Beaker Folk in the Forest of Dean
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Beaker Folk in the Forest of Dean

(Beaker Folk: Late Neolithic–Early Bronze Age people living about 4,500 years ago in the temperate zones of Europe. – Encyclopædia Britannica)

The New Stone Age people were succeeded by the “Beaker” folk, so called from a highly distinctive type of pot which was used among them. These people have left very impressive memorials in the shape of stone monuments of large size, from single standing stones called “menhirs” to elaborate stone circles. There are no stone circles recorded in Gloucestershire. Although there are several just across its borders, but in the Dean we still can see the Staunton “Long Stone” at the side of the road between Coleford and Staunton, and the “Queen Stone” at Huntsham. Until fairly recently there were two others, “Long John” at Close Turf, St Briavels, which was destroyed in recent years, and another at Shortstanding, which possibly is the origin of the name of the place if, as some think, it comes from “Short Stone Dun”.

Forest Story by R. J. Mansfield (published in 1964 by the author)

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Written at the Kings Arms, Ross by Samuel Taylor Coleridge

Formerly the house of the ‘Man of Ross’.

Richer than Miser o’er his countless hoards,
Nobler than Kings, or king-polluted Lords,
Here dwelt the Man of Ross! O Traveller, hear!
Departed Merit claims a reverent tear.
Friend to the friendless, to the sick man health,
With generous joy he view’d his modest wealth;
He heard the widow’s heaven-breath’d prayer of praise,
He mark’d the shelter’d orphan’s tearful gaze,
Or where the sorrow-shrivell’d captive lay,
Pour’d the bright blaze of Freedom’s noon-tide ray.
Beneath this roof if thy cheer’d moments pass,
Fill to the good man’s name one grateful glass:
To higher zest shall Memory wake thy soul,
And Virtue mingle in the ennobled bowl.
But if, like me, through Life’s distressful scene
Lonely and sad thy pilgrimage hath been;
And if thy breast with heart-sick anguish fraught,
Thou journeyest onward tempest-tossed in thought;
Here cheat thy cares! in generous visions melt,
And dream of Goodness, thou hast never felt!

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Wages in Beer ! – from ‘London is Stranger than Fiction’ by Peter Jackson (The Evening News, August 3rd, 1949)

Ask for ‘Carrots’ and ‘Ginger’ in Petticoat Lane and you will directed to the corner of Wentworth St., where you will find them presiding over a shell-fish and lettuce stall.

An indespensible part of the equipment is a pail of beer which is frequently replenished in the pub opposite. The pail contains ‘Ginger’s’ wages, for the only payment he asks, for his Sunday morning’s work – As much beer as he can drink !

Scanned from Peter Jackson’s ‘London is Stranger than Fiction’ published in 1951 by Associated Newspapers, London.

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Memorial to Mice (The Evening News, December 6th 1950)

Turn off Eastcheap into Philpot Lane and on the wall of the first building you come to you will see two plaster mice nibbling a piece of plaster cheese.

The reason for their being there is that while the building was being erected the workmen were plagued with mice which chewed throught their pockets and ate their lunches. The men made friends with the little pests and shared their bread and cheese with them every day. When the building was finished the plasterers made this tiny sculpture in their memory.

(This is 23 Eastcheap, and it was built between 1861 and 1862, as offices and warehousing for the spice-merchants Messrs.’ Hunt and Crombie, to the design of the architectural practice of John Young and Son.)

Copied from Peter Jackson’s ‘London is Stranger than Fiction’ published in 1951 by Associated Newspapers.

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Hopewell Colliery (1815)

This article in the London Gazette (dated: Saturday, 8th July 1815) mentions: The Angel Inn, Coleford; Thomas Nicholson, James Teague, Josiah Birt, The Perch Engine Colliery, Independent Colliery, Thatch Pit Colliery and Hopewell Colliery.