Feckenham Forest
Encyclopedia
Feckenham Forest was a royal forest
, centred around the town of Feckenham
, covering large parts of west Worcestershire
and Warwickshire
. As such, it was not entirely wooded, nor entirely the property of the King. Rather, the King had legal rights over game, wood and grazing within the forest, and special courts imposed harsh penalties when rights were violated. Courts and the forest gaol were located at Feckenham and executions took place at Gallows Green near Hanbury.
The legal origins are not recorded, but it was a royal forest in the time of Edward the Confessor
and his predecessors. Forest law itself was established under King Canute in 1016. The forest boundaries were extended greatly during the reign of Henry II, expanding from 34 to 184 square miles. The forest boundaries were reduced back in 1301.
The wood was encroached to produce salt in Droitwich, and was quite reduced by the time it was disafforested during the reign of King Charles I in 1629. The process of disafforestation created considerable social unrest and riots. A few areas of ancient forest still remain near Dodford and Chaddesley Corbett.
, Redditch
, Evesham
, Pershore
and Worcester
. It adjoined the Forest of Arden.
Its extent prior to Henry II
was around 34 square miles, encompassing an area with Tardebigge
in the north, Hanbury
, approaching Droitwich in the west and approaching Alcester
in the south east.
It was extended along with many other forests during Henry II's reign to encompass about 184 square miles. This stretched from Evesham
in the south, close to Worcester, up to Droitwich and Wychbold
in the west, to Stone
, Chaddesley Corbett
and Alvechurch
in the north, and Redditch
, Studley
and Alcester
to in the east. These boundaries are described in an official Perambulation made for Edward I
in 1300-1, which also sets out the original extent and recommended the reduction of the royal forest to its original size.
s, fox
es, marten
s, otter
s, wild boars, wild cat
s and wolves. The main animals that were hunted as game were hare
, red
and fallow deer
.
Warrens sheltered stocks of pheasant
, partridge
and woodcock
. There were also fishponds near Feckenham and deer parks.
Wolves were a considerable problem in medieval period. Hunters were paid kill wolves in Worcestershire, at 3/- in the reign of Henry III
, and Edward I
made a specific order to his new chief forester Peter Corbet of Chaddesley
to destroy wolves in 1280:
However, for a long time wolf populations were managed, rather than destroyed, as they were hunted for sport.
Wolves were eventually eliminated in England in the reign of Henry VII
.
, and a few were owned by the King, such as Feckenham, Inkberrow
, Bromsgrove and Chaddesley Corbett
. Inkberrow had a royal deer park.
The King had rights over hunting game, grazing, feeding pigs on acorns and beech nuts; and timber and ‘underwood’. Rights of warren were granted to Grimbald Pauncefoote in the manor of Bentley
in 1281 for rabbits.
at which the courthouse and gaol were located. Executions took place at Gallows Green, between Hanbury and Droitwich on the Salt Way.
(1389) and Gilbert Talbot
of Grafton
(1492). Under the keeper were verderer
s who were the main enforcers of forest law, investigating infractions and trespasses. Their official symbol was an axe. Woodwards
guarded royal timber rights and venison.
, was granted rights to hunt in their own forests, so that “no forester, verderer or other bailiffs of the King’s shall in future intermeddle in the woods saving in matters touching the King’s venison”.
Land disputes are also recorded with the Abbotts
of Evesham
, who enclosed a large part of the forest, when it was at its greater extent, arguing they had he right under old charters. Their wood at Sambourne
was seized in 1280 as compensation.
The largest remaining woodland was Feckenham Park, described in early 1600s by Thomas Habingdon:
The woodland can be seen on maps produced in this period, including by Christopher Saxton
and on the Sheldon Tapestry.
Sir Miles Fleetwood
was charged with surveying the lands before the disafforestation. The Lord of Hanbury and Feckenham manors, Sir Edward Leighton gained around 80 acres in Monkwood and 360 acres around Feckenham, including the Queen’s Coppice, Ranger’s Coppice, Timber Coppice, Fearful Coppice and Red Slough Coppice.
Dissafforestation caused riots in the Feckenham and elsewhere, known as the Western Rising
.
