Life in an English Medieval Forest

Posted by Rachel Bellerby Sep 8, 2008

In reality, a forest could be a dangerous place and it was a place where doing the wrong thing could mean death. Because the hunt was so beloved to English monarchs and because hunt animals were so valuable, anyone who deliberately hunted down one of the royal beasts could receive the death penalty.

It must have been almost torturous to live beside a royal forest. You’d be able to see fine animals which you’d love to eat, beehives full of honey which you could use for food and even nuts and berries growing nearby, but all of these were forbidden to you, even though they might be within an arms reach of your house.

Little wonder then, that the moves to bring common land into use were so popular. Once people became used to having land to call their own, there would be no turning back. Never again would the royal forests be so exclusive.