Thanks kind sir, very interesting indeed. I thought it must have been asked in the past, sorry for not spotting the prior thread, I did look first, honest :-)

Search engines can sometimes be very helpfull, yet in this case despite my best efforts I didn't find this superb site about Flaxley Abbey and area, proving the computer is only as good as it's driver !. It clearly states

"FLAXLEY ABBEY was founded in the mid twelth century by Roger Fitz-Milo, Earl of Hereford, in the reign of King Stephen. The abbey was inhabited by the white monks of the Cistercian order, leading to the names St. White's and Whitecross."
http://www.burgumfamily.com/pages/pl%20flaxley.html
Yet Flaxley Church is dedicated to St Mary...

Much more here of course, I had no idea all the area's industrial history could be traced back to an Abbey, completely changed my conception of a monk's habits, thought it was all peaceful prayer with a little gentle beekeeping & brewing !.
http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=23256

Apparently according to this site about Furness Abbey in Cumbria, "The greatest Cistercian producers of iron ore in England were Furness and Flaxley."
I presume "Furness" equates to the metalworking "furnace" that I can relate to so well.
http://www.furnessabbey.org.uk/page80.html

Thanks so much for pointing me down another new road of discovery.

some further reading

http://www2.glos.ac.uk/bgas/tbgas/v049/bg049259.pdf

File Format: PDF/Adobe Acrobat - Quick View
From the Transactions of the. Bristol and Gloucestershire Archaeological Society.
Flaxley Grange and St. White's by M. H. Ellis. 1927,

another document which includes some maps....

St White’s
St White’s is known to have a long history linked closely to the medieval Flaxley
Abbey and Flaxley Grange. The grange is thought to have been sited upon the location
of the current St White’s Farm and included a chapel or hermitage dedicated to the
saint. Following the dissolution the focus of settlement moved to the southwest with the
former grange becoming part of a leasehold estate. Iron ore mining is recorded in the
later part of the 13th century at St White’s.

http://archaeologydataservice.ac.uk/catalogue/adsdata/arch-841-1/dissemination/pdf/oxfo...

Search engines can sometimes be very helpfull, yet in this case despite my best efforts I didn't find this superb site about Flaxley Abbey and area, proving the computer is only as good as it's driver !. It clearly states

"FLAXLEY ABBEY was founded in the mid twelth century by Roger Fitz-Milo, Earl of Hereford, in the reign of King Stephen. The abbey was inhabited by the white monks of the Cistercian order, leading to the names St. White's and Whitecross."
http://www.burgumfamily.com/pages/pl%20flaxley.html
Yet Flaxley Church is dedicated to St Mary...

Much more here of course, I had no idea all the area's industrial history could be traced back to an Abbey, completely changed my conception of a monk's habits, thought it was all peaceful prayer with a little gentle beekeeping & brewing !.
http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=23256

Apparently according to this site about Furness Abbey in Cumbria, "The greatest Cistercian producers of iron ore in England were Furness and Flaxley."
I presume "Furness" equates to the metalworking "furnace" that I can relate to so well.
http://www.furnessabbey.org.uk/page80.html

Thanks so much for pointing me down another new road of discovery.

Apologies if this question has been asked in the past, but does anyone know why it's named St Whites ? Who, or even what, was St White ?.

As a Cinderfordian I've often wondered this but never researched it. I don't know of any local Churches for example affiliated to this particular Saint, not in Cinderford. There is a Catholic Convent School near this part of Cinderford, but that's St Anthony's, so..?.

In fact judging by my efforts and much to my surprise I don't think there is a Saint White at all ! My staunch Catholic motherinlaw doesn't know of one, and this fine religion is very "strong" on Saints. Below is a link to a huge list of Saints, but like other lists I've found there is no Saint White irrespective of spelling.

Among various history websites even the definitive British History only mention St Whites as a place, but nothing as to it's origins. Perhaps the "St" element doesn't mean "Saint" at all in this context, do the scholars know if it's perhaps Olde English or even Latin for "of", perhaps supporting the possibility the name refers to an early settler named White, or even Wyatt etc ?.

All and any suggestions gratefully received, please, thanks.

http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=23266#s2
http://www.cinderford-online.co.uk/local-information/cinderford-history-2/
http://www.catholic.org/saints/stindex.php?lst=W
http://www.stanthonysschool.info/links.html

<><><><><><> <><><><><><>

my best link is Flaxley Abbey and the "white" monks - St Whites of Flaxley

http://www.forum.forest-of-dean.net/index.php?mode=thread&id=5959

As a Cinderfordian I've often wondered this but never researched it. I don't know of any local Churches for example affiliated to this particular Saint, not in Cinderford. There is a Catholic Convent School near this part of Cinderford, but that's St Anthony's, so..?.

In fact judging by my efforts and much to my surprise I don't think there is a Saint White at all ! My staunch Catholic motherinlaw doesn't know of one, and this fine religion is very "strong" on Saints. Below is a link to a huge list of Saints, but like other lists I've found there is no Saint White irrespective of spelling.

Among various history websites even the definitive British History only mention St Whites as a place, but nothing as to it's origins. Perhaps the "St" element doesn't mean "Saint" at all in this context, do the scholars know if it's perhaps Olde English or even Latin for "of", perhaps supporting the possibility the name refers to an early settler named White, or even Wyatt etc ?.

All and any suggestions gratefully received, please, thanks.

Apologies Karen for borrowing your thread, the first two links below clarify how the earlier placenames seen on the Victorian Census' such as Bilson, Woodside and indeed St Whites, eventually became known as the town of Cinderford.

http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=23266#s2
http://www.cinderford-online.co.uk/local-information/cinderford-history-2/
http://www.catholic.org/saints/stindex.php?lst=W
http://www.stanthonysschool.info/links.html

any info on St white's cinderford? is this an area or a name of a house in cinderford around 1881 thanks

Its an area coming down from Littledean Hill towards Cinderford Bridge

http://www.forum.forest-of-dean.net/index.php?id=37419