5 minute read
Out of Doors
By Paul Birbeck, Sherborne Walks & Blue Badge Tour Guide
Norman and early medieval kings had vast tracts of forest in Dorset. The Royal Forest of Blackmore was set aside for the king’s use, including hunting deer & wild boar.
The Latin word ‘foris’ meant ‘outside’ – the forests were outside common law. Blackmore Forest, once the largest in Dorset, originally joined Gillingham Forest & Cranborne Chase. Despite the name, these areas were not all woodland. Vast tracts of heathland, quarries, a mixture of arable, pastoral land, meadows and even common land were characteristic throughout Dorset.
Forest Laws were strictly enforced by special officials – no one could take timber, hunt, enclose or improve the land without licence. King Cnut set vast fines on anyone caught hunting and Edward the Confessor had forest wardens. (see more on the creation and impact of Forest Laws here)
Breaking these laws could result in penalties, monetary fines, loss of limb, imprisonment or in some cases death.
Between 1207 and 1212 under King John, revenue totalling a staggering £11,500 (approx. £3 billion today) was assessed from fines or payments for exemptions. Forest law was a major contributor to Royal finances.
Forest deer include the red, roe & fallow species and the largest bucks and harts were most hunted between June – September when they were well fed.
Cycling past the deer grazing in Stock Gaylard Park today and turning to the village of King’s Stag, it’s difficult to escape the sense of being in an ancient, royal hunting ground. The white hart, a creature whose rarity and beauty has long attracted a wealth of mystical and royal associations, is linked by Thomas Hardy to north Dorset when in Tess of the D’Urbervilles he considers the view across Blackmore Vale from high up at Shaftesbury:
Hunting Scene from “Gaston Phoebus: Le Livre de la Chasse. Courtesy of the Bibliothèque nationale de France (National Library of France)
“The Vale was known in former times as the Forest of White Hart, from a curious legend of King Henry III’s reign, in which the killing by a certain Sir Thomas de la Lynd of a beautiful white hart which the king had run down and spared, was made the occasion of a heavy fine.”
He also notes that characteristics of the original landscape were still evident: “traces of its earlier condition are to be found in the old oak copses and irregular belts of timber that yet survive upon its slopes.” When walking local woodland areas today, the woodland plants like Wood Anemone, Wild Garlic and Golden Saxifrage indicate the remnants of the ancient woodland.
King’s Stag bridge still crosses the River Lydden near Pulham, and according to stories is the location of the killing. The fine was a tax on the land around the area, known as White Hart Silver which the family had to pay to the Crown.
Inside the ancient church of St Laurence at Holwell the story of the white hart of Blackmoor is told through a series of pictorial tiles – well worth a visit.
Despite strong opposition, the tradition of hunting remains in the area. Hunting became popular with the Victorian ‘gentry’ and from the 1860’s the railway attracted guests from London and beyond. The Blackmore Vale Hunt dates from 1826, when the Rev Harry Farr Yeatman hunted hare, fox or roe deer. Today, the sight of a hunt chasing across the landscape, no longer for deer or live animals, can evoke thoughts of long ago. For some, a hunt provides excitement to see riders and horses leaping hedges following a pack of hounds. For others, this activity represents animal cruelty and should be abolished. A very controversial topic but one with ancient roots across the Blackmore.
Thorngrove Rose to June’s Occasion
Did you know Summer is around the corner? You might be fooled into thinking your calendar was on the wrong page given the drizzly days and unusually low temperatures through May!
For us at Thorngrove, this required a little bit of strategy adjustment in terms of getting certain plants out for customers. Many of them have spent longer in the glasshouses than we would have liked, but we also saw many of them flourish, which was interesting!
That being said, the warmer weather is officially finally here, and with a new season brings new chapters in our lives, and new plants! We’ve had so much going on these last few months with the redevelopments, the new shop, reopening of the café, but it feels like moving forward we can finally refocus on the heart of business – beautiful, season plants.
June for us means Roses!
Now is the time they all start blooming, and once they’re here, it really is something to behold. Pictures and video just don’t do them justice, so we fully encourage you visiting us in person to see (and smell!) for yourself.
Thorngrove Nursey Manager Mark Hoskins enjoys this time of year.“With their glorious colour and scent, roses are the essence of summer, and ours at Thorngrove are just about to burst into flower. I’m personally a fan of Persicaria - roses with dark centres. They’re diminutive, but no less captivating”
We have over 70 varieties to choose from at Thorngrove.
“A rose in full bloom stops you in your tracks. It steals your heart with its paper-delicate petals and lures you in with its heady, romantic scent.”
Floribundas, Hybrid Teas, Old Roses, Patio Roses, and Climbing Roses...
There’s something for every spot just waiting to find its new home with you. Our website has an in-depth Rose Brochure which details everything, from scent, if they flower more than once a year, through to where in the garden they’re best suited to! (Click here to have a browse!)
Summer in our gardens is going to feel better than ever in 2021. Let us help you make them look their absolute best as we step towards, bbqs with friends, family gatherings, and the relaxing summer evenings that we all deserve.
