Local people making their corner of rural Britain unique
This week
Saturday2nd February
“Commoning” in the New Forest dates back to nearly a thousand years ago – to the time of William the Conqueror.In this week's Open Country, Matt Baker visits the forest and meets Commoners past and present as they try to guarantee the future.
A Commoner is a person occupying land to which common rights are attached – such as the right to graze livestock (usually ponies, pigs and donkeys) on the common land.
But the property prices in the area are now too high to let local people buy land – and since commoning rights are connected to the land, the tradition is dying out.
In an attempt to combat this, the Forestry Commission is building two new houses (the first to be built in the forest for 60 years) which will come with land rights and will only be available to young Commoners at an affordable price.
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