also, certain leases granted to Thomas Preston, Esq., and Sir Edward
Villiers, Kt. After all that had occurred, it seems strange that Sir
John Winter should have obtained permission by Act of Parliament to
retain his patent; he had however several powerful friends, and also
strong claims on the Crown in consideration of his services during the
civil war.

CHAPTER III.
A. D. 1663-1692.

First "Order" of forty-eight free miners in Court--8,487 acres enclosed
and planted--Speech-house begun--Second order of the Miners' Court--The
King's iron-works suppressed--The six "walks" and lodges planned out--All
mine-works forbidden in the enclosures--Third order of the Miners'
Court--Enclosures extended--Fourth order of the Miners'
Court--Speech-house finished--The Forest perambulated--Fifth order of the
Miners' Court--Proposal to resume the King's iron-works rejected--Sixth
and seventh orders of the Miners' Court--Riots connected with the
Revolution--Eighth order of the Miners' Court--Dr. Parsons's account of
the Forest.

Contemporaneously with the important Parliamentary enactments noticed in
the preceding chapter, there took place, on the 18th of March (1663), the
earliest session of a local but very significant court, that of "the Mine
Law," whose date and proceedings have been preserved. It was held at
Clearwell before Sir Baynham Throgmorton, deputy constable of St.
Briavel's Castle, and a jury of forty-eight free miners, and shows that
the Forest Miners of that day were a body of men engaged in carrying on
their works according to rule, so as to avoid disputes or unequal
dealing.

The Court ordered and ordained, as respects the western half of the
district, that the minerals of the Forest could only be disposed of,
beyond the limits of the Hundred, by free miners; that no manner of
carriage was to be used for transporting them, nor more than four
horses kept by any one party; that the selling price was to be
determined by six "Barganers"; but that any free miner might carry "a
dozen" of lime coal to the lime slad for 3s., to the top of the
Little Doward for 5s. 6d., to any other kilns thereon for 5s. 4d., to
the Blackstones for 5s., to Monmouth for 5s. 6d., to the Weare over
Wye for 4s., to Coldwall for 3s. 6d., to Lydbrook for 3s., and to
Redbrook for 4s. 4d.; that no young man who had not served an
apprenticeship for five years should work for himself at the mi