Lost poems from the nineteenth century

A new collection of poems by nineteenth-century Forest of Dean poet Catherine Drew is set to be published, bringing together works that have been scattered across archives and private collections for generations.

Born in 1784 and the mother of eight children, Catherine Drew became known as “The Forest Poetess.” Her writing offers a rare and vivid perspective on the dramatic changes that reshaped the Forest of Dean during the Industrial Revolution, as coal and iron industries transformed the landscape around her. Today, she is regarded as a remarkable literary figure whose poetry captured both the beauty of the Forest and the impact of industrial expansion on local communities.

The new collection has been assembled from sources as far afield as the United States. As part of the Forest of Dean Writers Collection at the Dean Heritage Centre, researchers have been gathering papers and artefacts linked to some of the region’s most significant writers. One of the highlights of this work has been rediscovering lost and forgotten pieces by Catherine Drew.

Descendants of the poet living in North America were delighted to learn about the project and generously contributed items that had travelled with the family when they emigrated in the 1870s. Among the donations were a nightcap believed to have belonged to Catherine and several poems written in her own hand. These materials, along with poems located in archives and historic newspapers closer to home, have now been brought together in a single volume. The collection also includes original poems first published in 1841.

The book has been edited by Dr Jason Griffiths and Dr Roger Deeks, who worked together to compile and prepare the material. Jason said,  ‘We are grateful to the Heritage Lottery Fund for their support with this project and for making this publication possible. Her known poems have been republished three times but remain scarce, and this edition will make them accessible with the added delight of containing the additional works we have uncovered.’

Roger said: ‘Catherine is an enduring emblem of the Forest of Dean and her poems about the changing landscape are of huge relevance in a changing Forest. The collection is a great historical record and relevant to schools and the public today. We are hugely grateful to Michael Wright, the donor of poems and artefacts from Massachusetts.’

The edited collection is the first book published by Dean Heritage Centre, and Nicola Wynn, the Collections Manager, said: ‘We are delighted to support this publication. Our shop provides a range of Forest books, and this will be the first time we have produced our own. We have had an excellent group of volunteers working with us to curate the literary collection, and the archiving of Catherine’s work has been a highlight.’

Book Launch

To celebrate the publication, Roger and Jason will host a series of launch events on Saturday, 28th March at locations closely connected to Catherine Drew’s life.

10.00 am – 11.30 am Gunns Mill, where Catherine was born. Visitors will also get the opportunity to see the historic furnace and paper mill.

12.00 pm – 1.30 pm St John’s Church, Cinderford, where Catherine is buried.

2.00 pm-3.30 pm Dean Heritage Centre, Soudley.

Roger and Jason will also present a talk about Catherine Drew and the new collection at the Gloucester History Festival on Saturday, 18 April, from 3.15 pm to 3.45 pm in the Scriptorium Buttery.

Together, these events and the new publication offer a chance to rediscover the voice of a poet who chronicled the Forest of Dean at a moment of profound change—and whose words continue to speak to the landscape today.