Rockingham Forest Facts

The area known as Rockingham Forest was once part of a continuous woodland that stretched from Stamford to Oxford, but by the Middle Ages sufficient areas had been clearcd for Rockingham to have a separate identity.

Rockingham Forest was first defined by the Norman Kings as an area of countryside where Forest Law was enforced and which which was protected for the hunting of game at the King's pleasure. This legal definition continued for over 700 years until parliament passed the final Act of Disafforestation in 1832. Much of the characteristic landscape of the Forest remains evident today, however.

A Royal Forest, such as Rockingham, has always been about much more than just trees and the Forest area includes parkland, farmland and villages. Woodland is nevertheless an important part of the Forest and large tracts of characteristic, ridgetop woodlands survive today. The majority of the woodlands are ancient in origin and indeed the area of woodland has not changed greatly since after the Act of Disafforestation.

Penalties administered under Forest law could be severe. In 1637 Charles I held a "Swanimote Court" to check on abuses of Royal Forest Laws. Local landowners were charged with enclosing and assarting woodland (the uprooting of trees to provide agricultural land) and fined a total of GBP 67,000 - a colossal amount for the time.

For a short while the "legal" Forest of Rockingham extended to Northampton, but the "physical" Forest, with its distinctive landscape has always centred on the area between Kettering and Stamford. The size of the Forest has changed dramatically on several occasions, but thanks to the stroke of the pen rather than the blade of the axe.

The Royal nature of the Forest and its excellent hunting have resulted in the area having one of the finest collections of medieval halls in the country. Many of these remain under the same family ownership and today their doors are often open to the public.

The castle mound in Fotheringhay marks the site of the birth of a king and the death of a queen. Richard III was born in Fotheringhay Castle in 1452 and Mary Queen of Scots was executed there 135 Years later in 1587.

Rockingham Castle was built by William the Conqueror to help guard Rockingham Forest. Medieval Kings visited the castle frequently to hunt in the Royal Forest. King John's abandoned treasure chest is a testament to this. It can still be seen in the hall.

The most famous resident of Deene Park was the Earl of Cardigan who led the Charge of the Light Brigade at the Battle of Balaklava in 1854. The preserved head and tail of his horse, Ronald, are on display at the house.

One of the most notable families in the Forest's history were the Treshams. Sir Thomas Tresham, a deeply religious Catholic, built Rushden Triangular Lodge to depict the trinity and Lyvedon New Bield, in the shape of a cross, to celebrate the passion. His son, Francis, was implicated in the Gunpowder Plot.

Corby was once a small village in the Forest and still contains some of the best surviving ancient woodland in the area. The town was granted the right to hold a weekly market and an annual fair by Henry III in the 13th century. Weekly markets are still held in the town, though the fairs are only recalled every 20 years at the Pole Fair. The next one is scheduled for the year 2002.

The village of Ashton is host to a World Championship every October: the Conker Championship. Another unusual sporting event in the Forest is the Highland Games in Corby, which take place every August.

The Forest abounds with wildlife including rare dormice, dragonfies. damselflies and, of course, deer. Black hairstreak butterflies, which are found only in the wet sticky clay woods of the East Midlands, are plentiful. Ancient woodlands and limestone grasslands in the Forest are rich in wild flowers.

Some of the most attractive features of the Forest are its distinctive, honey-coloured villages built using locally quarried limestone and unique Collyweston slates. The slates are actually crafted from blocks of limestone which, when subjected to several severe frosts, can be split and shaped to form slates of varying sizes.

Iron ore has been extracted throughout the Forest since the early Iron Age and by the Roman Period one of the greatest iron industries in Britannia was based in the Forest. Smelting the ore necessitated using charcoal, so charcoal burning became a prominent industry. Ironwork continues to be an important local craft, along with woodcarving and pottery.

There are more than 500 miles of footpaths and bridleways within the Forest's boundaries, some of which are ancient drove ways for cattle. Numerous guides and walks leaflets are available to guide the visitor along them.

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