FOREST author David Adams pulls no punches. For some it's uncomfortable to read that your ancestors were "rioters and disorderly persons"

Adams quotes Anglican minister, the Rev P. M. Proctor who was outraged when in 1802 he took on Newland parish and found a "low debased state of morals.. habitual profanation of the Sabbath-day... drunkenness, rioting, immodist dancing, revellings, fightings " and "an improper state of females on their marriage".

Rather, there are those who would prefer John Wesley's view of 1756 when he visited Coleford and found a "plain and loving people."

Whatever your view of the Forest now and in the past, for a very modest £4 you get the opportunity to make up your own mind in Mr Adams' latest Yorkley A&E publication 'A Disorderly Settlement'.

Sub-titled 'A short stroll through the history of Yorkley' this, in reality, is more of a sprint than a gentle walk!

There's no time to stop and smell the flowers as David gallops through the history of Yorkley – a mini history reflecting the history of the Forest as a whole. And what a good job he has done.

It's a turbulent tale which, says David, celebrates the culture and history of Yorkley and the Forest of Dean and takes in all manner of diverse happenings from protest to poetry.

He explains that it is now possible to publish books of limited interest in small runs, aimed mainly at a well defined local readership, without incurring huge costs. Mr Adams runs Yorkley A&E with Chris Nancollis, a well known retired GP, who is currently working on their next book that showcases the range of poets currently writing in the Forest.

'A Disorderly Settlement' ' follows the successful publication of 'A Native Forester – The life and Poems of Richard Morse' a work regarded as first class research.

'A Disorderly Settlement' richly enhanced by the illustrations of Helen Sandford, is another important work and one which opens the door for more research and more mini-histories.

Read this super little book and for certain you will want to know more about the splendid Thomas Nicholson, a miner owner who distributed 10,000 loaves and organised a potato-growing programme for miners as well as giving 800 families beef for their Christmas dinner.

Look out also for a history of the Rev William Wickenden, of Etloe, once known as the Bard of the Forest. There's a lot to come from this little publishing team and the growing army of people interested in local history just can't wait. JP