Bedford Purlieus NNR
Encyclopedia
Bedford Purlieus is 211 hectares (521.4 acre) of ancient woodland
in Cambridgeshire
, in the United Kingdom
. It is a National Nature Reserve
and Site of Special Scientific Interest
owned and managed by the Forestry Commission
. Situated in Thornhaugh civil parish, 14km west of Peterborough
, it is within the Peterborough unitary authority area of Cambridgeshire, although it borders onto Northamptonshire
. In Roman times it was an iron smelting centre, during the medieval period it was in the Royal Forest of Rockingham
, and later became part of the estates of the the Duke of Bedford
. It appears to have been continuously wooded at least from Roman times, and probably since the ice receded. It has a claim to having the richest range of vascular plants of any English lowland wood and it acquired particular significance in the 1970s as an early subject for the historical approach to ecology and woodland management.
, but 88 are wholly or partly managed by other approved bodies. Bedford Perlieus is managed by The Forestry Commission, and is open to the public during daylight hours. It is notable for having a wider variety of herbaceous woodland plants than almost any other English woodland. It was declared a Site of Special Scientific Interest
in 1969, and was included as a Nature Conservation Review site in 1977. The abundance and variety of the woodland flora and fauna is outstanding. The range of woodland flowers are especially notable. There were 462 species of vascular plants listed as present in the woods in 1975, and the whole range of flora associated with ancient woodland is exceptionally rich. A principle reason for this is the variety of soil types, resulting from a geology that ranges from highly calcareous limestone
and tufa
through to highly acidic sand
s and silt
s. The variety of coppice woodland types, the management history, the wide grassland rides, and even the periodic disturbances caused by coppicing, felling and other interventions such as the wartime installations have all added habitats that maintain the diversity of species within the woods.
The planting programme of the 1940s was principally of oak
, but also larch
, Scots pine
and Corsican pine. Unlike in a coppice-with-standards rotation, Bedford Purlieus woodland is much more even in age. However, when an ancient woodland is cleared and planted the result is not just a monoculture of the newly planted trees. The canopy is now a mix of the planted trees, self-sown trees and shrubs, and regrowth of coppice stools, some probably of more recent origin, other stools clearly dating back to antiquity. The species diversity that characterises the woods was thus retained, and oak
, lime
, large-leaved elm
, hazel
, ash
, field maple
, English elm
, sycamore
, chestnut
and birch
are all to be found in substantial quantities.
An exception to all this is the northern end of the present wood, known as The Bedlams. This is not ancient wood, but a 19th century conifer plantation, which was replanted in the 1950s with beech
, Norway spruce
, Western hemlock
and Grand fir
. Also, a re-instated open-cast ironstone quarry on the eastern side was planted with Corsican pine..
arising from the nearby Augean landfill. This has facilitated the Forestry Commission to re-instate areas of coppicing, open up grassland glades and remove conifers and other introduced species.
As well as the shift from commercial to conservation forestry, the Forestry Commission have embraced the desire for public access. The emphasis at Bedford Purlieus is on 'quiet recreation' to minimise the impact on the woodland flora and fauna. A car park is available, accessed from the A47. There is a network of rides and paths within the wood, and it is open every day during daylight hours.
. The woods came into the Russell family almost at the start of their rise to landed wealth. In 1526 John Russell
married Anne Sapcote, an heiress whose property included the Thornhaugh Woods. He went on to be created Earl of Bedford by Henry VIII
and was granted a vast estate at Woburn Abbey
by Edward VI
.
, the 5th Earl (who would later become Duke of Bedford) was required by Charles I
to pay £200 to 'Dissaforest' his woods at Thornhaugh. Never mind that they had been excluded from Forest Law some 350 years before. The King needed money to fight the civil war
and this was one of many ways the Treasury found to raise it. The Charter of Aug 8th 1639 sets out definitively that the woods are now purlieus, that is, land that was once part of a Royal Forest
but has been legally dissaforested. It names the various compartments (or sales) that make up the woods, and affirms that, "for £200 of lawful money of England well and truly paid" the 1,648 acres are "altogether dissaforested". It goes on to explain:
After Charles II
made the Earl a Duke in 1694, Thornhaugh Woods were to be known in the estate records as 'the Duke of Bedford's Purlieus'.
