Backstage in the Gage

Come find out about our fantastic recent discovery – an original poetry manuscript handwritten by Catherine Drew. Catherine, known locally as the “Forest Poetess”, was born near Gunns Mill in 1784 and, despite very limited formal education, wrote poetry about the Forest and current events throughout her life.

In 1993, a box of miscellaneous documents from Whitemead Park was donated to the Dean Heritage Centre. Included were two handwritten poems listed as ‘19th century manuscript poems anon…’. We found this document during our current Collections Review, immediately recognising the paper and handwriting.

Thanks to the work done by the Forest of Dean Writers Collection project, and a comparison to items kindly donated by Catherine’s descendants in the US, we have been able to identify these re-discovered poems and read verses we did not know existed before now.

Look at our range of Catherine Drew objects and learn more about the Forest Poetess and this exciting discovery at Backstage in the Gage at 2pm on Wednesday 16th July.