Forest of Dean

The Forest of Dean is a geographical, historical and cultural region in the western part of the county of Gloucestershire, England. It forms a roughly triangular plateau bounded by the River Wye to the west and north-west, Herefordshire to the north, the River Severn to the south, and the City of Gloucester to the east.

The area is characterised by more than 110 square kilometres (42.5 sq mi) of mixed woodland, one of the surviving ancient woodlands in England. A large area was reserved for royal hunting before 1066, and remained as the second largest crown forest in England, the largest being New Forest. Although the name is used loosely to refer to the part of Gloucestershire between the Severn and Wye, the Forest of Dean proper has covered a much smaller area since medieval times. In 1327 it was defined to cover only the royal demesne and parts of parishes within the hundred of St Briavels, and after 1668 comprised the royal demesne only. The Forest proper is within the civil parishes of West Dean, Lydbrook, Cinderford, Ruspidge, and Drybrook, together with a strip of land in the parish of English Bicknor.

Forest of Dean District

Forest of Dean is a local government district in Gloucestershire, England, named after the Forest of Dean. Its council is based in Coleford. Other towns in the district include Cinderford, Newent and Tidenham.

The district was formed on 1 April 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972, as a merger of the East Dean Rural District, Lydney Rural District, Newent Rural District and West Dean Rural District, and from Gloucester Rural District the parishes of Newnham and Westbury-on-Severn.

Parishes and settlements

Forest of Dean (UK Parliament constituency)

Forest of Dean is a parliamentary constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2005 by Mark Harper, a Conservative.

Boundaries

1885-1918: The Sessional Divisions of Coleford, Lydney, Newent, and Newnham.

1918-1950: The Urban Districts of Awre, Coleford, Newnham, and Westbury-on-Severn, the Rural Districts of East Dean and United Parishes (the civil parishes of Abenhall, Blaisdon, Bulley, Churcham, East Dean, Flaxley, Huntley, Littledean, Longhope, Minsterworth, Mitcheldean, and Ruardean), Lydney (the civil parishes of Alvington, Aylburton, Hewelsfield, Lancaut, Lydney, St Briavels, Tidenham, and Woolaston), Newent (the civil parishes of Bromsberrow, Corse, Dymock, Hartpury, Highleadon, Kempley, Newent, Oxenhall, Pauntley, Preston, Rudford, Taynton, Tibberton, and Upleadon), and West Dean (the civil parishes of English Bicknor, Newland, Staunton, and West Dean), and in the Rural District of Gloucester the civil parishes of Ashleworth, Highnam, Over and Linton, Lassington, and Maisemore.