The article describes the 'Centre Tree', the site of which is now on the western edge of the wood, but was in the middle of the original wood.
decided to sell the whole of the Wansford Estate, including Bedford Purlieus. The estate totalled 4500 acres (1,821.1 ha) including 600 acres (242.8 ha) of woodland, mainly accounted for by Bedford Purlieus. The estate was bought by William Wentworth-Fitzwilliam, 7th Earl Fitzwilliam
, a young man who had inherited a vast fortune from his Grandfather two years previously. However only nine years later the Bedford Purlieus were sold on, this time to a timber merchant, who it is thought felled all the saleable trees. Twenty years after that, in 1933, it was the bought by the Forestry Commission as is described above.
. The 1086 Domesday Book records the area as 'Forest' but the term Forest of Rockingham
is first recorded in 1157. The boundaries changed a great deal, although at its greatest extent, in the 12th Century, Rockingham covered a third of Northamptonshire from the walls of Northampton
to Stamford
, and included the whole of the Soke of Peterborough
, including all the woodland around Bedford Purlieus. Everywhere within the Forest, whether woodland, open land or villages, was subject to particular Forest Laws, enforced by the Forester appointed by the King. The King might give away his rights to particular places, however, so that Rockingham Forest gradually reduced in size. King John dissaforested the area east of the Great North Road
, leaving Thornhaugh still within the Forest. By 1299, however, it was specifically excluded in the 'Perambulation' (description of the Forest Boundaries).
The Thornhaugh Woods were almost certainly not felled or cleared by this process. There is no ridge and furrow
within the woods, and the records of the Thornhaugh Woods continue through following centuries, so it is believed that, unlike most English woodland, it has been woodland continuously throughout the medieval period. Other nearby woods were in a similar situation. Collyweston Great Wood, Easton Hornstocks, Vigo Wood, Rogue Sale and Wittering Coppice are also remnants of this long-dissaforested rim of Rockingham Forest. During the 13th and 14th centuries the Thornhaugh Woods were owned by the Semarc family. When a member of the family married Anne of Folkesworth, her dowry included the adjoining woodland of Sir John of Folkesworth. This remained a separately taxed area of the woods until the 18th century, known as John's (and latterly St John's) Wood. It was an heiress of the Semarc lands who, in the 15th century brought the woods to the Russell family, Earls, and later Dukes of Bedford.
There are many archaeological features visible within the woods, including medieval wood banks, small quarry pits, signs of Roman industrial use and a Roman dwelling place. The first archaeological excavations were carried out by the Steward of the nearby FitzWilliam estate, E. T. Artis, in the first half of the 19th century. He suggested a Roman villa
site, and the presence of iron working and furnaces within the wood, and in 1965 the Peterborough Museum Society found and excavated furnaces within the woods. Little was then investigated until Time Team
's 2011 series which included an archaeological dig within these woods. They confirmed that iron extraction from pits within the woodland, Roman iron smelting sites, and other evidence of Roman industry implied an industrial centre that was significant for Roman British iron supplies. A Roman bath-house
, with surviving painted wall plaster may indicate an overseer's residence.
Could the woodland have survived this level of industrial use? The two resources that the Romans needed were ironstone and fuel. With both available on one site, this would make it an attractive location, but to ensure continuity of fuel supply, it would seem most likely that they encouraged re-growth through a coppice-style system. That would mean that there was continuity of woodland trees and habitats throughout and after the Roman period.
Ancient woodland
Ancient woodland is a term used in the United Kingdom to refer specifically to woodland that has existed continuously since 1600 or before in England and Wales . Before those dates, planting of new woodland was uncommon, so a wood present in 1600 was likely to have developed naturally...
in Cambridgeshire
Cambridgeshire
Cambridgeshire is a county in England, bordering Lincolnshire to the north, Norfolk to the northeast, Suffolk to the east, Essex and Hertfordshire to the south, and Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire to the west...
