under the
command of Lieutenant Wood, and headed by Mr. Pyrke, a magistrate of
Little Dean. The freebooters fled in every direction, but five men,
named Thomas Yemm, Thomas Rosser, Richard Brain, George Marfell, and John
Meek, being the most active ringleaders, were apprehended, some in the
act of conveying away the flour upon packhorses, some had sacks of it
upon their shoulders, some were just landed from the vessel; and many
were busied on the bank, which was strewed with flour, dividing the sacks
into smaller quantities to render it more portable, for even women and
children were of the number." The five men already named were fully
committed on the following Tuesday to Gloucester Castle, there to be
tried at the Spring Assizes, being guarded thither by one hundred of the
Surrey Fencibles, who had arrived in Newnham at 3 o'clock previously.
Shortly afterwards, the serjeant of the military, called out on this
occasion, was desperately bruised by a stone thrown at him by some
desperadoes as he was riding near Mitcheldean, and, on a subsequent
Thursday, some villains fired a piece loaded with slugs into the
bed-chamber of Mr. Pyrke. At the ensuing Assizes, Thomas Yemm and Thomas
Rosser were left for execution, which, although, from the excellent
character they previously bore, some gentlemen of the Forest, and of the
Grand Jury, interceded with his Majesty on their behalf, they underwent
on the 11th April, 1797, acknowledging the justice of their sentence.
The extraordinary scarcity, and consequent high price of provisions about
this time, were so acutely felt in this neighbourhood, that the Crown
distributed 1,000 pounds worth of grain amongst the distressed Foresters.

CHAPTER VI.
A.D. 1800-1831.

Lord Nelson's remarks on the Forest--Free miners endeavour to restore
their Court of Mine Law--White Mead Park planted--Act of 1808,
authorising the replanting of the Forest; six commissioners appointed for
that purpose--Six enclosures formed in 1810--Mice--Inquiry as to the best
mode of felling timber--Last of the enclosures formed 1816--First Forest
church consecrated--High Meadow Woods purchased--General condition of the
Forest--Unsuccessful efforts to restore the encroachments to the
Crown--Plantations mended over--Ellwood and the Great Doward Estates
purchased--The blight--Single trees planted out by the roads--Blight on
the oaks.

There is a statement of Lord Nelson's relating to this Forest, written
a