Robin Hood Iron Mine (Forest of Dean): Difference between revisions

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__NOTOC__{{PnItemTop|Lat=51.8037|Lon=-2.6398|AdmDiv=Gloucestershire|Vicinity=''c.'' 85 m SW of Staunton Road (A4136) and ''c.'' 107 m W of Staunton Road (B4228)|Type=Establishment|Interest=Robin Hood name|
__NOTOC__{{PnItemTop|Lat=51.8037|Lon=-2.6398|AdmDiv=Gloucestershire|Vicinity=''c.'' 85 m SW of Staunton Road (A4136) and ''c.'' 107 m W of Staunton Road (B4228)|Type=Establishment|Interest=Robin Hood name|
Status=Defunct|Demonym=|Riding=|GreaterLondon=|Year=1884|Aka=Robinhood Iron Mine|Century=|Cluster1=Forest of Dean|Cluster2=|Cluster3=|Image=robin-hood-iron-pit-forest-of-dean-google-earth-street-view.jpg|Postcards=|ExtraCat1=Places named Robin Hood's Mine|ExtraCat2=Robinhood place-names|ExtraCat3=|ExtraCat4=|ExtraCat5=|ExtraLink1=|ExtraLink2=|ExtraLink3=|ExtraLink4=|ExtraLink5=|ExtraLinkName1=|ExtraLinkName2=|ExtraLinkName3=|ExtraLinkName4=|ExtraLinkName5=|GeopointPrefix=|GeopointSuffix=|VicinitySuffix=|StatusSuffix=|DatePrefix=|DateSuffix=}}
Status=Extant|Demonym=|Riding=|GreaterLondon=|Year=1871|Aka=Robinhood Iron Mine; Robin Hood; Robin Hood Iron Pit|Century=|Cluster1=Forest of Dean|Cluster2=Robin Hood Iron Mine|Cluster3=|Image=Robin-Hood-Deep-Pit-Coal-Mine-User-Album-80479.jpg|Postcards=|ExtraCat1=Places named Robin Hood's Mine|ExtraCat2=Robinhood place-names|ExtraCat3=|ExtraCat4=|ExtraCat5=|ExtraLink1=|ExtraLink2=|ExtraLink3=|ExtraLink4=|ExtraLink5=|ExtraLinkName1=|ExtraLinkName2=|ExtraLinkName3=|ExtraLinkName4=|ExtraLinkName5=|GeopointPrefix=|GeopointSuffix=|VicinitySuffix=|StatusSuffix=|DatePrefix=|DateSuffix=}}
{{#display_map:{{#var:Coords}}~{{#replace:{{PAGENAME}}|&#39;|'}}|width=34%}}<div class="pnMapLegend">Site of {{PAGENAME}}.</div>
{{#display_map:{{#var:Coords}}~{{#replace:{{PAGENAME}}|&#39;|'}}|width=34%|service=leaflet|enablefullscreen=yes}}<div class="pnMapLegend">Site of {{PAGENAME}}.</div>
[[File:{{#var:Pnimage}}|thumb|right|500px|Looking roughly SW from Stounton Road (A4136), its a short walk ''c.'' 85 m straight ahead to the site of the Robin Hood Iron Pit / Google Earth Street View.]]
[[File:{{#var:Pnimage}}|thumb|right|500px|At the mine / Courtesy Aditnow forum user 'Lipsi'.]]
<p id="byline">By Henrik Thiil Nielsen, 2018-09-24. Revised by {{#realname:{{REVISIONUSER}}}}, {{REVISIONYEAR}}-{{REVISIONMONTH}}-{{REVISIONDAY2}}.</p><div class="no-img">
<div class="no-img"><p id="byline">By Henrik Thiil Nielsen, 2018-09-24. Revised by {{#realname:{{REVISIONUSER}}}}, {{REVISIONYEAR}}-{{REVISIONMONTH}}-{{REVISIONDAY2}}. Photos courtesy Aditnow forum user 'Lipsi'. Thanks also to forum administrator Simon Lowe.</p>
Robin Hood Iron Pit was located in or near [[Marian's Inclosure (Gloucestershire)|Marian's Inclosure]] in the Forest of Dean. It was certainly in operation by 1884, possibly by 1879.  
Robin Hood Iron Mine was located in [[Marian's Inclosure (Forest of Dean)|Marian's Inclosure]] in the Forest of Dean. Said to have started in 1871, it was certainly in operation by 1884.


