f tinplate are made per week. Two-thirds
of the iron so used is obtained in the Forest.

Similar works, only on a larger scale, are carried on at Lydney by
Messrs. W. Allaway and Sons. These are five in number, and bear the
names of The Lower Mill, The Lower Forge, The Middle Forge, The Upper
Mill, and The Upper Forge. About 400 hands are engaged at them, and turn
out about 1,000 boxes of tin-plate every week, besides a quantity of
sheet-iron. The materials supplied to these works from the Forest of
Dean are pig-iron, coal, fire-bricks and clay, fire-stone and fire-sand,
and cordwood for conversion into charcoal. Lydney has long been famed
for its ironworks, which at one time belonged to the Talbot family.

_Sowdley_, in spite of its natural beauties and retired situation, has
been occupied by ironworks since 1565, the ancient family of the Joneses
of Hay Hill conducting them as wire-works drawn by power of hand.
Messrs. Parnell and Co. then took to them; from 1784 to 1804 Dobbs and
Taylor carried on the works; Browning, Heaven and Tayer followed in 1824,
and Todd, Jeffries and Spirrin in 1828, converting a part of the premises
into paint and brass works.

In 1837 they were raised to the dignity of blast furnaces by having two
of them erected of the usual size, by Edward Protheroe, Esq., and worked
by him for four years. The late Mr. Benjamin Gibbons purchased them in
1857; and in 1863 his representatives sold them to Messrs. Goold, by whom
they are conducted. At present but one furnace is in blast, yielding
about 20 tons of Forest iron each casting, South Wales coke being the
fuel employed. Eighty hands are engaged at these works.

_Lydbrook_ has long been the site of several busy ironworks. They may be
specified as the Upper and Lower; the last of these, situated near the
Wye, was once the property of the Foleys, by whom so many of the iron
works of the beginning of the last century were carried on. More
recently they were in Mr. Partridge's hands, and were worked in connexion
with the furnace at Bishopswood. In 1817 Mr. Allaway leased them, at
which time they comprised three forges, rolling and bar mills, and
tin-house complete, capable of producing from 100 to 150 boxes of tin
plates per week. Now, however, under the able management of the late Mr.
Allaway's sons, the Works yield 600 boxes, sent off by the Wye. The iron
used is chiefly that from Cinderford, as being the best suited for the
purpose.