Just a short trip from the ancient and beautiful town of Winchester in Hampshire is the even more ancient and beautiful New Forest. Against all odds, an ancient landscape of majestic woodlands, gorse-covered heathland, and boggy valleys have survived to the present day, to be enjoyed by visitors from far and wide.
The New Forest is unique in England. It is the largest area of unspoilt countryside in the lowlands of southern Britain and one of the few medieval forests remaining in Europe. Our knowledge of the Forest in the 'Dark Ages' and before is patchy but we do know that people have inhabited the forest and heaths for over 3,000 years and most of the picturesque villages you find there today are mentioned in the Domesday Book.
It was in 1079 that William the Conqueror ordered the creation of a hunting reserve in this area, which was previously known as Ytene. The name we know it today, 'The New Forest' was first recorded in 1086; Nova Foresta. Unlike its modern meaning, the word forest in those days, denoted an area of both woodland and open countryside; a place suitable for the hunting and chasing of wild beasts. The forest, when first created, was far larger than it is today, stretching from the Solent almost to Salibury and from the Avon valley to Southampton Water. The local inhabitants weren't forcibly removed from the Royal playground, however, they became subject to the harsh Forest Laws, which was administered by the Verderers' Court. Cutting any vegetation which gave food and shelter to the deer was prohibited. It was also decreed that no Forest land could be enclosed, so local people grazed their ponies, cattle, pigs on the open land and, at the start of each Winter, the peasants had to 'round up' their cattle and over-winter them in their tiny holdings. Over the following centuries many of the harsh laws were repealed. However, many of these ancient laws survive to this day. People who live in the New Forest still have the right to let their ponies graze the public land; today there are about 350 Commoners who still practise their right to graze their ponies in the Forest.
One should familiarize one self with some of the words and terms used in and about the Forest. A lawn is not a patch of grass carefully kept short by a lawnmower, but an area of grass kept short by grazing ponies and cattle. A 'Valley Mire' is what is known by most people as a bog - there are around ninety separate mires, which are still unspoilt by drainage of any form of 'land reclamation', and these mires provide a place in which many endangered species can thrive. A 'Commoner' is someone who lives in the New Forest and lives in a holding that has Common Right of Pasture. Today, the Forest has six Agisters. The health of the ponies and cattle is their responsibility - including animals that are injured or killed on the roads. The Forest is divided into five areas, with an Agister being responsible for each, while the Head Agister is responsible for the whole Forest. It is the Agisters who organize the round up of the ponies between August and November. The round ups are called 'Drifts'.
The Agisters are, in turn, answerable to the Verderers. The Verderers' Court was established in the Norman times and had the function of protecting the 'vert' - the greenery of the Forest. These were powerful men who enforced the harsh Forest Laws. A commoner who shot a deer was punished by the removal of a hand (or head). Other offences included taking wood from the Forest and enclosing land without permission. Over the centuries the role of the Verderers has changed. Now they no longer protect the rights of the King and his hunt, but the rights of the people who live in the Forest.
There is so much more to learn about the Forest; its ancient history, its rich and unique wildlife, its picture-perfect villages. The best way to find out more about the Forest is go and explore it for yourself. So, if you are staying in or around Winchester in Hampshire, why not take a thirty minute drive to explore one of England's jewels.
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Robin O'Brien lives and works in Winchester and is founder of Winchester Tourist Information where you can find more information on the city such as, places to visit, walks, restaurants, photographs and hotels in Winchester
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