60s….
Of the pleas of the Forest of Gloucestershire, by Robert de Broc and his associates… And he owes 34s. Robert de Broc…
Of the promises made by Hugo de Nevill -The same Sheriff (William Fitz Stephen) rendered account of 12s for Nigel de Saint Briavel…
The Itinerary of this King shews that he honored St. Briavels Castle with a succession of visits, viz.: - 11/12/1200. 11/15-17/1207. 12/4/1209. 11/10-12/1212. 11/28-30/1213.
In 1209, the King commanded a market to be held here every Sunday, of which the Sheriff was ordered to make proclamation throughout his Baliwick.
4/13/1207, Hugh de Nevil was given custody of the Castle, and keeping of the Forest… John de Monmouth succeeded him in 1216… he assisted Prince Edward in escaping from Hereford Castle…
...Since the last reign (Henry III)... Hualdersfield, formerly a royal manor, now belonged to Earl Marshal of Stugoil, (Chepstow) in behalf of the Abbot of Tintem….
… The Hundred of Blitheslawe, had been given by the late King, to William, the Earl Marshall, and is worth 5 lb yearly…
The wrecks on sea at Tudenham and Alfordeston, formerly the King’s, were now demanded by the Earl Marshall, who, of old, held the chase reaching from the bridge of Strugull, to the plain of Alunto, (Alvington) and in the time of the late King had exceeded the bounds as far as the field of Hualdesfeld… The Earl Marshall gave, in the time of Henry III, five carucates of land, in the chase of Chepstow, to the monks of Tinterne, in alms.
...In 1557, William, Earl of Pembroke, known as General of the Forces sent by Mary I. to her husband, Philip, against the town of St. Quintin, is found Constable of St. Briavel’s, having Richard Brayn, Esq., for his deputy.
(pg 18)... William, Earl of Pembroke, deceased…
https://books.google.com/books/about/The_Personalities_of_the_Forest_of_Dean.html?id=gmSZ8Lj-6TkC Google Book. The Personalities of the Forest of Dean (1863) Constables and Keepers.
Related books, on the same page: The Forest of Dean; Iron Making… in the Forest of Dean… All books by Henry George Nicholls.
http://glosoracle.com/gloucestershire/information/family-and-local-history/old-photos-of-the-forest-of-dean Photos of the Forest of Dean. Gloucestershire Family History and Local History.
http://www.forestofdeanhistory.org.uk/ Forest of Dean Local History Society
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