The earliest source known to IRHB is a 6" O.S. map of the area published in 1884, based on surveying carried out 1879-80 (see Maps below). Some revisions of the map label the site "Robinhood Iron Mine", while others have "Robin Hood Iron Pit". The part of the Forest of Dean in which the mine was situated was known as Blake's Wood.
According to Wikipedia's article on the village of Coleford, the mine began operation in 1871,<ref>[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Staunton,_near_Coleford,_Gloucestershire Wikipedia: Staunton, near Coleford, Gloucestershire.]</ref> and this may well be correct though no source is cited. The earliest map source for this place-name known to IRHB is a 6" O.S. map of the area published in 1884, based on surveying carried out 1879-80 (see Maps below). Some revisions of the map label the site "Robinhood Iron Mine", while others have "Robin Hood Iron Pit". The part of the Forest of Dean in which the mine was situated was known as Blake's Wood. A [[Robin Hood Deep Pit (Forest of Dean)|deep pit]] and a [[Robin Hood Land Pit (Forest of Dean)|land pit]] were operated.


The forest has reclaimed the site, and hardly any traces of the mining operation can be discerned on Google Maps satellite images. However, on the ground several are visible, including the "[s]ite of a shaft (now sealed with an iron plate)", the "[s]ite of an air shaft of unknown date, located c.60 metres south-west of Robin Hood Iron Pit, and possibly associated with that site". Among many other remains of mining and quarrying operations in the vicinity are a "[f]lat-topped mound of unknown date located in woodland to the north of the site of Robin Hood Iron Pit, near the A4136". Robin Hood Iron Pit was also worked for ochre.<ref>{{:Hoyle, Jon 2008a}}, vol. 2, pp. 75 (SMR No. 13937), 169 (area 6126), 170 (area 6126), 177 (area 13922).</ref> The O.S. maps listed below include details such as buildings, a shaft, an air shaft, ramparts or heaps of waste, a weighing machine, and access roads.
One of 39 active mining operations in the district during the 19th century or later, the Robin Hood Iron Mine was worked mainly for red oxide but also produced ochre for use in the paint industry. It closed in 1932 but was briefly reopened by the Ministry of Supply during WWII.<ref>{{:Hoyle, Jon 2017a}}, p. 134; {{:Hoyle, Jon 2008a}}, vol. 2, p. 169 (area 6126). [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Staunton,_near_Coleford,_Gloucestershire Wikipedia: Staunton, near Coleford, Gloucestershire.]</ref> The forest has reclaimed the site to the extent that hardly any traces of the mining operation can be discerned on Google Maps satellite images. However, on the ground several are still visible, including the "[s]ite of a shaft (now sealed with an iron plate)" and the "[s]ite of an air shaft of unknown date, located c.60 metres south-west of Robin Hood Iron Pit, and possibly associated with that site". Among many other remains of mining and quarrying operations in the vicinity are a "[f]lat-topped mound of unknown date located in woodland to the north of the site of Robin Hood Iron Pit, near the A4136".<ref>{{:Hoyle, Jon 2008a}}, vol. 2, pp. 75 (SMR No. 13937), 170 (area 6126), 177 (area 13922).</ref> The O.S. maps listed below include details such as buildings, a shaft, an air shaft, ramparts or heaps of waste, a weighing machine, and access roads. With few conspicuous traces of the mine now remaining and hence so little reason for people in the area to have use for a name for it, the place-name is kept alive mainly by local historians and people interested in mining history and exploration. There are also a few references in the archaeological literature.<ref>See references in Sources and Background sections.</ref>


