In 1870-72, John Marius Wilson's Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales described Flaxley like this:
FLAXLEY, a parish in Westbury-on-Severn district, Gloucester; near the river Severn, the South Wales railway, and the Gloucester and Hereford Junction railway, 2¼ miles N of Newnham. Post town, Newnham. Acres, 1, 375. Real property, £2, 252. Pop., 272. Houses, 51. The property is divided among a few. ...
A Cistertian abbey was founded here, in the time of Stephen, by Roger Fitz-Milo, second Earl of Hereford; was endowed by Henry II. with an iron forge in Dean forest, and with several neighbouring manors; and was given, at the dis-solution, to the Kingstons. Flaxley Abbey, now the seat of Sir M. H.Boevey, Bart., was rebuilt in 1777, and retains some vestiges of the monastic edifice. Iron-works are still carried on at Abbott's Wood, the place of the forge given by Henry II.; and the iron produced at them, in consequence of being worked solely with charcoal, is held in much esteem. The scenery in Flaxley and its neighbourhood is picturesque. The living is donative in the diocese of Gloucester and Bristol. Value, £108. Patron, Sir H. H.Boevey, Bart. The church is recent, and in the decorated English style; and has a tower and spire. Charities, £50.
Flaxley through time
Flaxley is now part of Forest of Dean district. Click here for graphs and data of how Forest of Dean has changed over two centuries. For statistics about Flaxley itself, go to Units and Statistics.
GB Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth, History of Flaxley, in Forest of Dean and Gloucestershire | Map and description, A Vision of Britain through Time.
URL: https://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/place/10668
Date accessed: 23rd April 2024
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