The New Forest

New Forest History in detail, laws, terms and facts.

History of the New Forest in England.  Agisters, Commoners, Verderers, King William.  A fascinating history. Click on the word below to learn more.

AGISTER /  VERDERER / COMMONER / COMMONERS RIGHTS / MARKING / DRIFTS

The New Forest has been inhabited by people for as long as they have lived anywhere in Britain, but visible evidence is hard to find.

Within the Forest boundary there are no massive earthworks, no Roman Villas, or medieval fortifications - though all of these can be found within a few miles of the boundary line.  Though there are Bronze Age Barrows now consumed by gorse and bracken, there are also a smaller number of defensive banks known locally as `castles` - these are thought to be the work of the Iron-Age defenders.

Centuries ago there were far more trees than today, the then dense woods were consumed by Stone Age settlers who with flints, teeth and bones felled the timber for building.

THE STONE AGE  The vast areas of heather moorland were originally dense woods.  These fell victim to Stone Age settlers using flints, teeth and bones they felled timber for building and cleared the ground for agriculture.

THE BRONZE AND IRON AGES  The change from woodland to heathland accelerated with the bronze tools appearing around 100 bc.  Bronze age round barrows are plentiful and they were the burial places of the early tribes  The Iron Age followed.  Extensive field systems with worn down banks and ditches are pre-Roman.

THE ROMANS  Using the plentiful supply of raw materials the Romans began the many known sites around the forest and created a thriving pottery industry.  Coins found near these kilns suggest that they were in production until the Romans left in about AD 1410.  There are many sites around the Forest each with a distinctive circular earth kiln and a heap of pottery fragments nearby.  New Forest pottery has been found at every Roman site in southern Britain.

DARK AGES, SAXONS & JUTES

After the Romans left Saxons & Jutes from Northern Europe invaded the New Forest although virtually nothing has survived in evidence their language lives on in almost all of the local place names.

KING WILLIAM  In Saxon times the kings enjoyed this exquisite area as a Royal Forest. When William, Duke of Normandy, invaded England in 1066 and was crowned William I, it is believed that sometime during the following 20 years the Nova Foresta came into being and was first mentioned in the Domesday Book in 1086, by then King William had already taken it into Crown ownership and imposed forest law to protect the vert and venison for his own use.

Rufus Stone marks the spot when in 1100 William II was killed while hunting in the Forest.  The cast iron pillar seen today was placed over the original stone for protection.

The inscription on the Rufus Stone reads:  "Here stood the oak tree on which an arrow shot by Sir Walter Tyrrell at a stag glanced and struck King William II surnamed Rufus on the breast of which storke he instantly died on the second day of August anno 1100.  King William thus slain was laid on a cart belonging to one Purkess and drawn from hence to Winchester, and buried in the Cathedral Church of that City."

17th CENTURY

Bucklers Hard village was created on the Beaulieu river to bring timber down to the Solent to be used in the production of many war ships but the scale of the needs of the Royal Navy prompted the enclosure of thousands of acres of forest purely for timber growing - all this was to the commoners expense - as grazing land became less and less.

THE ACT OF 1877  After many Acts of Parliaments throughout the following years in 1877 the New Forest Act, sometimes referred to as the 'Charter of the Forest' or the 'Commoners Charter', in many ways set the scene for the Forest we know today.  A stop was put to the abundant fencing of inclosures for wood production and confirmation that only 16,000 acres could be fenced at any one time.

The Act protected the old semi-natural woodlands allowing only the commoners to satisfy their fuel wood rights provided the ornamental trees were not sacrificed, indeed it is believed that the commoners can only take home as much wood as they can carry in their arms.

The Court of Verderers was empowered to employ staff and collect a marking fee for each head of commoners stock that roamed the Forest, their role was also to look after the interest of the New Forest commoners and in turn made bylaws to regulate the rights and health of the stock generally.

THE 1914-18 WAR Heavy felling of trees for the war effort and subsequent lack of regard after resulted in the loss of many broadleaf trees, they were replaced by fast growing conifers.  Then in 1928 amenity was the prime consideration and profitability came second.  The Forestry Commission assumed responsibility for bridges and drains and the clearance of conifers.  This was again halted sue to the arrival of the 1939-45 war.

1939 - 1945 10 airfields were built in and around the Forest including Bealieu, Holmsley and Stony Cross.