, in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. It is a National Nature Reserve
National Nature Reserve
For details of National nature reserves in the United Kingdom see:*National Nature Reserves in England*National Nature Reserves in Northern Ireland*National Nature Reserves in Scotland*National Nature Reserves in Wales...
and Site of Special Scientific Interest
Site of Special Scientific Interest
A Site of Special Scientific Interest is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom. SSSIs are the basic building block of site-based nature conservation legislation and most other legal nature/geological conservation designations in Great Britain are based upon...
owned and managed by the Forestry Commission
Forestry Commission
The Forestry Commission is a non-ministerial government department responsible for forestry in Great Britain. Its mission is to protect and expand Britain's forests and woodlands and increase their value to society and the environment....
. Situated in Thornhaugh civil parish, 14km west of Peterborough
Peterborough
Peterborough is a cathedral city and unitary authority area in the East of England, with an estimated population of in June 2007. For ceremonial purposes it is in the county of Cambridgeshire. Situated north of London, the city stands on the River Nene which flows into the North Sea...
, it is within the Peterborough unitary authority area of Cambridgeshire, although it borders onto Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire is a landlocked county in the English East Midlands, with a population of 629,676 as at the 2001 census. It has boundaries with the ceremonial counties of Warwickshire to the west, Leicestershire and Rutland to the north, Cambridgeshire to the east, Bedfordshire to the south-east,...
. In Roman times it was an iron smelting centre, during the medieval period it was in the Royal Forest of Rockingham
Rockingham Forest
Rockingham Forest is a former Mediæval royal hunting forest in the East Midlands region of England; most of which was in the county of Northamptonshire but also extended slightly into the neighbouring counties of Leicestershire and Lincolnshire .The forest originally stretched from Stamford down...
, and later became part of the estates of the the Duke of Bedford
Duke of Bedford
thumb|right|240px|William Russell, 1st Duke of BedfordDuke of Bedford is a title that has been created five times in the Peerage of England. The first creation came in 1414 in favour of Henry IV's third son, John, who later served as regent of France. He was made Earl of Kendal at the same time...
. It appears to have been continuously wooded at least from Roman times, and probably since the ice receded. It has a claim to having the richest range of vascular plants of any English lowland wood and it acquired particular significance in the 1970s as an early subject for the historical approach to ecology and woodland management.
National Nature Reserve
Bedford Perlieus was declared a National Nature Reserve (NNR) in 2000. Most of England's 224 NNRs are managed by Natural EnglandNatural England
Natural England is the non-departmental public body of the UK government responsible for ensuring that England's natural environment, including its land, flora and fauna, freshwater and marine environments, geology and soils, are protected and improved...
, but 88 are wholly or partly managed by other approved bodies. Bedford Perlieus is managed by The Forestry Commission, and is open to the public during daylight hours. It is notable for having a wider variety of herbaceous woodland plants than almost any other English woodland. It was declared a Site of Special Scientific Interest
Site of Special Scientific Interest
A Site of Special Scientific Interest is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom. SSSIs are the basic building block of site-based nature conservation legislation and most other legal nature/geological conservation designations in Great Britain are based upon...
in 1969, and was included as a Nature Conservation Review site in 1977. The abundance and variety of the woodland flora and fauna is outstanding. The range of woodland flowers are especially notable. There were 462 species of vascular plants listed as present in the woods in 1975, and the whole range of flora associated with ancient woodland is exceptionally rich. A principle reason for this is the variety of soil types, resulting from a geology that ranges from highly calcareous limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
and tufa
Tufa
Tufa is a variety of limestone, formed by the precipitation of carbonate minerals from ambient temperature water bodies. Geothermally heated hot-springs sometimes produce similar carbonate deposits known as travertine...
through to highly acidic sand
Sand
Sand is a naturally occurring granular material composed of finely divided rock and mineral particles.The composition of sand is highly variable, depending on the local rock sources and conditions, but the most common constituent of sand in inland continental settings and non-tropical coastal...
s and silt
Silt
Silt is granular material of a size somewhere between sand and clay whose mineral origin is quartz and feldspar. Silt may occur as a soil or as suspended sediment in a surface water body...
s. The variety of coppice woodland types, the management history, the wide grassland rides, and even the periodic disturbances caused by coppicing, felling and other interventions such as the wartime installations have all added habitats that maintain the diversity of species within the woods.
