The history of Wyre Forest

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The ‘Foresta de Wyre’ Straddling the border of Shropshire and Worcestershire, the Wyre Forest area is known to have been wooded since at least 900AD. The ‘Foresta de Wyre’ is mentioned in the Domesday Book, Britain’s earliest record commissioned by William I in 1085. Historically, the ‘Foresta de Wyre’ was once a Royal forest and parts were fenced off as a Royal Chase for hunting deer. It is thought to have once formed an almost continuous forest with the Royal forests of Kinver to the east, Feckenham to the south and Clee to the west. The forest was popular for hunting throughout medieval times, but gradually the wood began to be coppiced in order to produce charcoal, which was used to fire up the furnaces in the new, local iron works. Coppicing is an ancient woodland practice whereby trees are periodically (every 15 to 20 years) cut down to ground level to produce a renewable harvest of poles for charcoal and firewood. Small clusters of charcoal burning hearths can still be found throughout the woodland as well as distinctive earthworks that were once ‘bell pits’ used to mine coal from beneath the forest floor.