Freeminer

someone who has the right to mine personal plots known as "gales" within the Royal Forest of Dean. In order to earn this right, an individual must be male, born within the ancient administrative district known as the "Hundred of St. Briavels" , and have worked down a mine for a year and a day.

Miner

someone not a Freeminer, and/or an "outsider" or Voreigner working coal/iron etc !

Women in mines ?

Underground the practice was outlawed in the mid 1800's (?); a number of the coal workings where surface/shallow affairs, and of course there were other surface mine jobs - washing and sorting coal, moving wagons etc