Forestry Commission Wood
Bedford Purlieus has been owned by the Forestry Commission since 1933. Throughout the war and post-war years the emphasis was on maximising timber production. But the 1970s saw a new interest in the ecological value of the woods, and the possibilities for both leisure and conservation.Commercial management
The Forestry Commission acquired the Bedford Purlieus from a timber merchant who had removed the most saleable timber, and soon after 1933 almost all of the remaining wood was cut, and a replanting programme was begun, which continued until the 1950s. By then the policy of planting both broadleaved and conifer trees within the wood had been standard practice for 100 years, and the practice continued and expanded under Forestry Commission ownership. Although there is now no doubt that the non-native conifers damage and diminish the conservation value of the woodland, it would appear that in this instance they also secured it's survival.The planting programme of the 1940s was principally of oak
Oak
An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus Quercus , of which about 600 species exist. "Oak" may also appear in the names of species in related genera, notably Lithocarpus...
, but also larch
Larch
Larches are conifers in the genus Larix, in the family Pinaceae. Growing from 15 to 50m tall, they are native to much of the cooler temperate northern hemisphere, on lowlands in the north and high on mountains further south...
, Scots pine
Scots Pine
Pinus sylvestris, commonly known as the Scots Pine, is a species of pine native to Europe and Asia, ranging from Scotland, Ireland and Portugal in the west, east to eastern Siberia, south to the Caucasus Mountains, and as far north as well inside the Arctic Circle in Scandinavia...
and Corsican pine. Unlike in a coppice-with-standards rotation, Bedford Purlieus woodland is much more even in age. However, when an ancient woodland is cleared and planted the result is not just a monoculture of the newly planted trees. The canopy is now a mix of the planted trees, self-sown trees and shrubs, and regrowth of coppice stools, some probably of more recent origin, other stools clearly dating back to antiquity. The species diversity that characterises the woods was thus retained, and oak
Oak
An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus Quercus , of which about 600 species exist. "Oak" may also appear in the names of species in related genera, notably Lithocarpus...
, lime
Tilia cordata
Tilia cordata is a species of Tilia native to much of Europe and western Asia, north to southern Great Britain , central Scandinavia, east to central Russia, and south to central Spain, Italy, Bulgaria, Turkey, and the Caucasus; in the south of its range it is restricted to...
, large-leaved elm
Wych Elm
Ulmus glabra, the Wych elm or Scots elm, has the widest range of the European elm species, from Ireland eastwards to the Urals, and from the Arctic Circle south to the mountains of the Peloponnese in Greece; it is also found in Iran...
, hazel
Hazel
The hazels are a genus of deciduous trees and large shrubs native to the temperate northern hemisphere. The genus is usually placed in the birch family Betulaceae, though some botanists split the hazels into a separate family Corylaceae.They have simple, rounded leaves with double-serrate margins...
, ash
Ash
- Products of fire, incineration or combustion :The solid remains of fires, such as:* Ash , the compounds that remain after a scientific sample is burned; commonly reported as a percentage on pet food labels...
, field maple
Field Maple
Acer campestre, common name Field Maple, is a maple native to much of Europe, north to southern Scotland , Denmark, Poland and Belarus, and also southwest Asia from Turkey to the Caucasus, and north Africa in the Atlas Mountains...
, English elm
English Elm
Ulmus procera Salisb., the English, Common, or more lately Atinian, Elm was, before the advent of Dutch elm disease, one of the largest and fastest-growing deciduous trees in Europe...
, sycamore
Sycamore
Sycamore is a name which is applied at various times and places to three very different types of trees, but with somewhat similar leaf forms....
, chestnut
Chestnut
Chestnut , some species called chinkapin or chinquapin, is a genus of eight or nine species of deciduous trees and shrubs in the beech family Fagaceae, native to temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. The name also refers to the edible nuts they produce.-Species:The chestnut belongs to the...
and birch
Birch
Birch is a tree or shrub of the genus Betula , in the family Betulaceae, closely related to the beech/oak family, Fagaceae. The Betula genus contains 30–60 known taxa...
are all to be found in substantial quantities.