 
"Marian" occurs as an element in the names of [[Forest of Dean place-name cluster|at least five localities in the vicinity]], and until we have clear evidence to the contrary, it seems reasonable to believe these place-names may refer to Maid Marian.{{PnItemQry}}
"Marian" occurs as an element in the names of [[Forest of Dean place-name cluster|at least five localities in the vicinity]], and until we have clear evidence to the contrary, its seems to reasonable to believe these place-names may refer to Maid Marian.{{PnItemQry}}
== Gazetteers ==
== Gazetteers ==
* Not included in {{:Dobson, Richard Barrie 1976a}}, pp. 293-311.
* Not included in {{:Dobson, Richard Barrie 1976a}}, pp. 293-311.
<!--== Sources ==
== Sources ==
* -->
* [https://www.aditnow.co.uk/Mines/Robin-Hood-Deep-Pit-Iron-Mine_9754/ Aditnow forum: Robin Hood Deep Pit Iron Mine (United Kingdom)]
* [https://www.aditnow.co.uk/Mines/Robin-Hood-Land-Pit-Iron-Mine_9753// Aditnow forum: Robin Hood Land Pit Iron Mine (United Kingdom)]
* {{:Hoyle, Jon 2008a}}, vol. 2, pp. 75 (SMR No. 13937), 169 (area 6126), 170 (area 6126), 177 (area 13922)
* {{:Hoyle, Jon 2017a}}, pp. 121-37. Excellent overview of mining and quarrying operations in the area
* [http://www.copsewood.org/mining/ Mining History Research & Exploration: Index of mines in the Forest of Dean;] click 'Forest of Dean' link.
 
