It is understood that William the Conqueror created much of the fabric of Hatfield Forest (still visible today) at around the end of the 11th century.

The estate was taken from King Harold after his death at the battle of Hastings, and William made it into a crown estate for himself.

The word ‘forest’ was originally used to describe a place where deer were kept. Forests had a complex legal system and people could be prosecuted for breaking forest law. The forest law was a special law subject to the Kings preserve for hunting game. This could extend to land outside the forest to protect his deer from being poached.

Henry I (1100-1135) developed the forest system further, and introduced fallow deer. The descendants of that original herd are present today after nearly 900 years. Fallow deer like woodland, thickets, scrub and plains. They are grazers, eating brambles, acorns, ivy, dead leaves and re-growth of felled trees. They do little damage to trees and crops, as they feed sparingly in one spot, and prefer to keep moving. This allows re-growth of vegetation. The thickets provide shelter and camouflage for these shy animals. Hatfield was well suited to fallow deer despite the colder climate.

Rabbits introduced from the Mediterranean
At the time of the conquest, native roe and red deer and wild swine had been eradicated from Hatfield. Rabbits, however, which were highly valued for their fur and meat, were being introduced from the Mediterranean at around this time. They did not survive too well in their early years, and so specially built warrens called pillow-mounds, were constructed. The remains of these mounds once a common site on well-drained sites in forests can be found in Hatfield, between Collin’s Coppice and the site of Warren Coppice, called the Warren. Pillow-mounds also made it easier for the rabbits to burrow, and to be caught.

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How the Forest system worked
The forests continued to be expanded by Henry I and his successors; by 1200 King John had over 140 forests at his hunting disposal. The forest system had now reached its height, after this it to decline.

It is important to define the forest system as this was critical to Hatfield. It is a unique example of a medieval forest, untouched by the plough,. Not only is the landscape and woodland preserved but also many species of wild plant, trees, insects and the stories in, and under the soil.

In approximately 1200AD, 90 of the 143 forests were not under the king’s ownership (although Hatfield was at this time) but under the nobilities of England. In most cases the king’s deer were added to the forest, with native stock not being replaced. The king or landowner had the rights to the soil, timber, wood, and grazing, except if there were commoners’ rights to all or part of the forest.

Poaching and Courts of the Forest
Commoner’s rights did not belong to the king, landowner or the individual, but to the house, cottage or farmstead in or around the forest. This allowed the occupants to graze their animals on the common, generally part of a forest or wood. This limited each house to the number and type of animals (oxen, cattle, sheep, pigs, goats and geese) and in some cases the time of the year as well. The most well known commoners’ rights today are in the New Forest in Hampshire which are still greatly prized by their owners.

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The law of forest rights allowed the king and landowners to appoint forest officials (verderers) and hold forest court. These official courts of the forest were a complex and very bureaucratic system. A hereditary chief and keeper of the forest generally over saw proceedings. It also went with the post of “woodward” (woodward is someone who manages the wood or forest). In Hatfield Forest’s case a local important land-owning family, the Barringtons, held the hereditary post from almost the beginning. The family would later own nearly one third of the forest.

Poaching was always a problem within the forest, not so much from the small time local, but by more organised gangs. The forest courts would try all such cases, having the powers to blind poachers or have the offenders’ testicles removed. However, in practice most offenders were fined heavily (fines went to the landowner) or imprisoned.

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Supplying the King's venison
Hatfield was only a minor royal hunting forest, and was very rarely hunted by the king (possibly as there was no major house for him to stay in the area). In fact this was often the case until the time of Henry VIII. The hunting was generally done for him by professionals, or as favours for the nobilities. Kings of this time were great eaters of salt venison, so the forests were the main supplier for the king’s table. Deer were also given away as favours either by hunting a set amount of bucks and does, or alive for stocking other parks or forest.

Hunting deer in unfenced Hatfield Forest was a skilled professional’s job, generally with the use of hounds. There were no guns in those early days. Detailed records show that Hatfield supplied only a small amount of fallow deer to the kings, and not in any regular time-table. For example Henry III recorded orders for venison beginning in 1231 until his death in 1271 when there were only 228 deer for his table. Another 106 were given away as carcasses or hunted, and 125 for stocking other parks. This represented about 2% of his consumption.

We are not sure when Hatfield became a royal hunting forest in its own right, but was referred to by name in an undated charter of Henry I. In 1130 Hatfield was well established with a hereditary chief, and official appointed.

Norman times
In 1238 the king disposed of Hatfield. The forest passed into private hands, but with the king retaining the forest rights. The land and rights to the soil and timber were handed over to Isabel daughter of the Earl of Chester in exchange for part of her father’s inheritance. Isabel had married into the famous Scots family of the Bruces. The forest passed through three generations of the Bruce family, in 1304 passing into the ownership of the famous “Robert the Bruce”.

Robert was well occupied north of the border, and after he was crowned Robert the First of Scotland. The English king of the day, Edward I confiscated all his lands in England, bestowing Hatfield on his sister, Elisabeth, who married Humphrey de Bohun, 4th Earl of Essex.

The Bohun family owned most of Hatfield for the next two centuries. Finally, Anne Stafford inherited the estate, passing it on to her son, who rose in favour, becoming the Duke of Buckingham in 1444. Being in favour with his King, Henry VI relinquished all the Forest rights to him. This ended Hatfield’s history as a royal Hunting Forest.

Acknowledgement
Hatfield Forest is most grateful to Oliver Rackham, whose book 'The Last Forest' has been an invaluable source of information.

Written by David E Kidner, National Trust volunteer, Dec 2002.