History Menu
Use the sub-menu below for selecting the periods in history
A synopsis:
- The timber requirements of the Navy dominate the Forest; a rolling programme of plantation is introduced by the Crown which compromises the requirements of the Commoners;
- Reflecting the dominance of timber production, steps are taken to remove all deer from the Forest;
- The demands of the Navy decline; the Commoners demand a curbing of the scale of the plantations (Inclosures).
| 1685-1688 James II |
James failed to pay the Keepers of the Forest - further decline. |
| 1698 William III |
Gorse at Ocknell Pond
The Act was the first statutory recognition of Common Rights. Pollarding was prohibited - it was open to abuse by Keepers and did not provide appropriate timber for the Navy. Rolling afforestation was introduced - when trees in inclosures had grown to sufficient size to withstand browsing by deer and other stock, the inclosure was thrown open. However, further acreage was then planted and enclosed - the so-called "rolling powers" - a source of friction between Commoners and the Crown for future decades. |
| 1700 | The first statutory inclosure was planted, at Vinney Ridge. |
| 1703 Anne |
The "Great Storm" swept southern England on 26 November. In the Forest, 4,000 oaks were uprooted. |
| 1707 | A survey of the Forest by the Navy was undertaken. There were 12,476 trees fit for shipbuilding (a century earlier in 1608 it was 123,927). This decline was interpreted as a shortage of timber but was probably indicative of poor administration rather than a true shortage. Naval ships required many mature oaks during construction - in 1781, 2000 oaks were required for the building of the 64 gun "Agamemnon" at Bucklers Hard in the Forest. Agamemnon was considered to be a small ship. |
| 1745 George II |
The Rufus Stone was erected in Canterton Glen. |
| 1776 George III |
A further 2,044 acres were planted. Scots pine was introduced into the Forest at Bolderwood, Ocknell Clump (north border of Ocknell Wood), and Ogden's Purlieu; this would have notable implications for the Forest, manifested to the present day (Scots pine encroaches the Open Wastes of the Forest to the detriment of grazing). There was a Royal Commission to address the state of Forests with regard to the supply of timber for the Navy. |
| 1789 | A report on the New Forest by the Royal Commission showed that most of the common practices had lapsed:
"Swine and Cattle of all kinds, commonable or not commonable, are suffered to go into the Forest at all Times, without Regard to the Fence Month and Winter Haining and without any Restriction as to Number, or Proof that they belong to those who have Right of Common." The Fence month was a period when commonable animals were barred from the Forest - when deer dropped their young (14 days either side of Midsummer Day). In the winter, stock were excluded when they would have competed with the deer for food (Winter Haining).
Scots pine and furze faggots on Canada
Common. Scots pine is rarely browsed and spreads due to lack of grazing pressure. Gorse is a staple food of ponies in winter. Many gorse die from fire and heavy browsing. The faggots were known as "blacklegs" to Forest gypsies The provisions of William III had been defied. They recommended reorganisation of the management of the New Forest, and the continuation of the "rolling powers". The first mapped survey of the Forest was published - the survey was undertaken by Richardson, King, Driver & Driver. |
| 1801 | A perambulation was undertaken. |
| 1808 | The Royal Commission report eventually led to the 1808 Enclosure Act. It was a re-enactment of the 1698 Act and renewed the recognition of Common Rights. It also provided for the inclosure of up to 6,000 acres at one time. By 1848, 7,000 acres of oak with Scots pine shelter belts had been planted (some of this timber was used to construct wooden mine-sweepers in WW2). |
| 1814 | Second edition of the 1789 map was published - the "Drivers' map" at a scale of 4 inches to the mile. |
| 1817 | A sea eagle was shot in the Forest, at the Eagle Oak (recounted as the last eagle in the Forest). |
| 1841 Victoria |
The present much photographed iron casing was placed over the Rufus Stone. In 1895, Wise called it:
".....a hideous cast iron case......a monument of the habit of that English public, who imagine that their eyes are at their fingers' ends, and of a taste which is on a par with that of the designer of the post-office pillar-boxes....." |
| 1851 | Deer Removal Act. Deer were a threat to plantations, and a nuisance to Commoners. The cost to the Crown of keeping the deer and compensating damage to local private estates was high. The fallow deer population was estimated at 4,000 head, probably an underestimate. The Act ordered the destruction of the deer. It was the first formal recognition that the Crown was no longer interested in deer. In compensation, it authorised the Crown to enclose a further 10,000 acres for timber. "Rolling powers" were retained to enclose a further 10,000 acres when the original was sufficiently mature to be thrown open. The Act was a turning point for the Forest. It was the start of large scale silviculture. |
| 1858 | The "Register of Decisions on Claims to Forest Rights" was published - the register of Common Rights (the first since the submission of claims in 1670). There was widespread evidence of false claim of Rights. Of 1311 claims, 850 were allowed. |
| 1862 | The last year in which a considerable quantity of timber was supplied to the Navy. |
| 1867 | New Forest Association formed - to defend the Rights of Commoners and to call a halt to further enclosure.
Bramshaw Wood
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| 1871 | Commoners' Revolt - there were widespread complaints from the Commoners and gentry about the "rolling powers", and concern regarding the increasing numbers of conifers being planted as the demand for oak declined. The House of Commons decreed that no more old trees were to be felled, and no more inclosures made until an enquiry reported. There was a vain attempt by the Treasury to introduce a Bill for the disafforestation of the New Forest. |