How many Verderers are there in the New Forest?
ten verderers
In the New Forest a verderer is an unpaid officer whose duty is to regulate and protect the interests of the New Forest commoners, and to preserve the natural beauty and good traditional character of the Forest. There are ten verderers, together constituting the Court of Verderers (or Court of Swainmote).
How do you become a New Forest Agister?
The New Forest ‘System’ Verderers are appointed by authoritative organisations and elected by the commoners. Agisters are appointed by the verderers to carry out instructions provided by the Court of Verderers. Commoners occupy land that is free for stock to graze upon.
What are commoners in the New Forest?
Commoners of the New Forest are those people who occupy land or property to which attaches one or more rights over the Forest, first laid out in the Charter of the Forest (1217). Common rights are: Common of pasture – the right to turn out ‘commonable’ livestock: ponies, cattle, mules and donkeys.
How do you become a commoner?
To have the right to be a commoner depends solely upon the “occupation” of a piece of land with common rights, regardless of whether this land is shared, rented or owned.
What do Agisters do?
The Agisters are responsible for supervising the day-to-day welfare of the stock (ponies, cattle, donkeys, pigs and sheep) which graze the Forest and are owned by the Commoners. The Verderers have also published policies to preserve the special qualities of the New Forest.
Can I take wood from the New Forest?
Taking wood from the Forest is theft, and cutting the Forest trees without permission is criminal damage. Stacked firewood is measured in ‘cords’.
Who owns the horses in the New Forest?
commoners
Who owns the ponies? All the ponies, donkeys, cows and pigs that you will see roaming in the New Forest belong to local people called ‘commoners’ who have the right to graze their animals on the open Forest throughout the year (or part of the year in the case of pigs).
How do New Forest commoners make money?
Commoners often work together to catch their ponies, compete against one another in the annual pony races and gather together to sell their ponies at Beaulieu Road. Commoners like their animals are ‘haunted’ in their local area.
What rights do commoners have?
The right of a commoner to take resources from a piece of common land is called a right of common. A right of common can be: pasturage – the right to put livestock out to feed on the land, usually grass but can be heather or other vegetation. pannage – the right to put pigs out to feed in wooded areas of the land.
What am I allowed to do on common land?
Common land is owned, for example by a local council, privately or by the National Trust. You usually have the right to roam on it. This means you can use it for certain activities like walking and climbing.
How many Agisters are in the New Forest?
five
Presently five in number, the agisters are a skilled group of men with a good working knowledge of the Forest and its depastured animals. They each have an allocated area and are responsible for over-seeing all aspects of the ponies on the Forest.
Can I use a camping stove in the New Forest?
Only BBQ’s and stoves that are raised off the ground can be used on official campsites within the heart of the New Forest (those operated by Camping in the Forest – Aldridge, Ashurst, Denny Wood, Hollands Wood, Holmsley, Longbeech, Ocknell, Roundhills, and Setthorns).
Is it illegal to take fallen trees from the woods?
Everything within a wood, including fallen branches and logs, is the property of the woodland owner. This means removing logs from a wood without consent is considered theft. Make sure you have the consent of the wood owner before you remove any wood.
Why is brockenhurst called Brockenhurst?
Brockenhurst has a long and colourful history, including a tradition that badgers, or brocks, as they are often called, lent their name to the village.
Where do New Forest ponies sleep at night?
Ponies can doze whilst standing but to get a really good rest they need to sleep lying down. In the herd environment one of the ponies will stand sentinel and keep a look out while the others lie down and rest.
Who looks after the horses in the New Forest?
Who owns the ponies? All the ponies, donkeys, cows and pigs that you will see roaming in the New Forest belong to local people called ‘commoners’ who have the right to graze their animals on the open Forest throughout the year (or part of the year in the case of pigs).
Can anyone graze on common land?
Common land is land owned by a person or collectively by a number of persons, over which other persons have certain common rights, such as to allow their livestock to graze upon it, to collect wood, or to cut turf for fuel.
Who can graze on common land?
It involves a group of farmers – from one or two to over 100 – having “commoners rights” to graze their animals (mostly sheep but also cattle, pigs, horses…and even ducks) on a shared piece of land – the common – without fences or boundaries between them.
Can I have a BBQ in the New Forest?
New Forest – ‘no barbecues’, please. No barbecues or fires are allowed in the New Forest. Wildfires have the potential to completely devastate and destroy – as was seen in nearby Wareham Forest last year in a fire that blazed for 2 weeks that was believed to have been started by disposable BBQs.
Can I use a BBQ in the New Forest?
The New Forest has now been declared a complete no BBQ and fire zone. BBQs, camping stoves or anything with a naked flame are no longer permitted in car parks or any areas of the Forest managed by Forestry England, National Trust, Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust and Wellow Parish Council.
What is a Verderer in the New Forest?
In the New Forest a verderer is an unpaid officer whose duty is to regulate and protect the interests of the New Forest commoners, and to preserve the natural beauty and good traditional character of the Forest. There are ten verderers, together constituting the Court of Verderers (or Court of Swainmote).
What was the verderers court?
Verderers Court Evidence from the 13th century indicates that the Verderers were originally a court within the Forest, authorised by the Crown and elected by the County. They sat to hear cases of offences within the Sovereign’s Forest.
What is the role of a verderer?
In the New Forest a verderer is an unpaid officer whose duty is to regulate and protect the interests of the New Forest commoners, and to preserve the natural beauty and good traditional character of the Forest. There are currently ten verderers who together constitute the Court of Verderers (or Court of Swainmote).
How many Verderers are there?
There are ten verderers, together constituting the Court of Verderers (or Court of Swainmote). The Court has ancient origins but in its present form is a corporate body set up under the New Forest Act 1887 and reconstituted in 1949.