The Skimmington Riots in the Forest of Dean, 1631-32

: A contextual case study

Abstract

The Forest of Dean is often regarded as a little country on its own, a borderland between England and Wales, almost an island between the rivers Severn and Wye. Appropriately, the Country - a synonym for local commonwealth - was the term inhabitants of this land between two rivers used to identify themselves. They shared grievances caused by woodland and key resources, such as iron ore and coal, being monopolised by royal favourites.
In this liminal place, a carnivalesque riot mixing festivities with demolition of enclosures reportedly involving thousands of people began on Lady Day 1631 and continued, on and off, for more than a year. Skimmington, usually recorded as a mocking shame punishment visited on cuckolds and husband-beaters, was here used to invert hierarchy in other ways. It was used in a pejorative sense to symbolically bury the notorious "odious projector" Sir Giles Mompesson in one of his coal pits, and then used triumphantly, as a poor man, John Williams, took on the role of a riot captain, or lord of misrule.
While the Skimmington Riots in the Forest of Dean have been bracketed in with various studies - whether of skimmington itself, the historiographical construct the Western Rising, and the centuries-long struggle by miners and commoners to retain their customary privileges - this is the first time the riots have been a singular focus of a study that is led by primary sources.
These events are considered in various contexts, as a means of investigating the workings of early modern society, and the research project contributes to a debate within recent historiography by arguing that social relations were more complex than hegemonic or binary models allow.

Date of Award	25 Jan 2022
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	University of Bristol
Supervisor	Mark Hailwood (Supervisor) & John E Morgan (Supervisor)