An exception to all this is the northern end of the present wood, known as The Bedlams. This is not ancient wood, but a 19th century conifer plantation, which was replanted in the 1950s with beech
Beech
Beech is a genus of ten species of deciduous trees in the family Fagaceae, native to temperate Europe, Asia and North America.-Habit:...
, Norway spruce
Norway Spruce
Norway Spruce is a species of spruce native to Europe. It is also commonly referred to as the European Spruce.- Description :...
, Western hemlock
Western Hemlock
Tsuga heterophylla. the Western Hemlock, is a species of hemlock native to the west coast of North America, with its northwestern limit on the Kenai Peninsula, Alaska, and its southeastern limit in northern Sonoma County, California.-Habitat:...
and Grand fir
Grand Fir
Abies grandis is a fir native to the Pacific Northwest and Northern California of North America, occurring at altitudes of sea level to 1,800 m...
. Also, a re-instated open-cast ironstone quarry on the eastern side was planted with Corsican pine..
Conservation and public access
The irony of the new plantations is that they gave a commercial and strategic purpose, namely to provide local fuel for the mid-20th century iron smelting industry based at Corby. Without that, it seems highly likely the woodland would have been grubbed up altogether. However, during the 1970s the Forestry Commission began a shift in focus to conservation and amenity value of their woods. A major symposium in 1975 considered the history and ecology of Bedford Purlieus and produced a detailed and ground-breaking management plan, edited by G.F. Peterken and R.C. Welch, which appears to have been the basis of the wood's management ever since. Its designation as a National Nature Reserve in 2000 is a recognition of the extent to which the policy shift had been made. In 2005 it received an injection of funding from landfill tax creditsLandfill Tax Credit Scheme
The Landfill Tax Credit Scheme is a scheme for the distribution of funds generated from Landfill Tax in the UK. The LTCS was designed to help mitigate the effects of landfill upon local communities. It encourages partnerships between landfill operators, their local communities and the voluntary...
arising from the nearby Augean landfill. This has facilitated the Forestry Commission to re-instate areas of coppicing, open up grassland glades and remove conifers and other introduced species.
As well as the shift from commercial to conservation forestry, the Forestry Commission have embraced the desire for public access. The emphasis at Bedford Purlieus is on 'quiet recreation' to minimise the impact on the woodland flora and fauna. A car park is available, accessed from the A47. There is a network of rides and paths within the wood, and it is open every day during daylight hours.
The Wansford Estate
For 400 years the woods were part of the Wansford Estate, itself a part of the vast land holdings of the Russell family, Earls, and later Dukes of Bedford. It is this connection that is responsible for the name, and under their management, profound changes have taken place to both the size and character of the woods.Thornhaugh Woods
Until the years following 1639 these woods were known as Thornhaugh Woods (also called 'the High Woods of Thornhaw'), being the principle woodland of the parish of Thornhaugh. The name Bedford Purlieus resulted from its association with the Earls and Dukes of Bedford, but it also reveals its more ancient history as a part of a Royal ForestRoyal forest
A royal forest is an area of land with different meanings in England, Wales and Scotland; the term forest does not mean forest as it is understood today, as an area of densely wooded land...
. The woods came into the Russell family almost at the start of their rise to landed wealth. In 1526 John Russell
John Russell, 1st Earl of Bedford
John Russell, 1st Earl of Bedford, KG, PC, JP was an English royal minister in the Tudor era. He served variously as Lord High Admiral and Lord Privy Seal....
married Anne Sapcote, an heiress whose property included the Thornhaugh Woods. He went on to be created Earl of Bedford by Henry VIII
Henry VIII of England
Henry VIII was King of England from 21 April 1509 until his death. He was Lord, and later King, of Ireland, as well as continuing the nominal claim by the English monarchs to the Kingdom of France...
and was granted a vast estate at Woburn Abbey
Woburn Abbey
Woburn Abbey , near Woburn, Bedfordshire, England, is a country house, the seat of the Duke of Bedford and the location of the Woburn Safari Park.- Pre-20th century :...
by Edward VI
Edward VI of England
Edward VI was the King of England and Ireland from 28 January 1547 until his death. He was crowned on 20 February at the age of nine. The son of Henry VIII and Jane Seymour, Edward was the third monarch of the Tudor dynasty and England's first monarch who was raised as a Protestant...
