other of all his loste [losses] in all points and never [shall] prove more Also [79a] every Miner in his last days and at Miner may sell or bequeath his dole.all tymes may bequeath and give his Dole of the Mine to whom hee will as his own catele And if hee doe not the [his] dole shall descend to his heire and if hee to whom the dole is soe bequeathed or given by Testamt eyther otherwise hath need to prove his [the] dole in ye Mine Lawe he shall come there and show the Testamt and [or] bring wth him twoe witnesses to testifie the Will of the Miner and then as right is hee shall bee delivered without any cost made or asked Also [79b] for the customs that ye Miners done to the King the Constable that is for the time shall deliver the Miners in six weeks at the speech that is the Court for the wood before the verderers by the woodwards that keepeth the place (that is to say) Sufficient of Tymber [and] to mayntayne the King’s advantages Timber for ye pitts and manner of haveing it.and profitts as also for the Salvaton of his Miners as they did in tyme out of mind without hurt or attachmt made of the King’s Officers (that is to say) Free the Forrest unto the Miners And also bee it that ye Miner carry tymber from the woods into his place or into [unto] any other the whych tymber is made and cut for the boothes for the Mine That for that noe [none] attachment shall be made of any man And if the Constable will deliver noe tymber as aforesaid and the Miner of [by] his owne authority fetch tymber in ye Forrest for the Mine and carry hit to ye Mine and after that the [said] Timber bee in the [their] place that is called Gavell place the wch is knowne by the old Custome Then is the tymber as their owne catele and
none attachment shall be made for that Alsoe the Sea Cole Mine Sea cole.is as free in all points as the Oare Mine But if the fellowship Mine by ye weeke three charges the King shall have of every of the Fellowship a Penny Alsoe [that] noe Stranger of what degree soever hee bee but onely that beene borne and abideing within the Castle of St Brevills and the bounds of the Forrest as is aforesaid shall come wthin the Mine to see and A stranger not to pry.[to] knowe ye privities of our Souvaigne Lord the King in his said Mine Also that noe Smith holder neither Myner neither any [no] other shall make carriage of the said Myne neither by cart nor [neither] by waine but onely by the measure called Billeyes by ye wch the Custome of the King bee measured Soe that the Gaveller may knowe and soe [see] that the King have right in every pointe [place done] And if any such Measure.unreasonable measure shall be found then the [every] Miner by the strength of the King is Bayliffe to arrest the Beaste and whereof the beaste shall be forfeit to the King and ye measure burnt And bee it that the Miners for duty or for wretchedness will such wrong suffer and alsoe ye Gavellr for his owne Lucre Then the Constable by ye reason of his office shall pursue by the strength of the King to take and to doe as is aforesaid Alsoe that noe Smith holder after he holdeth Smith or become partner to hold Smith hee shall not have none of the Franchises aforesaid within a year and a day Also by the Franchises aforesaid the Constable shall deliver Tymber to the Miners [Timber] sufficient to make a Lodges for pitts.lodge upon their pitt to keepe and to save the [a] pitt [and the mine] of the Kings and ye Miners And [80] Bounds of pitte.the pitt shall have such liberties and franchises that noe man shall come within so much space that ye Miner may stand and cast [so far from him] ridding and stones soe farr from him with a Bale as the manner is And
shall have his marks apperteyning to his said pitt Also Marks.shall have a Bold place in the wch the Miner make and performe the tymber to build the said pitt And if any other come to travel and to work within the places aforesaid hee shall be forbode of the Fellowship of the pitt and if after hee come againe hee shall loose to the King two Shillings Alsoe ye pitt shall have a winde way [81a] soe farr from him as is aforesaid pertayning to the said pitt Also the Partie that is amersed in twoe shillings shall avoid the place by the Law of the Miners Also if a pitt bee made and upon [be] adventure cometh another up[on] another way within the ground and drulleth [81b] to the said pitt at what tyme hee drulleth to ye said pitt he shall abide till the other Fellowship of the said pitt bee present at the wch tyme if the other Fellowship will not receive him he shall returne again by the forbods and by the Lawe of the Mine But if he Drulling a pitt.drulleth to the said pitt in certaine Myne then the said Mine shall bee free to both parties which hit [while is] dureth and afterwards [every] each one shall come agen to his owne place Saving to [every] each one ye place of others and after if one or the other doe hurt to ye other he shall restore again soe much to him if hee dig and make ye pitt fall he shall build it again and if hee distrouble the other soe that he may not travaile to win [wyne] his proffitt and the Customes of the King hee shall restore all the lost of the king and the Miner Alsoe if any bee wrongfully forbode by the Miner or by Wrong forbode.any other Then hee that is forbode shall come to ye pitt and shall bring wth him his Instruments pertaining to ye Mine with his light as another of ye Fellowshipp
and there [then] hee shall abide so long as the fellowshipp and then by the judgment of eight and forty he shall receive so much as any other of the Fellowship &c.
The miners’ names.John Garron, Stephen Preest, John Clarke, Thomas Wytt, Thomas Norton, John Hathway, Thomas Michill, John Mitchill, John Smith, John Lambert, Nicholas Orle, John Barton, Richard Haynes, John Armiger, Walter Rogers, Richard Hathen, Walter Smith, William Miller, Thomas Cromhall, Walter Dau, [John Loofe, Roger Shin, Henry Norton, Thomas Forthey, Walter Waker,] Richard Timber, William Baker, Thomas With, John Baker, Phillip Dolewyer, John Adys, William Hynd, William Tallow, John Brute, John Mitchill, Richard Hopkins, Thomas Baster, John Laurence, Thomas Tyler, Walter Dolett, William Callowe, Richard Holt, Walter Warr, John Robert, Henry Doler, John Parsons, William Holder, Thomas Clarke. [82]
Be it knowne to all men that shall see or [and] heare this writing that the Inquest of fforty and eight Miners witnesses and confirmeth all the Laws comprized in ye said Roll for witnesse whereof they have put their Seales.
Written out of a parchmt roll now in
ye hands of Richard Morse of Clownwall
7 Jany 1673
THO. DAVIES.
Memordm this was afterwards printed for Wm
Cook at the Pelican in Little Britain
hoc Titulo
The Laws & Customes of the Miners
in ye Forest of Dean