Wood and Coal: fuel for poor townsfolk

An extract from Leicester Forest: by Levi Fox and Percy Russell (1948). Part 2. Ch. 5. by Percy Russell

The inclosing of the launde was carried forward under the supervision of Walter Hastings, much to the dismay of the commoners. A petition of the Earl of Huntingdon was drawn up by Richard Churchman of Earl Shilton and signed by most of the jurors of the Heathley court.

In this petition Churchman maintained that the supposed shortage of cover for the deer was due to the three Frith pastures, covering over 300 acres, and to the encroachments at Thwaite and at Lady Woode (on the Thurlaston side). Moreover, the bordering lordships were all fed upon by the deer, for the keepers strictly enforced the the forest law that the tenants might not chase the deer except "with little dogs or dogs lawed or expediated". This further inclosing of a launde, and the proposed doubling of the flocks allowed to the keepers would impoverish three or four thousand commoners, and be the ruin of many.

Some right to go "sticking" in the forest was clung to by the poorer inhabitants of the town; but, even for the humble, coal had taken the place of wood as the principal fuel, as is shown by the extensive arrangement made by the Earl of Huntingdon and the Mayor and Corporation for providing a considerable stock of coal for sale to the poor at a fixed price.

An interesting glimpse of the coal trade, and of the manners of the tenantry and servants of Henry Hastings, is afforded by a complaint to the Earl of Huntingdon lodged by the Mayor and his brethren on 4th August, 1617, (Borough Records, IV, 168), that:

"divers poor husbandmen in the hundreds of Sparkenoe and West Goscote near to the Cole pits, which weekly bring coles to Leicester Market to sell there for their better release and have always time out of mind on the Friday night brought the coles into Leicester Forest near unto the King's Highway have set down their carts and fettered their horses together and have suffered them to grass near unto the the forest gate and on the Saturday morning by break of day have taken up their loads and so presently set forward for Leicester to sell coles there . . .

2that upon Saturday last in the morning before day certain of the inhabitant of the town of Braunstone [and as we are credibly informed] with the consent of Sir Henry Hastings of Kirby did take and drive out the said forest many of the poor men's horses and impounded them in the said town of Braunstone to the great grief of the saide poore men and would not suffer to take awaie their horses till they paid for there several carriages some XIId., some VIIId. and VId., which amounted to the somme of XIIIs.

"We therefore most humblie desire that your Lordship wilbe pleased to cause the said Henry Hastings and the saide inhabitants to forbeare from henceforth to molest the said poore men or ympound there horses, the rather for that fewe of the cattell of the said forest doe use the grasse [...]"

(from Leicester Forest by Levi Fox and Percy Russell, published by Edgar Backus, Leicester for the Leicestershire Archaeological Society, now the Leicestershire Archaeological and Historical Society (LAHS). Reproduced by kind permission of the LAHS, 2007.)