 THE 1949 NEW FOREST ACT  Membership of the Court of Verderers was increased to 10.  Changes were inevitable.  By the 1950's and early 60's increasing prosperity coupled with a rapid rise in car ownership resulted in a massive rise in road accidents involving stock.  By 1964 the main A31 was fenced.  The rest of the area was still wide open with no fencing along any of the other forest roads allowing the stock to wander freely outside the forest limits causing havoc for themselves as well as commoners and motorists alike.

THE 1964 NEW FOREST ACT  The Forest increased in size, taking Hale Purlieu in the north, Cadnam, Furzley, Half Moon, Penn, Plaitford and West Wellow commons in the north-east and the common lands of Hythe, Ibsley, Rockford and parts of Kingston Great in the west.  Provision was made to limit the road accident problem by stock proof fencing and cattle gridding so that the stock was at last kept within the Forest.  Provision for the main A35 to be fenced was made. Hopes were high that the carnage involving stock might now lessen.

THE GROWTH OF TOURISM  Provision for tourism had to be made.  During the 1960's erosion and soil compaction had started to take its toll so some car free areas were created in the Forest using ditches and barrier gates.  Leading to November 1971 when the whole open forest became a car free area and a large number of car parks were made coupled with a series of camp sites.

THE 1970 NEW FOREST ACT The main provision was to correct the oversight from the 1968 Countryside Act which gave the Commission wide powers to make provision for recreational use on land they managed.  This 1970 Act added the proviso that provision could only be done with the agreement of the Verderers and in addition the Act also authorised the last road to be fenced - the A337.

FORESTRY FACTS

THE VERDERER and THE AGISTER

As guardians of the Forest 10 Verderers are appointed, 5 of which are elected by commoners and 5 appointed by official bodies.  The Verderers work in partnership with the Forestry Commission to balance grazing and the needs of the Commoners with the needs of conservation and heavy recreational use.  They hold an open court at the Verderers Hall  in Lyndhurst every 2 months.

The Verderers in turn appoint 5 Agisters, they are full time officers who deal with the day to day problems.

Each autumn the Agisters, with the help of commoners, organise a 'round up' [drift] whereby ponies are rounded up and held in fenced corrals [forest pounds] where their condition is checked before the onset of the winter months.  Each pony is branded with the commoners individual brand [commoners brands can be seen on display at The Green Dragon Pub in Brook] and the Agister clips the tail to a special pattern depending on his/her area to show that a grazing fee has been paid by the owner.

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THE COMMONER

Commoners are those that own land in and around the forest that has rights attached to it.  About 350 families exercise these privileges today and in total the forest has some 1,800 head of cattle, over 3,000 ponies and a smaller number of donkeys, pigs and sheep.

Only a small number of commoners actually still make a complete living from keeping stock.  Most are part-time farmers with income supplements from other businesses.  Some simply keep one or two animals on the forest purely to maintain the old tradition.

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THE COMMONERS RIGHTS

• Common of Pasture - the right to graze cattle, ponies, donkeys, sheep.
• Common of Mast - the right to turn pigs out on the forest during the pannage season [in autumn when acorns and beech mast have fallen - acorns are particularly poisonous to ponies]
• Common of Fuelwood - an allowance of wood for burning to be used in a dwelling [know also as Estovers]
• Common of Sheep - the right to allow sheep onto the forest
• Common of *Marl - the right to take limey clay to spread on the land as a form of soil improvement
• Common of *Turbary - the right to cut turf for burning in a dwelling.

* not currently excercised.

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DRIFTS [ROUND UPS] AND TAIL MARKING

Each Autumn the Agisters organise a series of drifts, or, round ups of the forest ponies.  These events are also joined by commoners who ride alongside searching out, rounding up and capturing ponies.  The fenced corrals [forest pounds] can be seen all over the forest where ponies are held for branding, tail marking and condition checks before the onset of winter.

• Tail marking - the Agister clips the tail to a specific pattern depending which part of the forest the pony is in, this indicates that the years grazing fee has been paid by the commoner.  This causes no discomfort to the pony at all.
• Branding - usually carried out with a red hot iron from a fire on the forest floor.  Each pony is branded with the commoners own brand to show who it belongs to.  Various brands can be viewed on the inside  wall of the Green Dragon Pub at Brook.  Branding lasts for life and does cause discomfort to the pony.

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