== Maps ==
== Maps ==
* 25" O.S. map ''Monmouthshire'' XV.2 (''c.'' 1882; surveyed 1880). (No Copy in NLS)]
* 25" O.S. map ''Monmouthshire'' XV.2 (''c.'' 1882; surveyed 1880). (No Copy in NLS)
* [https://maps.nls.uk/view/109725256#zoom=4&lat=3874&lon=13707&layers=BT 25" O.S. map ''Gloucestershire'' XXX.15 (1895; surveyed 1879-80)]
* [https://maps.nls.uk/view/109725256#zoom=4&lat=3874&lon=13707&layers=BT 25" O.S. map ''Gloucestershire'' XXX.15 (1895; surveyed 1879-80)]
* [https://maps.nls.uk/view/109725259#zoom=4&lat=3840&lon=12879&layers=BT 25" O.S. map ''Gloucestershire'' XXX.15 (1902; rev. 1900)]
* [https://maps.nls.uk/view/109725259#zoom=4&lat=3840&lon=12879&layers=BT 25" O.S. map ''Gloucestershire'' XXX.15 (1902; rev. 1900)]
* [https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/#zoom=17&lat=51.8036&lon=-2.6405&layers=168&b=5 25" O.S. map ''Monmouthshire'' XV.2 (1902; rev. 1900)] (georeferenced).
* [https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/#zoom=17&lat=51.8036&lon=-2.6405&layers=168&b=5 25" O.S. map ''Monmouthshire'' XV.2 (1902; rev. 1900)] (georeferenced)
* [https://maps.nls.uk/view/135198586#zoom=4&lat=3196&lon=11653&layers=BT 25" O.S. map ''Monmouthshire'' XV.2 (1902; rev. 1900)]
* [https://maps.nls.uk/view/135198586#zoom=4&lat=3196&lon=11653&layers=BT 25" O.S. map ''Monmouthshire'' XV.2 (1902; rev. 1900)]
* [https://maps.nls.uk/view/109725262#zoom=5&lat=3746&lon=12947&layers=BT 25" O.S. map ''Gloucestershire'' XXX.15 (1922; rev. 1920)]
* [https://maps.nls.uk/view/109725262#zoom=5&lat=3746&lon=12947&layers=BT 25" O.S. map ''Gloucestershire'' XXX.15 (1922; rev. 1920)]
* [https://maps.nls.uk/view/101453349#zoom=4&lat=1862&lon=3873&layers=BT 6" O.S. map ''Gloucestershire'' XXX.SE (1884; surveyed 1878-80)]
* [https://maps.nls.uk/view/101453349#zoom=4&lat=1862&lon=3873&layers=BT 6" O.S. map ''Gloucestershire'' XXX.SE (1884; surveyed 1878-80)]
* [https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/#zoom=16&lat=51.8039&lon=-2.6447&layers=6&b=5 6" O.S. map ''Gloucestershire'' XXX.SE (1903; rev. 1900)] (georeferenced).
* [https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/#zoom=16&lat=51.8039&lon=-2.6447&layers=6&b=5 6" O.S. map ''Gloucestershire'' XXX.SE (1903; rev. 1900)] (georeferenced)
* [https://maps.nls.uk/view/101453346#zoom=4&lat=1938&lon=3696&layers=BT 6" O.S. map ''Gloucestershire'' XXX.SE (1903; rev. 1900)]
* [https://maps.nls.uk/view/101453346#zoom=4&lat=1938&lon=3696&layers=BT 6" O.S. map ''Gloucestershire'' XXX.SE (1903; rev. 1900)]
* [https://maps.nls.uk/view/102186154#zoom=4&lat=4479&lon=6883&layers=BT 6" O.S. map ''Monmouthshire'' XV.NW (1903; rev. 1900)]
* [https://maps.nls.uk/view/102186154#zoom=4&lat=4479&lon=6883&layers=BT 6" O.S. map ''Monmouthshire'' XV.NW (1903; rev. 1900)]
* [https://maps.nls.uk/view/102346004#zoom=5&lat=9001&lon=6844&layers=BT 6" O.S. map ''Monmouthshire'' XV (1924; rev. 1918)]
* [https://maps.nls.uk/view/102346004#zoom=5&lat=9001&lon=6844&layers=BT 6" O.S. map ''Monmouthshire'' XV (1924; rev. 1918)]
* [https://maps.nls.uk/view/102342785#zoom=5&lat=1928&lon=10813&layers=BT 6" O.S. map ''Gloucestershire'' XXX (1924; rev. 1920-21).]
* [https://maps.nls.uk/view/102342785#zoom=5&lat=1928&lon=10813&layers=BT 6" O.S. map ''Gloucestershire'' XXX (1924; rev. 1920-21)]
* [http://lightmoor.co.uk/forestcoal/Staunton.html ''Map of the Railways of the Forest of Dean'' (1894)]; pit included on Staunton section as "Robin Hood".
<!--== Discussion ==
<!--== Discussion ==
*  -->
*  -->
== Background ==
== Background ==
* {{:Hoyle, Jon 2008a}}, vol. 2, pp. 75 (SMR No. 13937), 169 (area 6126), 170 (area 6126), 177 (area 13922).
* [https://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/glos/vol5/pp326-354 BHO: Victoria County History: Gloucestershire: Vol. 5, pp. 326-54: Forest of Dean: Industry]
<!--== Brief mention ==
* {{:Hoyle, Jon 2008a}}, vol. 2, pp. 75 (SMR No. 13937), 169 (area 6126), 170 (area 6126), 177 (area 13922)
* -->
* {{:Poggi, E Muriel 1930a}}
* [http://eprints.glos.ac.uk/3761/2/Mervyn%20Fox%20LOG.docx Transcript of interview with 88 year old former miner Mervyn Fox, conducted 30 Oct. 2015 by Jonathan Wright, sound Engineer: Jason Griffiths]
* [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Staunton,_near_Coleford,_Gloucestershire Wikipedia: Staunton, near Coleford, Gloucestershire.]
== Brief mention ==
* [http://www.torrens.org/greenbottom/Archeology/archeology.html Green Bottom, Forest of Dean]
* {{:White, Malcolm 2013a}}.
{{PnItemAlsoSee}}
{{PnItemAlsoSee}}


