Royal Forests – Hunting and Other Forest Use in Medieval England

Abstract

Hunting in wooded regions was a major part of the lives of kings and their followers from early medieval times. Under the Norman kings huge areas were deliberately set aside for this purpose. It gave rise to a rich body of documentary evidence and literary works, playing a noteworthy role, too, in medieval lore and legend. The use of the woods for pasture was not normally precluded by this usage. However, economic forces were increasingly to conflict with the preservation of so much woodland and the forest law that was so restrictive, especially the requirement for additional land for agriculture. Deer-parks were enclosed and forests diminished in size and in later historical times the latter were seen primarily as a source of timber. Hunting itself, however, continued but in a very different form, moving to the rural countryside over most of lowland England until it faced present-day legislation.