.
The Duke of Bedford's Purlieus
Six generations later, William RussellWilliam Russell, 1st Duke of Bedford
William Russell, 1st Duke of Bedford KG PC was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1640 until 1641 when he inherited his Peerage and sat in the House of Lords...
, the 5th Earl (who would later become Duke of Bedford) was required by Charles I
Charles I of England
Charles I was King of England, King of Scotland, and King of Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his execution in 1649. Charles engaged in a struggle for power with the Parliament of England, attempting to obtain royal revenue whilst Parliament sought to curb his Royal prerogative which Charles...
to pay £200 to 'Dissaforest' his woods at Thornhaugh. Never mind that they had been excluded from Forest Law some 350 years before. The King needed money to fight the civil war
English Civil War
The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists...
and this was one of many ways the Treasury found to raise it. The Charter of Aug 8th 1639 sets out definitively that the woods are now purlieus, that is, land that was once part of a Royal Forest
Royal forest
A royal forest is an area of land with different meanings in England, Wales and Scotland; the term forest does not mean forest as it is understood today, as an area of densely wooded land...
but has been legally dissaforested. It names the various compartments (or sales) that make up the woods, and affirms that, "for £200 of lawful money of England well and truly paid" the 1,648 acres are "altogether dissaforested". It goes on to explain:
After Charles II
Charles II of England
Charles II was monarch of the three kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland.Charles II's father, King Charles I, was executed at Whitehall on 30 January 1649, at the climax of the English Civil War...
made the Earl a Duke in 1694, Thornhaugh Woods were to be known in the estate records as 'the Duke of Bedford's Purlieus'.
Grubbing up
The woods remained in the Russell family through a further nine generations, although by no means all of it remained as woodland. Of the 1648 acres (666.9 ha) described in the charter of 1639, around 1000 acres (404.7 ha) was woodland. Now only half of that remains. Between 1862 and 1868 the western half of the wood was grubbed up and converted to agricultural land. The Peterborough Advertiser of December 7th 1912, looking back 50 years, describes howThe article describes the 'Centre Tree', the site of which is now on the western edge of the wood, but was in the middle of the original wood.
The woodland compartments
These straight radiating rides had been cut through from 1733 onwards. Before that time the rides followed roughly rectangular compartment boundaries, which date back to medieval times. Although the new rides caused some shifts in boundaries, the names used for the compartments have been very enduring (see table below). The continuity of compartment names is a useful proof that the same wood is being described through the change from Thornhaugh Woods to Bedford Purlieus.| Manorial role of 1597 | Charter of 1639 | Map of 1757 | Map of 1818 | Map of 1975 |
| Bear Sale | Barr Sale | Bar Sale | (Former woodland) | |
| Sallow Coppice | Sallow Coppice Sale | Sallow Coppice | (Former woodland) | |
| Overthwart Leys | Cross Lees Sale | Cross Leys Sale | (Former woodland) | |
| Ash Coppice | Ash Coppice Sale | Ash Coppice | (Former woodland) | |
| Forty Oak Sale | Forked Oak Sale | Forked Oak Sale | (Former woodland) | |
| West Wood(?) | Wards Sale | Wards Sale | (Former woodland) | |
| Cromwell Sink | Crumals Sink Sale | Crummwell Sink Sale | (remnant of) Crummwell Sink Sale | |
| Fisher's Sale | Fisher Sale | Fishers Sale | Fishers Sale | (Former woodland) |
| (Thornhaugh Great Heath and Thornhaugh Spong) |
(Nether Bedlam) | The Bedlams | ||
| Northeman's Sale | North Gate Sale | North Gate Sale | North Gate Sale | |
| Moyzas | Little Moyses Sale | Little Moiseys Sale | Upper Moiseys Sale | Upper Moiseys Sale |
| 40 acre | Little Forty Acre | Little 40 acres Sale | Upper 40 acre Sale | Upper 40 acres Sale |
| Pibblegate | Pibble Gate Sale | Pebble Gate Sale | Pebble Gate Sale | |
| (John's Wood) | John's Wood Sale | Saint John's Wood | Saint John's Wood | |
| Moyzas | Great Moyses Sales | Great Moiseys Sale | Lower Moiseys Sale | Lower Moiseys Sale |
| 40 acre | Great Forty Acre | Great 40 acres Sale | Forty acre Sale | Lower 40 acres Sale |
| Cockrode | Cockerood | Cocker Wood Sale | Cocker Wood | Cocker Wood |
Selling up
In 1904 Herbrand Russell, 11th Duke of BedfordHerbrand Russell, 11th Duke of Bedford
Herbrand Arthur Russell, 11th Duke of Bedford KG KBE DL LLD FRS FSA was the son of Francis Russell, 9th Duke of Bedford.-Family:...