Pepper Wood and Chaddesley Woods are now designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest
. Cutpursey Coppice, just south of these woods, is also documented as being an areas of “Ancient semi-natural woodland”.
Royal forest
A royal forest is an area of land with different meanings in England, Wales and Scotland; the term forest does not mean forest as it is understood today, as an area of densely wooded land...
, centred around the town of Feckenham
Feckenham
Feckenham is a village and civil parish in the Borough of Redditch in Worcestershire, England. It lies some three miles south-west of the town of Redditch and is around twelve miles north-east of the ancient city of Worcester...
, covering large parts of west Worcestershire
Worcestershire
Worcestershire is a non-metropolitan county, established in antiquity, located in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes it is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three counties that comprise the "Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire" NUTS 2 region...
and Warwickshire
Warwickshire
Warwickshire is a landlocked non-metropolitan county in the West Midlands region of England. The county town is Warwick, although the largest town is Nuneaton. The county is famous for being the birthplace of William Shakespeare...
. As such, it was not entirely wooded, nor entirely the property of the King. Rather, the King had legal rights over game, wood and grazing within the forest, and special courts imposed harsh penalties when rights were violated. Courts and the forest gaol were located at Feckenham and executions took place at Gallows Green near Hanbury.
The legal origins are not recorded, but it was a royal forest in the time of Edward the Confessor
Edward the Confessor
Edward the Confessor also known as St. Edward the Confessor , son of Æthelred the Unready and Emma of Normandy, was one of the last Anglo-Saxon kings of England and is usually regarded as the last king of the House of Wessex, ruling from 1042 to 1066....
and his predecessors. Forest law itself was established under King Canute in 1016. The forest boundaries were extended greatly during the reign of Henry II, expanding from 34 to 184 square miles. The forest boundaries were reduced back in 1301.
The wood was encroached to produce salt in Droitwich, and was quite reduced by the time it was disafforested during the reign of King Charles I in 1629. The process of disafforestation created considerable social unrest and riots. A few areas of ancient forest still remain near Dodford and Chaddesley Corbett.
Extent
At its greatest extent, the forest covered an area including BromsgroveBromsgrove
Bromsgrove is a town in Worcestershire, England. The town is about north east of Worcester and south west of Birmingham city centre. It had a population of 29,237 in 2001 with a small ethnic minority and is in Bromsgrove District.- History :Bromsgrove is first documented in the early 9th century...
, Redditch
Redditch
Redditch is a town and local government district in north-east Worcestershire, England, approximately south of Birmingham. The district had a population of 79,216 in 2005. In the 19th century it became the international centre for the needle and fishing tackle industry...
, Evesham
Evesham
Evesham is a market town and a civil parish in the Local Authority District of Wychavon in the county of Worcestershire, England with a population of 22,000. It is located roughly equidistant between Worcester, Cheltenham and Stratford-upon-Avon...
, Pershore
Pershore
Pershore is a market town in Worcestershire, England, on the banks of the River Avon. Pershore is in the Wychavon district and is part of the West Worcestershire parliamentary constituency. At the 2001 census the population was 7,304...
and Worcester
Worcester
The City of Worcester, commonly known as Worcester, , is a city and county town of Worcestershire in the West Midlands of England. Worcester is situated some southwest of Birmingham and north of Gloucester, and has an approximate population of 94,000 people. The River Severn runs through the...
. It adjoined the Forest of Arden.
Its extent prior to Henry II
Henry II of England
Henry II ruled as King of England , Count of Anjou, Count of Maine, Duke of Normandy, Duke of Aquitaine, Duke of Gascony, Count of Nantes, Lord of Ireland and, at various times, controlled parts of Wales, Scotland and western France. Henry, the great-grandson of William the Conqueror, was the...
was around 34 square miles, encompassing an area with Tardebigge
Tardebigge
Tardebigge is a village in Worcestershire, England.The village is most famous for the Tardebigge Locks, a flight of 36 canal locks that raise the Worcester and Birmingham Canal over 220 feet over the Lickey Ridge. It lies in the historic county of Worcestershire.-Toponymy:The etymology of the...
in the north, Hanbury
Hanbury
Hanbury may refer to:* Hanbury, Staffordshire* Hanbury, Worcestershire* Giardini Botanici Hanbury , Liguria* Hanbury Island, Nunavut, Canada* Hanbury Manor, Hertfordshire, a hotel and country club* Hanbury Hall, Worcestershire...
