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 Commoner
Smugglers in the New Forest.
The more I learn about the ancient system of commoning the more I realise that it has always been a very pragmatic way of life. The commoner’s intimate knowledge of the Forest and their canny resourcefulness enabled many, who often … Continue reading
Posted in New Forest, New Forest Commoner, New Forest pony
Tagged black economy, booty, Commoner, commoning, contraband, Customs, Excise, free trading, Gentlemen of the Night, legend, New forest, pack pony, packhorse, pony, smuggler, smuggling, tax
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Commonable animals and road traffic accidents
Recently I was talking to someone who had heard about a particularly nasty hit and run fatality in the New Forest that had involved a pregnant donkey. The details were utterly horrific and the witness who discovered the dead animal … Continue reading
Posted in New Forest, New Forest Commoner, New Forest pony
Tagged Agister, cattle, Cow, don't feed the animals, donkey, hit and run, killing with kindness, New forest, pig, pony, road traffic accident, sheep, Verderer
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New Forest: lowland heath and commoning
For all its wilderness qualities the New Forest is an area that has actually been managed for over a thousand years. Generations of commoners, and their free-roaming ponies and cattle have maintained the landscape and, through their traditional practices, provided … Continue reading
Posted in New Forest, New Forest Commoner
Tagged adder, bracken, cattle, commoning, conservation, Dartford warbler, gorse, heath, heather, lowland heathland, New forest, ponies, sand lizard, smooth snake
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New Forest: the benefits of nature
Like most commoners I work full-time in a job that is not related in any way to the New Forest. Recently I’ve been travelling more and more to London for various meetings and events. Witnessing the hectic pace of city … Continue reading
Posted in New Forest, New Forest Commoner
Tagged Commoner, development, divorce, health, Industrial Revolution, London, nature, New forest, plants, trees, wellbeing, wildlife
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New Forest: the costs and benefits of commoning
I’ve been doing a bit of sums recently and calculating the cost of being a commoner on the New Forest. I can tell you that it’s not cheap. After registering my mark, having my brand made, joining the New Forest … Continue reading
New Forest: the importance of names
When William the Conqueror established his ‘Nova Foresta’ in 1079AD he did so to create an area for royal hunting. The New Forest was named as such, not because it was a densely wooded area, but because it was an … Continue reading
Posted in New Forest, New Forest Commoner
Tagged Angles, Doomsday Book, Jutes, National Nature Reserves (NNR), National Park, New forest, Normans, Nova Foresta, park, Ramsar, Saxons, Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), Special Areas of Conservation (SAC), Special Protected Areas (SPA), venison, vert, William the Conqueror
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New Forest: ‘talking’ with wild ponies
The beauty of the New Forest is a stunning backdrop in which to practice commoning. The open heaths, ancient woodland pastures and valley mires have been shaped by the commoner’s free-roaming animals. The animals, in their turn, have been shaped … Continue reading
New Forest: interdependence of commoners, animals and nature.
Becoming a practising commoner has opened my eyes to a new ways of experiencing the countryside and a traditional pastoral economy. Learning about the interdependence of the free-roaming animals, the commoning system and the flora and fauna of the New … Continue reading
Posted in New Forest, New Forest Commoner, New Forest pony
Tagged ancient trees, biodiversity, cattle, commoning, Dartford warbler, donkeys, heathland, Honey Buzzard, Mother Nature, New forest, New Forest Cicada, New Forest Commoner, New Forest pony, nightjar, pigs, ponies, SSSI, Wild horses, wilderness, woodcock, woodland
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Famous New Forest inhabitants
I recently wrote an article about ‘celebrity’ trees on the New Forest and have since received requests for information about other famed inhabitants. An obvious candidate is King William I, otherwise known as William the Conqueror, who established the Nova … Continue reading
Posted in New Forest, New Forest Commoner, New Forest pony
Tagged Alice in Wonderland, Alice Liddell, celebrities, Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, Duke of Bernay, Florence Nightingale, Henry Brusher Mills, Henry Lyte, Hollywood A-Listers, Lawrence of Arabia, Lewis Carroll, New forest, New Forest pony, Old Tame, Purkis, Rufus the Red, Sherlock Holmes, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, snake catcher, William the Conqueror
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