The New Forest is one of the largest areas of unenclosed pasture land, heathland, and forest in Southern England, located in southwest Hampshire and southeast Wiltshire. Designated a royal forest by William the Conqueror, it is mentioned in the Domesday Book.
Home to the New Forest Commoners, the area retains ancient rights to common pasture, overseen by verderers and agisters. In the 18th century, it became a crucial timber source for the Royal Navy and is also a habitat for many rare birds and mammals.
