Clearwell 1282 -> (General)

by slowhands , proud of his ancient Dean Forest roots, Thursday, June 11, 2009, 07:39 (5718 days ago) @ tonyjenkins

In 1282 most of Clearwell tithing, the south part of the parish, still lay within the royal demesne land of the Forest. The eastern bounds of the Forest bailiwick of Bearse were then Horwell hill (later Bream's Meend), Oakwood brook, and Spoon green at the south end of the land later called Clearwell Meend. From Spoon green its bounds traversed the later parish to a cross at Thurstan's brook, evidently somewhere near Millend, for Thurstan's brook was then the name of the upper part of Valley brook. Whether the boundary reached that point by the road that became the main village street of Clearwell or ran further south through the area called Platwell is not clear. From Thurstan's brook the boundary of the bailiwick then turned south along the edge of the cultivated land of Newland to Stowe on the boundary with St. Briavels, and - including the land later called Bearse common, which long remained part of the royal demesne - ran south-east to Rodmore, later part of St. Briavels parish. (fn. 42)

Most of the land between the site of Clearwell village and the St. Briavels boundary was taken into cultivation in the earlier 14th century when the Crown appointed commissioners to value and dispose of unwanted parts of its demesne waste. (fn. 43) Four acres in the Platwell area that were granted out of the Forest waste in 1306 (fn. 44) were probably part of a much larger block then disposed of: the assarting of other large parts of Bearse bailiwick, later included in Lydney and St. Briavels, is recorded the same year. (fn. 45) In 1317 John of Wyesham was licensed to assart land called Noxon, covering 280 a. between the later Lydney-Coleford road and Oakwood brook. (fn. 46) In 1323 William Joce, ancestor of the owners of the Clearwell estate, was allowed to assart 80 a. at 'Drakenhord', evidently the land later called Dragon's Ford south-west of the road junction called Trow green, and 20 a. at 'Muchelcleye', presumably in the area later called Clays northeast of Trow green. (fn. 47) In 1338 a successor, John Joce, was licensed to assart another 116 a. in 'St. Briavels, Newland, Drakenhord, Overesene, and Holiwalle', (fn. 48) and later in 1338 and in 1342 Joce made grants of land at Drakenhord and 'Overnese', which was in the same area as Drakenhord. (fn. 49) The wide tract called Broadfields, bounded by the Lydney-Coleford road, the Chepstow-Coleford road, and the boundary with St. Briavels, later belonged to the Clearwell estate (fn. 50) and was probably all taken by the Joces in the earlier 14th century. The Reddings (or Ridings), lying on the St. Briavels boundary east of Stowe hamlet, (fn. 51) were probably part of 200 a. which in 1361 Grace Dieu abbey (Mon.) claimed had been assarted since 1226 adjoining its grange at Stowe, and the abbey itself was licensed to assart land west of Stowe, near Wyegate Green, in 1338. (fn. 52) In James I's reign when owners of assarts made anciently from the demesne land of the Forest were required to compound for them, the bulk of Clearwell and Newland tithings was included. (fn. 53)

Of the detached parts of Newland lying east of Clearwell tithing, Whitemead, evidently inclosed by the Crown itself, was recorded in 1283. (fn. 54) Land at Bream had been cleared and settled by the mid 14th century, and there was farmland at Ellwood by the same period. (fn. 55) In 1282 the meadow of Yorkley was mentioned, (fn. 56) and in 1310 land in the Yorkley area was held by John ap Adam, (fn. 57) whose name is presumably preserved in that of Badhamsfield farm. An assart of 36 a. at Yorkley was mentioned in 1338. (fn. 58)
In its completed form the part of the parish comprising Newland and Clearwell tithings formed a roughly rhomboidal block of land, bounded on its west side by the river Wye and on the north by part of the Newland village to Monmouth road and the upper Red brook. On the north-east the boundary with the tithing and later parish of Coleford followed ancient routes running from Highmeadow to Whitecliff, Whitecliff to Millend, over Mill hill (north of Clearwell village), and, by Pingry Lane, to the Chepstow-Coleford road near Milkwall. The east boundary, with the extraparochial Forest, skirted the edge of Clearwell Meend, on the south side of which a boundary marker called Cradocks stone stood in 1282 and 1608, (fn. 59) and followed Oakwood brook. The south boundary, with St. Briavels parish, followed an ancient track running westwards from the Lydney- Coleford road at Bream Cross, skirted the detached part of the Forest waste called Bearse common, and reached the Wye by way of Stowe and Wyegate Green. The largest detached portion of the parish, including Bream village, covered 748 a. (fn. 60) lying south-east of the main part of the parish and divided from it by a strip of extraparochial Forest c. 120 yds. wide near Bream Cross. Its boundary with the ancient parish of Lydney was formed in part by Pailwell (later Park) brook on the south-west and Tufts brook, a tributary of Cannop brook, on the south-east, while to the north it had a long irregular boundary with the extraparochial Forest. The two detached portions further east at Yorkley were also sandwiched between Lydney parish and the Forest and were divided from each other by a strip of roadside waste along the Lydney to Yorkley village road. The western portion, comprising the Yorkley Court estate, covered 281 a. and the eastern one, comprising Badhamsfield farm, 77 a. (fn. 61) Collectively the three portions at Bream and Yorkley formed the tithing of Bream. The island of Newland within the Forest at Ellwood, which was regarded as part of Clearwell tithing, (fn. 62) covered 134 a. (fn. 63) The portion called Whitemead park, further into the Forest near Parkend village, covered 229 a. in 1776. (fn. 64)

From: 'Newland', A History of the County of Gloucester: Volume 5: Bledisloe Hundred, St. Briavels Hundred, The Forest of Dean (1996), pp. 195-231. URL: http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=23260 Date accessed: 11 June 2009.

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Clearwell 1282 -> (General)