, approaching Droitwich in the west and approaching Alcester
Alcester
Alcester is an old market town of Roman origin at the junction of the River Alne and River Arrow in Warwickshire, England. It is situated approximately west of Stratford-upon-Avon, and 8 miles south of Redditch, close to the Worcestershire border...
in the south east.
It was extended along with many other forests during Henry II's reign to encompass about 184 square miles. This stretched from Evesham
Evesham
Evesham is a market town and a civil parish in the Local Authority District of Wychavon in the county of Worcestershire, England with a population of 22,000. It is located roughly equidistant between Worcester, Cheltenham and Stratford-upon-Avon...
in the south, close to Worcester, up to Droitwich and Wychbold
Wychbold
Wychbold is a village in the Wychavon district of Worcestershire, England. It is by junction 5 of the M5, and is on the A38 north-east of Droitwich, near to where they cross the River Salwarpe. Just outside the village on the A38 is Webbs of Wychbold, one of the UK's largest garden centres....
in the west, to Stone
Stone, Worcestershire
Stone is a village and civil parish in the Wyre Forest District of Worcestershire, England. At the 2001 census it had a population of 782....
, Chaddesley Corbett
Chaddesley Corbett
Chaddesley Corbett is a village and civil parish in the Wyre Forest District of Worcestershire, England. The civil parish also includes the settlements of Bluntington, Brockencote, Mustow Green, Cakebole, Outwood, Harvington, and Drayton....
and Alvechurch
Alvechurch
Alvechurch is a large village and civil parish of Bromsgrove district, in the northeast of the county of Worcestershire, England. Lying in the valley of the River Arrow, the nearest city is Birmingham, 17 km / 11 miles to the north, with the closest towns being Redditch, 8 km / 5 miles...
in the north, and Redditch
Redditch
Redditch is a town and local government district in north-east Worcestershire, England, approximately south of Birmingham. The district had a population of 79,216 in 2005. In the 19th century it became the international centre for the needle and fishing tackle industry...
, Studley
Studley
Studley is a large village and civil parish in the Stratford-on-Avon district of Warwickshire, England. Situated on the western edge of Warwickshire near the border with Worcestershire it is southeast of Redditch and northwest of Stratford. The Roman road of Ryknild Street, now the A435, passes...
and Alcester
Alcester
Alcester is an old market town of Roman origin at the junction of the River Alne and River Arrow in Warwickshire, England. It is situated approximately west of Stratford-upon-Avon, and 8 miles south of Redditch, close to the Worcestershire border...
to in the east. These boundaries are described in an official Perambulation made for Edward I
Edward I of England
Edward I , also known as Edward Longshanks and the Hammer of the Scots, was King of England from 1272 to 1307. The first son of Henry III, Edward was involved early in the political intrigues of his father's reign, which included an outright rebellion by the English barons...
in 1300-1, which also sets out the original extent and recommended the reduction of the royal forest to its original size.
Flora and fauna
The wooded areas were home to numerous species of animals including badgerBadger
Badgers are short-legged omnivores in the weasel family, Mustelidae. There are nine species of badger, in three subfamilies : Melinae , Mellivorinae , and Taxideinae...
s, fox
Fox
Fox is a common name for many species of omnivorous mammals belonging to the Canidae family. Foxes are small to medium-sized canids , characterized by possessing a long narrow snout, and a bushy tail .Members of about 37 species are referred to as foxes, of which only 12 species actually belong to...
es, marten
Marten
The martens constitute the genus Martes within the subfamily Mustelinae, in family Mustelidae.-Description:Martens are slender, agile animals, adapted to living in taigas, and are found in coniferous and northern deciduous forests across the northern hemisphere. They have bushy tails, and large...
