Forestry England is currently hiring for a Deputy Gaveller, one of the UK's most unique, ancient jobs.
What is a Gaveller?
A gaveller is a unique position that exists only in the Forest of Dean in Gloucestershire, overseeing the mining of coal and iron ore, an activity that is known as 'freemining'. The freemining tradition is also local to the Forest of Dean, where individuals are given personal plots (called 'gales'), where they are allowed to mine.
What is a 'grant of the gale'?
The Deputy Gaveller is the only person who can issue a 'grant of the gale'. You can only be granted a gale if you were born and live within the 'Hundred of Saint Briavels' and you have already worked a year and a day in a mine close by – both of which are rules laid out in the Dean Forest Mines Act of 1838.
The Deputy Surveyor deals with all matters above the land in the Forest of Dean, while the Deputy Gaveller looks at everything below the ground. The 'Gaveller' and 'Surveyor' are the King of England.
In the advertised two-day-a-week role, the Deputy Gaveller will maintain relationships with individual mine owners and operators, as well as groups including the Freeminers Association, Forest of Dean Cave and Mines Rescue Group, and the Forest of Dean Caves Conservation & Access Group. The aim is to reduce the risk of underground accidents and incidents, and to support effective emergency response with the emergency services.
Every quarter, the successful candidate will attend HM Verderers Court, a corporate body set up in 1877 as the last remnant of the old form of Forest government. The Deputy Gaveller will report on topics related to the mineral interests of the Forest of Dean.
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Forestry England is the custodian of most of the land within the Forest of Dean, and is responsible for administering and monitoring the mining within the Hundred of St Briavels via the Deputy Gaveller..
The job is advertised at 15 hours per week, with a pro rata salary of £39,135-£42,133 and benefits including free parking and entry to Forestry England sites. Applications close at midnight on 18 April. Apply for the job of Deputy Gaveller here.
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Top image: Woodland landscape in the Forest Of Dean shows remnant buildings of one of the many freemines in Cannop, Gloucestershire (credit: Getty Images)