decided to sell the whole of the Wansford Estate, including Bedford Purlieus. The estate totalled 4500 acres (1,821.1 ha) including 600 acres (242.8 ha) of woodland, mainly accounted for by Bedford Purlieus. The estate was bought by William Wentworth-Fitzwilliam, 7th Earl Fitzwilliam
William Wentworth-FitzWilliam, 7th Earl FitzWilliam
William Charles de Meuron Wentworth-FitzWilliam, 7th Earl FitzWilliam was a British aristocrat. He was born in Pointe de Meuron, Canada and died at the family's seat...
, a young man who had inherited a vast fortune from his Grandfather two years previously. However only nine years later the Bedford Purlieus were sold on, this time to a timber merchant, who it is thought felled all the saleable trees. Twenty years after that, in 1933, it was the bought by the Forestry Commission as is described above.
Royal Forest of Rockingham
The woodland now called Bedford Purlieus was part of a large network of medieval woodland across eastern NorthamptonshireNorthamptonshire
Northamptonshire is a landlocked county in the English East Midlands, with a population of 629,676 as at the 2001 census. It has boundaries with the ceremonial counties of Warwickshire to the west, Leicestershire and Rutland to the north, Cambridgeshire to the east, Bedfordshire to the south-east,...
. The 1086 Domesday Book records the area as 'Forest' but the term Forest of Rockingham
Rockingham Forest
Rockingham Forest is a former Mediæval royal hunting forest in the East Midlands region of England; most of which was in the county of Northamptonshire but also extended slightly into the neighbouring counties of Leicestershire and Lincolnshire .The forest originally stretched from Stamford down...
is first recorded in 1157. The boundaries changed a great deal, although at its greatest extent, in the 12th Century, Rockingham covered a third of Northamptonshire from the walls of Northampton
Northampton
Northampton is a large market town and local government district in the East Midlands region of England. Situated about north-west of London and around south-east of Birmingham, Northampton lies on the River Nene and is the county town of Northamptonshire. The demonym of Northampton is...
to Stamford
Stamford
-Places:In the United Kingdom:*Stamford, Lincolnshire, a town in England*Stamford Hill, London*Stamford Bridge, East Riding of Yorkshire**Battle of Stamford Bridge*Stamford Bridge , the home ground for Chelsea Football Club...
, and included the whole of the Soke of Peterborough
Soke of Peterborough
The Soke of Peterborough is an historic area of England that is traditionally associated with the City and Diocese of Peterborough, but considered part of Northamptonshire...
, including all the woodland around Bedford Purlieus. Everywhere within the Forest, whether woodland, open land or villages, was subject to particular Forest Laws, enforced by the Forester appointed by the King. The King might give away his rights to particular places, however, so that Rockingham Forest gradually reduced in size. King John dissaforested the area east of the Great North Road
Great North Road
There are several Great North Roads:* Great North Road, Australia, a historical road leading from Sydney to the Hunter Valley* Great North Road, New Zealand, a road in Auckland* Great North Road, Zambia, a road running north from Lusaka...
, leaving Thornhaugh still within the Forest. By 1299, however, it was specifically excluded in the 'Perambulation' (description of the Forest Boundaries).
