William the Conqueror and the New Forest 1079

Twelfth-century chroniclers wrote about William the Conqueror’s 1079 establishment of his New Forest for deer and boar hunting. Orderic Vitalis, William of Malmesbury, Florence of Worcester, and Henry of Huntingdon condemned the New Forest project as cruel because of its destruction of thirty-six villages and churches to make a personal hunting preserve. 

They also agreed that God delivered retribution upon William’s family for these cruelties. His second son, Richard, died around 1070 while hunting in the New Forest. William of Malmesbury claimed he “contracted a disorder from a stream of foul air”, referring to a sudden illness or injury while hunting. An arrow killed William’s third son and successor, Rufus, in 1100, while he was hunting in the New Forest. Historians still debate whether it was an accident or an assassination. Chroniclers mention a third fatality, often identified as Richard of Lincoln, the illegitimate son of Henry I, who died in a hunting accident in the New Forest, either hanged by tree branches or thrown from his horse.

Commoners could still exercise their ancient rights. They could graze ponies and cattle, turn out pigs to eat acorns, collect wood for fuel, and cut peat and dig clay. However, if they disturbed or poached deer, felled trees, cleared forest land for agricultural use, or put up fencing, there were severe penalties. Blinding, having a hand cut off, or even the death penalty were common.

In summary, William the Conqueror/Disruptor’s brutal conquest tactics left entire regions scorched, depopulated, and starving. He extracted vast sums of gold and silver from the English, often with little justification. William replaced the Anglo-Saxon elite with Norman lords, seizing land and imposing harsh feudal laws. The creation of royal forests, such as the New Forest, came with severe restrictions—commoners faced brutal penalties for hunting or gathering wood. Finally, he imposed Norman French as the language of the elite, sidelining English and reshaping the legal and social landscape.