s, otter
Otter
The Otters are twelve species of semi-aquatic mammals which feed on fish and shellfish, and also other invertebrates, amphibians, birds and small mammals....
s, wild boars, wild cat
Wild cat
The wildcat is a small cat with several subspecies and a very broad distribution, found throughout most of Africa, Europe, and southwest and central Asia into India, China, and Mongolia. It is a hunter of small mammals, birds, and other creatures of a similar or smaller size. Sometimes included is...
s and wolves. The main animals that were hunted as game were hare
Hare
Hares and jackrabbits are leporids belonging to the genus Lepus. Hares less than one year old are called leverets. Four species commonly known as types of hare are classified outside of Lepus: the hispid hare , and three species known as red rock hares .Hares are very fast-moving...
, red
Red Deer
The red deer is one of the largest deer species. Depending on taxonomy, the red deer inhabits most of Europe, the Caucasus Mountains region, Asia Minor, parts of western Asia, and central Asia. It also inhabits the Atlas Mountains region between Morocco and Tunisia in northwestern Africa, being...
and fallow deer
Fallow Deer
The Fallow Deer is a ruminant mammal belonging to the family Cervidae. This common species is native to western Eurasia, but has been introduced widely elsewhere. It often includes the rarer Persian Fallow Deer as a subspecies , while others treat it as an entirely different species The Fallow...
.
Warrens sheltered stocks of pheasant
Pheasant
Pheasants refer to some members of the Phasianinae subfamily of Phasianidae in the order Galliformes.Pheasants are characterised by strong sexual dimorphism, males being highly ornate with bright colours and adornments such as wattles and long tails. Males are usually larger than females and have...
, partridge
Partridge
Partridges are birds in the pheasant family, Phasianidae. They are a non-migratory Old World group.These are medium-sized birds, intermediate between the larger pheasants and the smaller quails. Partridges are native to Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Middle East...
and woodcock
Woodcock
The woodcocks are a group of seven or eight very similar living species of wading birds in the genus Scolopax. Only two woodcocks are widespread, the others being localized island endemics. Most are found in the Northern Hemisphere but a few range into Wallacea...
. There were also fishponds near Feckenham and deer parks.
Wolves were a considerable problem in medieval period. Hunters were paid kill wolves in Worcestershire, at 3/- in the reign of Henry III
Henry III of England
Henry III was the son and successor of John as King of England, reigning for 56 years from 1216 until his death. His contemporaries knew him as Henry of Winchester. He was the first child king in England since the reign of Æthelred the Unready...
, and Edward I
Edward I of England
Edward I , also known as Edward Longshanks and the Hammer of the Scots, was King of England from 1272 to 1307. The first son of Henry III, Edward was involved early in the political intrigues of his father's reign, which included an outright rebellion by the English barons...
made a specific order to his new chief forester Peter Corbet of Chaddesley
Chaddesley Corbett
Chaddesley Corbett is a village and civil parish in the Wyre Forest District of Worcestershire, England. The civil parish also includes the settlements of Bluntington, Brockencote, Mustow Green, Cakebole, Outwood, Harvington, and Drayton....
to destroy wolves in 1280:
to take and destroy in all forests and parks and other places within our counties of Glocester, Worcester, Hereford, Salop and Stafford, in which wolves are found, the wolves, with men, dogs and his own devices in every way he thinks proper.
However, for a long time wolf populations were managed, rather than destroyed, as they were hunted for sport.
Wolves were eventually eliminated in England in the reign of Henry VII
Henry VII of England
Henry VII was King of England and Lord of Ireland from his seizing the crown on 22 August 1485 until his death on 21 April 1509, as the first monarch of the House of Tudor....
.
Ownership and rights
Some of the manors within the forest area were owned by the Bishop of WorcesterBishop of Worcester
The Bishop of Worcester is the Ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Worcester in the Province of Canterbury, England. He is the head of the Diocese of Worcester in the Province of Canterbury...
, and a few were owned by the King, such as Feckenham, Inkberrow
Inkberrow
Inkberrow is a village in the district of Wychavon, Worcestershire that is often thought to be the model for Ambridge, the setting of the BBC Radio 4 long running radio serialisation or soap opera The Archers. In particular 'The Bull', the fictional Ambridge pub, is supposed to be based on a very...
