The New Forest is a medieval, Royal forest that remains relatively unchanged since William I (William the Conqueror) placed the land in 'foresta' in 1079, creating protection and management for his new hunting ground. The term is first recorded in the famous Domesday book and following his death in 1087 an entry in the book claims 'He set up great game-preserves, and he laid down laws for them'. Williams 'Nova Foresta' is still protected and managed using many of these 'laws' with help from the Verderers, Agisters and Commoners.
The Verderers are a group of ten people appointed to manage and administer the laws of the forest. The Agisters are employees of the Verderers and are responsible for assisting in the welfare and management of the Commoners livestock. The Commoners are people who occupy property or land that have specific rights attached to it, such as the right of pasture (known as the 'right of common of pasture'). This right allows their livestock to graze within the New Forest, after being branded for identification purposes and upon payment of a marking fee.
Commonable animals such as ponies, donkeys, mules and cattle are allowed to graze the forest and a few properties have the right to turn out sheep and pigs. For 60 days, during autumn, pigs are allowed to forage for fallen acorns, as these can be harmful to the ponies if eaten in large quantities. This practice is called pannage and the Commoners' right attached to pannage is know as the 'right of mast'.
The New Forest was recently awarded the status of a National Park (March 2005), it's recognised as an area of outstanding natural beauty and is of great importance for nature conservation. The New Forest is England's smallest National Park and lies within the county of Hampshire. It covers over 200 square miles and more than 34,000 people live within its boundaries, making it the most densely populated National Park in the UK. However, the forest is also a working environment and just under half of its total area is managed by the Forestry Commission, who regularly fell trees and extract timber.
The New Forest is a wonderful place to visit and explore, either by foot, bicycle or horseback and millions of people visit every year to enjoy its beauty and tranquillity, its history and archaeological heritage. The forest is steeped in history and is home to many ancient monuments and listed buildings. The Rufus Stone, which marks the spot where King William II was fatally wounded with an arrow, while hunting, is one of the forests many places of interest.