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: Alice Lisle – traitor or martyr?
The 2nd September marked the anniversary of the death of Dame Alice Lisle. She was the last woman to be executed by a judicial sentence of beheading in England, and died in early September 1685, at the age of 68. … Continue reading
Posted in New Forest
Tagged Alice Lisle, Battle of Sedgemoor, Bloody Assizes, Dame, Duke of Monmouth, Hanging Judge, James II, Judge Jeffreys, Lady, martyr, Monmouth Rebellion, Moyles Court, New forest, traitor, Verwood
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The Curious Tale of Timothy Tight
This is the curious tale of Timothy Tight, as written for the Hampshire Advertiser in September 1845, as part of the ‘Sketches in the New Forest’ series. The hero of the story was described as a young-looking person of rather … Continue reading
Posted in New Forest
Tagged alcohol, beer, Earl, Hampshire Advertiser, Horse & Jockey, Lady Mary, New forest, piano, Sketches in the New Forest, Timothy Tight, tipsy
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New Forest & Hampshire County Show 2016
One of the highlights in the calendar of any New Forest commoner has got to be the New Forest & Hampshire County Show. The show was originally conceived just after WW1, as a way to support farmers and develop agricultural … Continue reading
Posted in New Forest
Tagged Carriage driving, cattle, Common Rights, commoning, cows, events, judges, New Forest & Hampshire County Show, news, NFCDA, NFNPA, Pannage, pig, private driving, showing, smallholding, training, Verderer
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New Forest: C19th daring marauder or domestic cottager?
Every so often I am passed little gems of information that shine a light into the recesses of time and illuminate the characters of those Forest dwellers long since past. One such item is from a newspaper article printed in … Continue reading
Posted in New Forest
Tagged brandy, C18th, carter, cottager, deer stealer, Forester, furze, keg, marauder, New forest, peasant, pig, Queen Victoria, Royal Agricultural Society, smuggler, swine, turf, vegetable, Westminster Abbey, wood-cutter
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New Forest: tracking the ‘wild’ pony herds
Early morning walks in the New Forest are a perfect combination of relaxation and stimulation. Listening to the bird song, seeing the colours of the landscape stretching out before me, smelling the perfume of wild honeysuckle or the pine from … Continue reading
Posted in New Forest, New Forest pony
Tagged habitat, herd, New forest, pony, searching, target enlargement, tracking, wild
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New Forest: weather-lore and hay-making
Like most farmers at this time of year, I’ve got my eye on the weather watching for the omens that promise a period of uninterrupted productivity. The crop of hay that will feed my stock over the winter is still … Continue reading
Posted in New Forest
Tagged catchment, ecosystem, England, environment, flash flood, flood, flooding, fodder, folk-wisdom, Fordingbridge, Hampshire, hay, livestock, lowland, Met Office, New forest, Ringwood, river, silage, water, weather, weather-lore
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New Forest: smugglers and rogues
In 1747 a gang of smugglers decided to go over to Guernsey to buy quantities of tea, which on their return to England they could sell for a profit. In their number was one John Diamond, otherwise known as Dymar, … Continue reading
Posted in New Forest
Tagged Daniel Chater, free trader, Guernsey, Hawkhurst Gang, honest rogue, John Diamond, murder, New forest, Poole Customs House, smugglers, smuggling, William Galley
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New Forest: learning, knowing and passing it on.
For me the natural world is a place of wonder and exploration. Being in the New Forest no matter what time of day, what time of year or in what kind of weather is such a fulfilling experience. The sound … Continue reading
Posted in New Forest
Tagged Commoner, countryside, directions, fauna, flora, hire, history, knowing, knowledge, learning, natural history, New forest, passing it on, ponies, Rufus Stone, Satnav, tourism, Victorian, visitor, wildlife, woodfidley
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Ragwort: friend or foe?
I’ve recently begun the task of checking for and clearing any ragwort (Senecio jacobaea) from my hay meadow and the paddocks that my field-kept ponies will be using during the summer. This is one of those essential jobs in pasture management … Continue reading
Posted in New Forest, New Forest flora & fauna
Tagged biennial, Bugle, cattle, cirrhosis, Defa, hay, horse, liver, paddock, pasture, perennial, Plantlike, poison, ponies, Ragwort, Ragwort Act 2003, Senecio jacobaea, silage, toxic, Weeds Act 1959, Wildlife and Countryside Link
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New Forest: timber stealers and plunderers
The New Forest is often described as a mosaic of habitats, which include heathland, valley mires and ancient pasture woodland. Within these varied environments grow all manner of plant life, from the tiny bog orchid (Hammarbya paludosa) up to the … Continue reading
Posted in New Forest, New Forest flora & fauna
Tagged 1849, bog orchid, Bow Bearer, Cuffnalls, Deputy Warden, Deputy Woodward, Forester, Hammarbya paludosa, High Steward, Lady Poore, Lord Duncan, Lord Warden, New forest, plunder, Purveyor of the Navy, Ranger, Regarder, sequoia, Sequoiadendron giganteum, Surveyor General, sylvan, theft, timber stealing, Under Forester, Verderer, Woodward
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