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.
Tag Archives: New forest
The Norman Conquest and being English.
If you had lived in England on this day (16 October) 950 years ago chances are you would be aware that a momentous battle had just been fought, only a few days earlier, near Hastings in Sussex. Even if you didn’t … Continue reading
Posted in New Forest
Tagged Anglo Saxon, Domesday Book, English, Great Survey, King John, King William, Lionheart, Magna Carta Libertatum, New forest, Norman conquest, Norse, Nova Foresta, Parliament, pirates, raiders, Richard, The Queen Wills It, United States Constitution, Verderer
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New Forest: the story of the pig that pointed!
During pannage season pigs undoubtedly become the favourite animal to see in the New Forest. There is nothing quite like the sight of happy porkers that have been set free to root about through the fallen leaves and undergrowth, in … Continue reading
New Forest: fallow deer and the rut
The autumn months in the New Forest herald the breeding activity of fallow deer (Dama dama). The rutting season begins in September and peaks in late October. As the foliage changes colour into the russets, oranges and yellows of late … Continue reading
Posted in New Forest flora & fauna
Tagged buck, Dama dame, deer, doe, Fallow, New forest, rut, rutting
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New Forest: pannage, pigs and wild boar
Autumn has got to be one of my favourite seasons of the year. The annual drifts are underway, the heaths and woodlands are changing colour, adding variety to the hues of the already breath-taking scenery, and pannage season has begun. … Continue reading
Posted in New Forest, New Forest customs, Pannage season
Tagged acorns, Beech, Charles I, chestnuts, Common of Mast, commoners, English Civil War, hunting, New forest, Pannage, pigs, Rights of Common, wild boar
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New Forest: signs of the times
As my regular readers will know, the drift season has started. The season runs from August until November and entails rounding up the ponies across the New Forest in a series of drifts that take place in approximately 40 locations. … Continue reading
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: 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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