out of the said Forest
any wood, timber, mine ore, or cinders, without consent of the said Earl,
except such timber as should be used for his Majesty's shipping." The
Earl obtained, on the 13th June of the same year, a grant of "the
lordship, manor, town, and castle of St. Briavel's, and all the Forest of
Dean with the appurtenances, and all lands, mines, and quarries belonging
thereto, except all great trees, wood, and underwood, to hold for forty
years at the yearly rent of 83 pounds 18s. 4d., and an increase rent of 3
pounds 8d."

It appears that, soon after these leases were granted, the miners,
hitherto accustomed to dig for ore in the Forest, resumed their work
without the Earl's consent, and an information was filed against some of
them by the Attorney-General. Upon this, an order, dated 28th January,
1613, was made by the Court, "that those miners, and such others as had
been accustomed to dig ore in the Forest, upon the humble submission for
their offences, and acknowledgment that the soil was the King's, and that
they had no interest therein, and upon their motion by counsel that they
were poor, and had no other means of support, and praying to be continued
in their employment, should be permitted, _out of charity and grace_,
_and not of right_, to dig for mine ore and cinders, to be carried to his
Majesty's iron-works, and not to any other place, at the accustomed
rates; if the farmers of the King's iron-works should refuse to give
those rates which, as well as the number of diggers, were to be
ascertained by Commissioners to be named by the Court, that then they
might sell the ore to others; but no new diggers were to be allowed, but
only such poor men as were inhabitants of the said Forest." It was not
intended that this order should always continue in force, but only until
such time as the cause brought in the name of the foresters should be
heard and determined. This, however, appears never to have been done, as
no decree was obtained, probably from the miners considering it best to
accept the terms offered, regarding the above order as a record in their
favour, since it provided that "no new diggers were to be allowed, but
only such poor men as were inhabitants of the said Forest;" a view, it
may be remarked, agreeing with that which the free miners took in their
memorial of 1833. {25}

The cinders adverted to were the ashes or refuse left by a former race of
iron manufacturers, whose skill was too