, Bromsgrove and Chaddesley Corbett
Chaddesley Corbett
Chaddesley Corbett is a village and civil parish in the Wyre Forest District of Worcestershire, England. The civil parish also includes the settlements of Bluntington, Brockencote, Mustow Green, Cakebole, Outwood, Harvington, and Drayton....
. Inkberrow had a royal deer park.
The King had rights over hunting game, grazing, feeding pigs on acorns and beech nuts; and timber and ‘underwood’. Rights of warren were granted to Grimbald Pauncefoote in the manor of Bentley
Upper Bentley
Upper Bentley is a village in Worcestershire, England. It is located between the towns of Redditch and Bromsgrove. It is near the villages of Elcocks Brook, Bentley and Callow Hill.-History:...
in 1281 for rabbits.
Governance
Forest law was especially harsh and a cause of considerable grievance. Governance centred on FeckenhamFeckenham
Feckenham is a village and civil parish in the Borough of Redditch in Worcestershire, England. It lies some three miles south-west of the town of Redditch and is around twelve miles north-east of the ancient city of Worcester...
at which the courthouse and gaol were located. Executions took place at Gallows Green, between Hanbury and Droitwich on the Salt Way.
Officials and appointments
Appointments could be of considerable prestige. The forests’ titular head was the keeper, whose role was essentially honorary. Prominent appointments included Geoffrey ChaucerGeoffrey Chaucer
Geoffrey Chaucer , known as the Father of English literature, is widely considered the greatest English poet of the Middle Ages and was the first poet to have been buried in Poet's Corner of Westminster Abbey...
(1389) and Gilbert Talbot
Gilbert Talbot (soldier)
Sir Gilbert Talbot of Grafton, KG was an English Tudor knight, a younger son of John Talbot, 2nd Earl of Shrewsbury and 2nd Earl of Waterford, and Elizabeth Butler.-Life:...
of Grafton
Grafton Manor
Grafton Manor was established before the Norman Conquest...
(1492). Under the keeper were verderer
Verderer
Verderers are officials in Britain who deal with Common land in certain former royal hunting areas which are the property of The Crown.-Origins:...
s who were the main enforcers of forest law, investigating infractions and trespasses. Their official symbol was an axe. Woodwards
Woodward
A Woodward is a warden of a wood and, deriving from that, an occupational surname. It may refer to:-People:* Alan Woodward , former British soccer player* Alfred Woodward , American jurist, and father of Bob Woodward...
guarded royal timber rights and venison.
Poaching and disputes
Poaching and encroachment on royal rights was not simply a matter of the poor taking game and, when caught, being executed. Many of the documented offences involved either noblemen or churchmen and were punished by heavy fines. The Bishop of Worcester was fined 500 marks in 1290 for “trespasses of vert and venison” and a further 200 li in 1291. Under Henry III, however, the Church of St Mary, that is Worcester CathedralWorcester Cathedral
Worcester Cathedral is an Anglican cathedral in Worcester, England; situated on a bank overlooking the River Severn. It is the seat of the Anglican Bishop of Worcester. Its official name is The Cathedral Church of Christ and the Blessed Mary the Virgin of Worcester...
, was granted rights to hunt in their own forests, so that “no forester, verderer or other bailiffs of the King’s shall in future intermeddle in the woods saving in matters touching the King’s venison”.
Land disputes are also recorded with the Abbotts
Abbot of Evesham
The Abbot of Evesham was the head of Evesham Abbey, a Benedictine monastery in Worcestershire founded in the Anglo-Saxon era of English history. The succession continued until dissolution of the monastery in 1540:-List:...
of Evesham
Evesham Abbey
Evesham Abbey was founded by Saint Egwin at Evesham in England between 700 and 710 A.D. following a vision of the Virgin Mary by Eof.According to the monastic history, Evesham came through the Norman Conquest unusually well, because of a quick approach by Abbot Æthelwig to William the Conqueror...