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FOR EACH IMAGE: File:_FILENAME.jpg|_LEGEND / [_URL _PHOTOGRAPHER, _DAY _MON. _YEAR, Creative Commons.]
Robin-Hood-Deep-Pit-Coal-Mine-User-Album-80481.jpg|At the mine / Courtesy Aditnow forum user 'Lipsi'.
</gallery>-->
Robin-Hood-Deep-Pit-Coal-Mine-User-Album-80480.jpg|At the mine / Courtesy Aditnow forum user 'Lipsi'.
Robin-Hood-Deep-Pit-Coal-Mine-User-Album-80479.jpg|At the mine / Courtesy Aditnow forum user 'Lipsi'.
Robin-Hood-Deep-Pit-Coal-Mine-User-Album-80478.jpg|At the mine / Courtesy Aditnow forum user 'Lipsi'.
Robin-Hood-Deep-Pit-Coal-Mine-User-Album-80476.jpg|At the mine / Courtesy Aditnow forum user 'Lipsi'.
Robin-Hood-Deep-Pit-Coal-Mine-User-Album-80475.jpg|At the mine / Courtesy Aditnow forum user 'Lipsi'.
Robin-Hood-Deep-Pit-Coal-Mine-User-Album-80474.jpg|At the mine / Courtesy Aditnow forum user 'Lipsi'.
Robin-Hood-Deep-Pit-Coal-Mine-User-Album-80473.jpg|At the mine / Courtesy Aditnow forum user 'Lipsi'.
Robin-Hood-Deep-Pit-Coal-Mine-User-Album-80472.jpg|At the mine / Courtesy Aditnow forum user 'Lipsi'.
Robin-Hood-Deep-Pit-Coal-Mine-User-Album-80471.jpg|At the mine / Courtesy Aditnow forum user 'Lipsi'.
Robin-Hood-Deep-Pit-Coal-Mine-User-Album-80470.jpg|At the mine / Courtesy Aditnow forum user 'Lipsi'.
Robin-Hood-Deep-Pit-Coal-Mine-User-Album-80469.jpg|At the mine / Courtesy Aditnow forum user 'Lipsi'.
robin-hood-iron-pit-forest-of-dean-google-earth-street-view.jpg|Looking roughly SW from Stounton Road (A4136), its a short walk ''c.'' 85 m straight ahead to the site of the Robin Hood Iron Pit / Google Earth Street View.
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Revision as of 09:39, 31 May 2019

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Site of Robin Hood Iron Mine (Forest of Dean).

[[File:|thumb|right|500px|At the mine / Courtesy Aditnow forum user 'Lipsi'.]]

By Henrik Thiil Nielsen, 2018-09-24. Revised by Henrik Thiil Nielsen, 2019-05-31. Photos courtesy Aditnow forum user 'Lipsi'. Thanks also to forum administrator Simon Lowe.

Robin Hood Iron Mine was located in Marian's Inclosure in the Forest of Dean. Said to have started in 1871, it was certainly in operation by 1884.

According to Wikipedia's article on the village of Coleford, the mine began operation in 1871,[1] and this may well be correct though no source is cited. The earliest map source for this place-name known to IRHB is a 6" O.S. map of the area published in 1884, based on surveying carried out 1879-80 (see Maps below). Some revisions of the map label the site "Robinhood Iron Mine", while others have "Robin Hood Iron Pit". The part of the Forest of Dean in which the mine was situated was known as Blake's Wood. A deep pit and a land pit were operated.

One of 39 active mining operations in the district during the 19th century or later, the Robin Hood Iron Mine was worked mainly for red oxide but also produced ochre for use in the paint industry. It closed in 1932 but was briefly reopened by the Ministry of Supply during WWII.[2] The forest has reclaimed the site to the extent that hardly any traces of the mining operation can be discerned on Google Maps satellite images. However, on the ground several are still visible, including the "[s]ite of a shaft (now sealed with an iron plate)" and the "[s]ite of an air shaft of unknown date, located c.60 metres south-west of Robin Hood Iron Pit, and possibly associated with that site". Among many other remains of mining and quarrying operations in the vicinity are a "[f]lat-topped mound of unknown date located in woodland to the north of the site of Robin Hood Iron Pit, near the A4136".[3] The O.S. maps listed below include details such as buildings, a shaft, an air shaft, ramparts or heaps of waste, a weighing machine, and access roads. With few conspicuous traces of the mine now remaining and hence so little reason for people in the area to have use for a name for it, the place-name is kept alive mainly by local historians and people interested in mining history and exploration. There are also a few references in the archaeological literature.[4]

"Marian" occurs as an element in the names of at least five localities in the vicinity, and until we have clear evidence to the contrary, it seems reasonable to believe these place-names may refer to Maid Marian.Template:PnItemQry

Gazetteers

Sources

Maps

Background

Brief mention

Template:PnItemAlsoSee

Notes


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