“A barbarous and ungovernable people” is a bit of a strong condemnation of a community. Especially considering that at the time the community in question was situated on the outskirts of a vibrant city in Britain.

The people of Kingswood Forest supplied the south west of England and the industries of Bristol with coal, and it is fair to say that without the Kingswood Forest coal Bristol would not be the city it is today. However, the relationship between the two communities was strained to say the least. This pamphlet tells the story of the misunderstanding and mistrust which, from time to time, blew up into full scale conflagration.