Celebrating our Heritage

With King Charles’ Coronation just a few short weeks away, we thought there was no better time to take a deep dive into the archives and revisit our royal heritage.

The New Forest, despite not being a forest, was given it’s name back in 1079 by the King of England, William the Conqueror. He, largely fond of hunting, designated the land as a royal forest, reserved for the private use of the King and invited aristocracy.

Created at the expense of over 20 small hamlets and farms, it was a ‘new’ area and the only forest described in detail in the ancient Domesday Book’s Great Survey. The 150 square miles of land was taken into Crown ownership and strict laws were imposed to protect the Forest for royal hunting. These were introduced without consideration for the peasants who lived and worked the land. Such laws prevented fencing as a way of protecting crops, using timber to build houses and hunting game as a means of food supply for their small hamlets. Soon after such impositions were made, it became apparent the untarnished charm of the newly known New Forest would not remain, should such restrictions govern the livelihoods of the locals.

Introducing the Rights to Common. These rights regulated what was common practice before the afforestation took place, including the rights of the people. Over 900 years later these common rights still survive and are protected by law. People who are entitled to the Common Rights are termed commoners. Today there are around 500 practicing Commoners
across the New Forest turning out a total of around 7,000 livestock.

We are proud of our royal heritage. Without our honourable founding and following protective laws, it is unlikely our home would look as it does today.

As the Coronation dawns, we are celebrating our home and history by supporting the Big Help Out. An initiative to highlight the positive impact volunteering has on our communities. We are so honoured to be surrounded by a brilliant community of volunteers who work tirelessly to protect, nurture and care for our National Park. Last year we had the privilege to join a group and what an incredible opportunity it was. Getting our hands dirty and helping in support of our home. We have much to be grateful for, including the recognition the New Forest gained from its royal accreditation along with the passion and determination of the Commoning community.

How are you supporting the Big Help Out? Let us know by tagging us on Instagram using @newforestcollection in your caption. Or if you’d like to learn more about Commoning rights, why not visit our first episode of Forest to Fork, which follows Andrew and Sarah Parry- Norton, 5th generation Commoners and their art of Pannage.