Home of the Grove of Etain
Ytene was the Saxon name for the area of Southern England to the West of Southampton
, North of the Isle of Wight, South of Winchester and Salisbury and East of what is now Bournemouth. When William the Conqueror took the throne of England in 1066, he designated this high plateau a 'Chase', or hunting forest and cleared the peasants from the land to make way for deer and other game. The fields returned to heathland and open forests of broadleaved trees and pine and it became known as 'The New Forest', the name which it still bears to this day.
Today the forest is a national park and provides a rich variety of environments for wildlife and for recreation. There are areas of new fir and spruce plantation and also of old broadleaved woods of oak, yew and beech, among other native species.
It is home to the famous New Forest Ponies, which are all owned by 'commoners' of the Forest, and have the right to wander at will, including (and especially!) on the highways, along with other livestock such as cattle, sheep, donkeys and goats. The forest is also home to The Grove of Etain a grove of the Order of Bards, Ovates and Druids. The forest laws are administered by the Verderers, who sit in Court Leet twice a year in the capital, Lyndhurst.
[ Main Page | The Grove of Etain | British Links ]