The Thornhaugh Woods were almost certainly not felled or cleared by this process. There is no ridge and furrow
Ridge and furrow
Ridge and furrow is an archaeological pattern of ridges and troughs created by a system of ploughing used in Europe during the Middle Ages. The earliest examples date to the immediate post-Roman period and the system was used until the 17th century in some areas. Ridge and furrow topography is...
within the woods, and the records of the Thornhaugh Woods continue through following centuries, so it is believed that, unlike most English woodland, it has been woodland continuously throughout the medieval period. Other nearby woods were in a similar situation. Collyweston Great Wood, Easton Hornstocks, Vigo Wood, Rogue Sale and Wittering Coppice are also remnants of this long-dissaforested rim of Rockingham Forest. During the 13th and 14th centuries the Thornhaugh Woods were owned by the Semarc family. When a member of the family married Anne of Folkesworth, her dowry included the adjoining woodland of Sir John of Folkesworth. This remained a separately taxed area of the woods until the 18th century, known as John's (and latterly St John's) Wood. It was an heiress of the Semarc lands who, in the 15th century brought the woods to the Russell family, Earls, and later Dukes of Bedford.
Roman industry and woodland
It is thought the area has been woodland at least since Roman times, and very probably for much longer than that, possibly dating to the original woodland growth after the last ice age. However it was not left undisturbed by the Romans.There are many archaeological features visible within the woods, including medieval wood banks, small quarry pits, signs of Roman industrial use and a Roman dwelling place. The first archaeological excavations were carried out by the Steward of the nearby FitzWilliam estate, E. T. Artis, in the first half of the 19th century. He suggested a Roman villa
Roman villa
A Roman villa is a villa that was built or lived in during the Roman republic and the Roman Empire. A villa was originally a Roman country house built for the upper class...
site, and the presence of iron working and furnaces within the wood, and in 1965 the Peterborough Museum Society found and excavated furnaces within the woods. Little was then investigated until Time Team
Time Team
Time Team is a British television series which has been aired on Channel 4 since 1994. Created by television producer Tim Taylor and presented by actor Tony Robinson, each episode features a team of specialists carrying out an archaeological dig over a period of three days, with Robinson explaining...
's 2011 series which included an archaeological dig within these woods. They confirmed that iron extraction from pits within the woodland, Roman iron smelting sites, and other evidence of Roman industry implied an industrial centre that was significant for Roman British iron supplies. A Roman bath-house
Thermae
In ancient Rome, thermae and balnea were facilities for bathing...
, with surviving painted wall plaster may indicate an overseer's residence.
Could the woodland have survived this level of industrial use? The two resources that the Romans needed were ironstone and fuel. With both available on one site, this would make it an attractive location, but to ensure continuity of fuel supply, it would seem most likely that they encouraged re-growth through a coppice-style system. That would mean that there was continuity of woodland trees and habitats throughout and after the Roman period.
Wartime use
During the Second World War Bedford Purlieus woods were used in conjunction with the air base at Kings Cliffe, south of the woods. The airmen's living accommodation was dispersed around the woods to reduce the risk of being hit in the event of an air raid. Various foundations still remain. The buildings within the St John's Wood compartment, now Leedsgate Farm, included the theatre, gym and chapel for the airbase.See also
- Castor Hanglands NNRCastor Hanglands NNRCastor Hanglands is managed as a National Nature Reserve and Site of Special Scientific Interest by Natural England, a non-departmental public body vested in 2006...
- Barnack Hills & Holes NNRBarnack Hills & Holes NNRBarnack Hills & Holes is managed as a National Nature Reserve and Site of Special Scientific Interest by Natural England, a non-departmental public body vested in 2006. It is situated in the village of Barnack in the unitary authority area of Peterborough in the United Kingdom...
- Rockingham ForestRockingham ForestRockingham Forest is a former Mediæval royal hunting forest in the East Midlands region of England; most of which was in the county of Northamptonshire but also extended slightly into the neighbouring counties of Leicestershire and Lincolnshire .The forest originally stretched from Stamford down...
- List of Ancient Woods in England
- List of Sites of Special Scientific Interest in Cambridgeshire
- List of Nature Conservation Review sites