King's Wood is located on rising ground opposite Ogmore Mill (NPRN 414222) and a short distance to the east of Ogmore Castle (93019). The wood is named as such in financial accounts of 1448-9 and in later surveys (1).
The area covered by woodland here is currently 40.5 acres (16.4 ha). It occupies the steep north to north-easterly slope of Flemings-down above the lower Ogwr valley. The OS 1st edn. 25-inch plan shows the wood as partially coniferised deciduous woodland, but only as deciduous woodland on modern maps. Fourteenth century financial records refer to the use of timber for repairs made to Ogmore Castle and Ogmore Mill, taken from `the lord's wood?. The location is otherwise unnamed but this wood's proximity to those buildings makes it a likely candidate. Its modern name probably arose after Duchy of Lancaster lands passed into the hands of the Crown in 1399.
In the 1631 survey the wood is described as follows: `... there is within the said manor one parcel of small wood called Kinges Wood, but that there are no timber trees within the same?. The implication is that this was now an underwood managed as a single parcel. In eighteenth century legal proceedings (1764-70) the extent of the wood was given as 'about 60 acres'. It was also described as having been part of the demesne, referred to as such in 1595-6 (2). Fifteenth-century accounts refer to the cost of repairing 'the fence of King's Wood'.

Field investigation found the wood bounded by a wall and/or wall/bank on its east, west and south sides and a bank on its lower north side, and divided into two parcels by a now collapsed stone wall. Tree growth appears to be mostly of 20th century date but with extensive coppice regrowth, especially of sycamore and beech. Stumps of felled standard trees are scattered throughout the wood. The wood is criss-crossed by trackways, both as linear terraces and as hollow trails. Evidence for quarrying is widespread, especially in the western parcel. Two oval platforms were located in the eastern parcel at SS89407686 and SS89437683, possibly for charcoal burning given the availability of coppice and the proximity of early industrial centres around Bridgend.

(1) National Archives, lordship of Ogmore DL29/593/9497; G.T.Clark, Cartae et alia Munimenta... vol.6 (1910), p.2182.
(2) National Library of Wales, Dunraven Estate Papers, Ogmore Manor 4/1 (Box 4).

David Leighton, RCAHMW, 13 December 2011