The clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1883-1888, 1885-09-16
William the Conqueror and the Eng
Iish Forests.

William the Conqueror, Ike King
Canute. ''took much Delight in Hunt
ing, and, according to eighteenth GEN.
tury historians, '.had such a Fury for
gratifying that Passion that he reserved
all Hunting and Sporting in his Forests
to himself. or to such as he thought
proper to indulge. These chroniclers
then proceed to give a terrible picture
of the King depopulating large tracts
of Hampshire in order to form New
Forest. although he already had sever
al in the country-''turning ont all the
Inhabitants, destroying the Houses,
Gardens. and even Churches, which
stood in that tract of land in order TO
make it Il desert" This view of Will
liam's conduct with regard to the New
Forest has fallen before modern exam
ination of the district. The Kettle
and West Saxon barrows are still to be
seen; the sites of the dwelling of the
Romans are clearly visible. The pot
ter's work, left carelessly upon the
ground by the Roman potters. is found
undisturbed and unbroken but a few
, inches below the surface. What can
account for the total disappearance of
every trace of these houses and church
es which William destroyed-some so
churches, as it is stated in certain
chronicles, and, of necessity. number
of villages to house the people who
worshiped there. The only two church
es entered in ..Domesday," those at
Brockenhurst and Milford, still stand;
and Immediately after the atforestation
two new ones were built in the very
heart of the wild forest, one at Boldre
and one at Horde. Most of the seas
ties in the forests were merely earthen
intrenchments made by the Kelts and
West Saxons: and though a few for
est names end in ton. which indicate
the existence of some scattered home
steads, many more end with hurst,
which means wood" Then there are
such names as Roydon, the rough
ground; Bramshaw, the bramblewood;
Denny, the furry ground; Stockleigh,
the woody place; and Staneswood,
Arnewood, and Testwood. Modern
authorities consider that William did
not commit the folly of turning high
ly cultivated district into a desert,
where the deer would have found no
shelter for many years; but that he
simply converted wild woodland into
royal forest. Ytene, the furry coun-
part of this district which he afforested
he already held in demesne. 1t all now
became subject to forest laws. There
were inhabitants, even manors, within
the forest: these had to submit to its
rule, and were also granted its privi-
leges. In the Charta de Foresta of Ca
mute mention is made of horses, cows,
and wild goats. which were protected
in the forest, and also of certain privi-
leges of the people. So, under Will
lam, there were homesteads to which
rights were attached of pasturing cat
tie, feeding swine, and cutting of tim
ber and turf Severe laws existed in
respect to hunting the deer, as they did
in the days of Canute. But it is very
doubtful whether William did not rath-
er benefit the district in making it a
royal forest than otherwise. He was
hated because he wished to make of the
English race of slaves; and in the for
est it was well understood to be much
lighter offense to kill man than a
deer. And so the story grew of his
cruelty and tyranny. In this forest
William the Red was killed, and his
brother and nephew; the records OF
very unsatisfactory, and tradition has
attributed them to the vengeance Of
Heaven, visiting William the Conquer
or's cruelty upon his descendants. 1t
seems most probable that Rufus was
the victim of a conspiracy, and that
his brothers s and nephew deaths were
merely accidents in name. The Eng
kash illustrated Magazine.