The storm that changed the crossing
On 29 November 1841, heavy rain brought destructive flooding to Coleford. Water entered houses, cellars, stables and workshops at the old crossing. The Western Times subsequently printed an appeal for households whose losses threatened both home and livelihood.
The appeal named four neighbours: George Davey, a widower with five young children; Elizabeth Southcott, also widowed; James Shopland, unable to earn a living; and James Davey, a frail widower caring for children and a bedridden relative. Their circumstances make the storm more than a date in village history.
A new bridge for Coleford
In February 1842 the parish considered tenders for a replacement bridge. John Edwards of Crediton offered the lower price of £38, and his tender was accepted. Raising the approaches and improving drainage helped reshape the crossing that later generations knew.
Local research connects the damaged premises with parts of today's Browns Farm, New Inn, Riverside and forge area, but those exact identifications are later reconstructions, not modern addresses supplied by the original appeal.
What happened to the families, and how the village recovered, is part of the wider parish story. The published histories explore the holdings, buildings, people and evidence in greater detail.
Sources and historical notes
This introduction draws on original Colebrooke parish research and the records identified below. Where a detail depends on local recollection or later reconstruction, the text says so. These references allow readers to examine the evidence behind this introduction. Fuller accounts are available in the parish histories.