From the earliest of times, man has sought minerals from the Earth, none more so than within the bounds of the Forest of Dean. Its geological structure contained a wealth of Iron ore, Ochre pigments and Coal, not forgetting the most visible and easiest to harvest, that of the great Oaks. This book charts the history of the Forest of Dean folk who have lived, worked and died harvesting these rich minerals. It covers the Free-miners Charter and the struggle of the Commoners for their Rights and Privileges. It also covers the birth of the Unions and the Labour Party, both of whom were intended to support and fight for better working conditions and wages. The miners and quarrymen were constantly putting their lives on the line in order to survive and this struggle inevitably led to confrontation with the Owners. Collective bargaining was the only weapon available to them and so strikes and ’down tools’ were commonplace. This of course led to much hardship for families who in many cases were reduced to starvation level. The discontent among miners led to the nationwide strikes of the late 1800’s and early 1900’s where miners, Coal Owners and the Government came head to head in disputes over the call for wage increases which continually failed to keep up with the rising cost of living and the Nationalisation of the mines. Today of course, the large collieries have disappeared into the landscape but the Forest of Dean Freeminers who were given their own charter back in the 13th Century, continue to this day the tradition of burrowing inside the earth to get coal.
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