The Gallery
Learning about and practising commoning on the New Forest.
In medieval times a forest meant an area preserved for royal hunting, and not a wooded area as it does today.
The Agisiter ensures welfare standards of the free-roaming animals are maintained.
The ‘architects’ of the New Forest.
The New Forest landscape supports many species of plants, insects, birds and mammals. It should be valued as a reserve for nature.
One of many gatherings where Commoners can exchange news, information and knowledge.
Pannage season is part of the ancient commoning rights and a popular tradition.
Traditional management practices, particularly commoning, have conserved the ecological diversity of the Forest.
Category Archives: New Forest
New Forest: animal accidents on Roger Penny Way
Over the past couple of weeks (February 2017) there have been a series of collisions on the B3078 – Roger Penny Way – that have resulted in the deaths of several New Forest ponies. In one incident, although the driver … Continue reading
Posted in New Forest, New Forest Animal Road Traffic Accidents
Tagged B3078, car, Commoners Defence Association, commoning, death, driver, Forestry Commission, graphic, Hampshire County Council, image, injury, motorist, New forest, New Forest District Council, New Forest National Park Authority, New Forest Trust, Parish Council, police, ponies, pony, Roger Penny Way, speeding, Verderer
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New Forest: close encounter of a furred kind!
One of the best things about living in the countryside has got to be the interaction one can have with wildlife – in all its forms. As I write this piece (February 2017), I am sat in my kitchen where … Continue reading
Posted in New Forest
Tagged close encounter, Common Shrew, furred kind, garden, green waste, Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust, Mammal Society, New forest, picture-postcard, Sorex araneus, thatched cottage, village, wildlife
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New Forest: the seventeenth century coal-rush
On the 30th January 1649 Charles I was executed by beheading. In this momentous event the monarchy was overthrown, signalling the start of England’s only ever foray into republicanism with the establishment of a Commonwealth government. As a result, the … Continue reading
Posted in New Forest
Tagged 1653, Charles I, coal, Commonwealth, Forest, House of Lords, landscape, merchants, minerals, mining, New forest, Oliver Cromwell, Parliament, Priaulx, prospectors, regicide, republic, Richard Major, Southampton, State Papers Domestic
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New Forest: Drivers who are verging on the ridiculous!
Without a doubt the New Forest is a wonderful place to visit. Tourists coming to the area are often awestruck at the sight of ponies, cattle, sheep and pigs wandering freely within the perambulation. They marvel at the landscape that, … Continue reading
Posted in New Forest
Tagged animals, appreciation, camping, car parks, caravan, cars, cattle, cyclists, ditches, dog-walkers, Don’t Treat Our Verges Like Dirt!, donkeys, Forestry Commission, grass, grazing, horse-riders, National Park Authority, New forest, pigs, ponies, ramblers, ridiculous, vehicles, Verderers, verge, verging, wildlife
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New Forest: outwitted by a greedy pony!
I went to visit a commoning friend of mine recently while they were feeding hay to the cows in one of their fields, and thought I could be of some assistance by opening and closing the gate for them. Ordinarily … Continue reading
Posted in New Forest, New Forest cattle, New Forest pony
Tagged cattle, commoning, field, food, grass greener, greedy pony, hay, mare, meadow, New forest, Open Forest, other side, plans, pony, winter
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New Forest: different views of the same landscape
I have really been enjoying the sepia colours of the frost-covered Forest recently; and came across a passage in a book recently that stuck a chord with me because I felt that it summed up, quite poetically, the seasons on … Continue reading
Posted in New Forest
Tagged climate, Commoner, Daneshill, drainage, early spring, ecology, environment, Forestry, frost, furze, John Wise, late summer, Lords Commissioners, Mother Nature, New forest, Prior's Acre, Queen Victoria, restoration, soil, Stoney Cross, Treasury, trees, wetlands, woods
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New Forest: cows, co-operation and community
The Christmas-to-New-Year holiday period is a great time for catching up with friends and family and for spending quality time in their company. There is generally lots of feasting and merry-making to be done, which is often accompanied by generous … Continue reading
Posted in New Forest
Tagged Aberdeen Angus, Calf, cattle, Christmas, co-operation, commoning, community, Cow, cows, environment, farming, free-roaming, herd, Mary Christmas, matriarch, nature, New forest, New Year, rural, seasons, smallholding, urban, wildlife
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New Forest: celebrating a Victorian Christmas
The traditions of Christmas that many of us enjoy, such as sending Christmas cards, bringing fir trees into our homes and decorating them, and eating turkey, were not observed prior to the nineteenth century. Queen Victoria and her husband, Albert, … Continue reading
Posted in New Forest
Tagged Carol, Charles Dickens, Christmas, custom, decorations, festive, fir tree, Hampshire, handbells, Lyndhurst, minstrel, mulled wine, mummer, New forest, party games, Postmaster, Queen Victoria, sober, Tradition, troupe, Victorian
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New Forest: city-dwellers set free to roam
This weekend I was busy with visitors. In the pre-Christmas round of get-togethers, relatives arrived from London for a few days in the country. My visitors and their children were amazed, when looking out of the kitchen windows, to see … Continue reading
Posted in New Forest, New Forest flora & fauna
Tagged animals, children, city dweller, hay, Labradors, London, New forest, ponies, rural, sheep, squirrels, trees, urban
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New Forest: a landscape frost and ice
The recent freezing temperatures have given photographers in and around the New Forest ample opportunities to capture some stunning winter images, which enhance the anticipation of the festive season to come. The carpet of frost adds a touch of sparkle … Continue reading
Posted in New Forest, New Forest pony
Tagged frost, glitter, gritting, lorry, mineral, New forest, pony, roads, salt, water
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