, who enclosed a large part of the forest, when it was at its greater extent, arguing they had he right under old charters. Their wood at Sambourne
Sambourne
Sambourne, formerly spelled Sambourn, is a hamlet and civil parish north-west of Coughton, from Stratford upon Avon and from Warwick in the county of Warwickshire, England. It is situated on sloping ground rising westwards to about 500 feet near the ancient Ridge Way, which forms the county...
was seized in 1280 as compensation.
Disafforestation and popular riots
Considerable pressure on the wooded areas as the result of the use of timber to fuel salt pans in Droitwich, a practice that had been recorded as far back as the Domesday Book. Demand for salt increased as the population grew. Much of the forest had therefore been cut was being farmed by the time the forest was abolished in 1629.The largest remaining woodland was Feckenham Park, described in early 1600s by Thomas Habingdon:
The king had a large Parke abuttinge on Feckenham thoughe in the Paryshe of Hanbury. Neither wanted theare (in Hanbury) for the recreation our Kynges a fayre Parke sortinge in name with the Kinges vast forest, reachinge in former ages far and wide.
A large walk for savage beastes, but now more commodyously chaunged into the civill habitations of many gentellmen, the freeholds of wealthy yeomen, and dwellings of industryous husbandmen. Feckenham Parke cominge by attainder to the Crown, Queen Elizabeth bestowed it on Sir Thomas Leighton, who married her neere Kynswoman Mistris Elizabeth Knolles in which family continuing towe descentes, it is devolved (by purchase) to the honourable house of the Lord Baron Coventree, Lord Keeper of the greate seale.
The woodland can be seen on maps produced in this period, including by Christopher Saxton
Christopher Saxton
Christopher Saxton was an English cartographer, probably born in the parish of Dewsbury, in the West Riding of Yorkshire, England around 1540....
and on the Sheldon Tapestry.
Sir Miles Fleetwood
Miles Fleetwood
Sir Miles Fleetwood of Aldwinkle, Northamptonshire was receiver of the court of wards and politician who sat in the House of Commons variously between 1614 and 1641.Fleetwood was the son of Sir William Fleetwood Sir Miles Fleetwood of Aldwinkle, Northamptonshire ( died 8 March 1641) was receiver...
was charged with surveying the lands before the disafforestation. The Lord of Hanbury and Feckenham manors, Sir Edward Leighton gained around 80 acres in Monkwood and 360 acres around Feckenham, including the Queen’s Coppice, Ranger’s Coppice, Timber Coppice, Fearful Coppice and Red Slough Coppice.
Dissafforestation caused riots in the Feckenham and elsewhere, known as the Western Rising
Western Rising
The Western Rising was a series of riots which took place during 1626-1632 in Gillingham Forest on the Wiltshire-Dorset border, Braydon Forest in Wiltshire, and Dean Forest, Gloucestershire, in response to disafforestation of royal forests, sale of royal lands and enclosure of property by the new...
.
Remaining woodlands
Very little of the original woodlands are left. The most substantial areas are in the north west area extended under Henry II, rather than the woodlands around Feckenham. Remnants of the wooded parts of the forest include:- Grafton Wood
- Chaddesley Woods
- Kingsford Forest Park, near Kidderminster
- Pepper Wood (from the Forest of Pyperode and Fenny Rough)
- Cutpursey Coppice, which may record the name of a hamlet, Cutbaldesey, absorbed in the expansion of the forest
- Hewell Grange
Pepper Wood and Chaddesley Woods are now designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest
Site of Special Scientific Interest
A Site of Special Scientific Interest is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom. SSSIs are the basic building block of site-based nature conservation legislation and most other legal nature/geological conservation designations in Great Britain are based upon...
. Cutpursey Coppice, just south of these woods, is also documented as being an areas of “Ancient semi-natural woodland”.
Placenames
Placenames which record the presence of the forest may include:- Huntingdrop Farm
- Foxlydiate, from “Foxhuntlidgate ”on the foxhunt way”
- Headless Cross, from Smeethehedley
- Gallow's Green, near Hanbury
- Forest Farm, Hanbury
- Deer Pen, Hanbury “where stags were penned ... to ensure sport for the monarch”.