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New Forest Handbook |
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A brief History of the New Forest and the Solent Part 1 The area now known as the "New Forest" was once dense woodland part of a great Ancient Forest. People have lived in the area for thousands of years.
New Forest Sky Geology When glaciers covering the north of Britain melted at the end of the last ice age, two things happened to create the Solent. Firstly, a great amount of flood water ran into the Solent River and its tributaries, carving the estuary deeper. Secondly, post-glacial rebound after the removal of the weight of ice over Scotland caused the island of Great Britain to tilt about an east-west axis, because isostatic rebound in Scotland and Scandinavia is pulling mantle rock out from under the Netherlands and south England: this is forebulge sinking. Over thousands of years, the land sank in the south (a process still continuing) to submerge many valleys creating today's characteristic rias, such as Southampton Water and Poole Harbour, as well as submerging the Solent.
The Needles The estuary of the Solent River was gradually flooded, and eventually the Isle of Wight became separated from the mainland as the chalk ridge between The Needles on the island and Old Harry Rocks on the mainland was eroded. This is thought to have happened about 7,000 years ago. Bronze Age (2,500 to 800 BC) Later during the Bronze Age trees were cleared and heathland began to form in the New Forest. Iron Age (800 BC - 43AD) Located at Buckland Rings is a hill fort from the Iron Age period It has been dated to around the sixth century BC. There are preserved triple banks and double ditches, however it is speculated that it started out with a single bank and ditch system. This site is the best preserved and most important in the Hampshire and Dorset basin of this type. Also at Burley situated high on Castle Hill there is a another Iron Age Hill Fort. Roman Empire in the New Forest (43 - 410) At the time of Roman Invasion the people living in the New Forest were called the Belgae, they were originally from a group of tribes living in northern Gaul on the west bank of the Rhine, during the 3rd century. Between BC 57 and 52 BC Julius Caesar took over Northern Gaul and some of them moved to Southern England. They gave their name to the Roman province of Gallia Belgica, and later, to the modern country of Belgium. 43 AD In AD 43 AD the Romans arrived at that time the New Forest was part of a much larger forest of Southern England they called the Forest of Spinaii, of which essentially all that remains today is the New Forest. In Roman times the Solent was much shallower and the Roman soldiers could wade out to the Isle of Wight at low tide, the entire island was captured by the commander Vespasian, who later became a Roman emperor. 70 AD At Southampton following the Roman invasion in 70 AD the fortress settlement of Clausentum was established. 410 AD the Roman Army left England. Anglo Saxons arrive in Wessex The town of Lymington began as a farm in Anglo Saxon times and was called Limentun. The old english word tun means a farm or hamlet whilst Limen is believed to be a corruption of a Celtic word lemana meaning elm-tree. Click here to see the meaning of Place names around the New Forest King Cerdic was the first King of Anglo-Saxon Wessex from 519 to 534, cited by the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle as the founder of the kingdom of Wessex and ancestor of all its subsequent kings (House of Wessex). Shire of Hampshire Hampshire was one of the first Saxon shires, recorded in 755 as Hamtunscir, but for two centuries represented the western end of Saxon England during that time Winchester became the centre of the Kingdom of Wessex 842 Vikings raid Southampton. Alfred the Great (849 – 26 October 899) He was the King of Wessex from 871 to 899. The Saxon King Alfred's capital was Winchester, where his statue now stands. The Kingdom was under constant attack by the Vikings until King Alfred made a concerted effort and fought them off. The Isle of Wight suffered especially from attacks by the Vikings, until Alfred the Great's navy defeated them in 871 after they had "ravaged Devon and the Isle of Wight". More Viking Attacks For several decades the Vikings stayed away but then they returned with force, attacking all around the coast. Control of the country collapsed and the Viking King Knut assumed leadership. On his death power fell to a number of competing earls and an ineffective King Edward the Confessor. Eventually the Anglo Saxon King Athelstan 925 to 939 who was the great grandson of Alfred the Great, became King of England. 1043 Edward 'the Confessor' is crowned at Winchester. He makes earls of Swein and Harold, sons of Earl Godwin of Wessex. 1045 Edward marries Edith, Godwin's daughter. 1048 Last Viking raid on south-east England. 1051 Godwin raises a rebellion against Edward. The Godwin family is exiled. 1051/2 Duke William of Normandy is said to have visited Edward and been made his heir. 1052 Godwin and his sons sail up the Thames to London with a large fleet and force Edward to reinstate them. 1053 Godwin dies, succeeded by his son Harold. 1064 Earl Harold was in Normandy as an Ambassador from Edward or possibly as the a result of being shipwrecked joins Duke William in a campaign against Brittany. At that time it was said that he gave his support to William of Normandy, and takes an oath to assist him to become King of England. Next Part 2 Creation of the New Forest
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