A PICTURE OK THE IRON TRADE. 35 



stone plates, and plates to blend sand upon. On one occasion 

 the furnace dam broke and drowned a neighbour's land, increasing 

 its fertility, but giving occasion for a large claim for damages. 



For the building of a forge a considerable capital was required. 

 George Sitwell, in February, 1664, writes to the Marquess of 

 Newcastle that if he may have a lease of 2 1 years of the land and 

 water course necessary, he will build, at his own expense, the forge 

 workmen's houses, with dams, goyts, and ways (Mr. Clayton 

 saith his cost ^800), pay two years' rent for a fine, and leave all 

 standing at the end of the term. I find a list of building and 

 repairs at Cuckney Forge in 1662 and 1663, which gives a good 

 picture of it. Forty-seven pounds, ten shillings was spent on 

 carpenters work, and 3s. 6d. to the labourers at the iron house ; 

 10s. for broom for thatch, and 12s. 6d. to the thatcher for 12^ days' 

 work ; 3s. 4d. for leading clay; ,£3 6s. 8d., and 14s. 6d. more for 

 repairing the workmen's houses and coal place, and for stoops and 

 reakes for it. There is a complete list of the tools in the upper and 

 nether forge at Plesley in 1665, amongst which I notice the fynery 

 bellows and wheels, a weigh beam to weigh sows, the hammer 

 wheel and anvil, chafery bellows and wheels, a loop hammer, 

 shingling tongs, morriss bars, hirsts on the helves, breys, brasses, 

 sledges, ringers, quasses, maundrells, a kaywedge, and a furgon 

 hammer. At each forge there was a clerk's chamber. At one 

 deserted forge, perhaps at Carberton, the forebays and damhead 

 were left standing at the command of the Marquess of Newcastle, 

 who intended to make a fishpool there. The work at the forges 

 was done in the early part of the year, in order that the goods 

 might go to the water in summer, for it was very difficult to carry 

 them in winter, even at a double charge. 



According to Hunter, the historian of Hallamshire and South 

 Yorkshire, who took much of his information on this subject from 

 Evelyn, the devastation of the English forests in the latter half of 

 the seventeenth century, was due to the needs of the iron 

 manufacturers. However, I find that the largest and finest trees 

 in Sherwood were devoted to the furnishing planks for the navy; 

 and, indeed, in all, or nearly all, sales of standing timber the best 



