The New Forest: Its History and Its SceneryWise, John R. (John Richard)
History
The New Forest: Its History and Its Scenery
Wise, John R. (John Richard)
New Forest (England : Forest)
The south aisle is the oldest part, with its three Norman arches rising
from square piers, whilst the north aisle is divided from the nave by a
row of Early-English arches springing from plain black Purbeck marble
shafts. In the east window of this aisle were once painted the arms of
the Dauphin of France—the fleurs de lis—blazoned, as they were formerly,
over the whole field, telling us the story of Lewis having been invited
to England and crowned king by John’s barons, and whose traditional
flight at Leap has been mentioned.
Down below, in the valley of the Brockenhurst Water, lies Boldre, the
Bovre of _Domesday_, with its meadows and cornfields. It is worth while
to pause for a moment, and notice the corruption of Boldre into Bovre by
the Norman clerks. The word is from the Keltic, and signifies the full
stream (“_y Byldwr_”), and has nothing to do with oxen. We must, too,
bear in mind that the various Oxenfords and Oxfords are themselves
corruptions, and really come not from oxen at all, but Usk, literally
meaning the stream-ford or stream-road, and are in no way connected with
the various Old-English Rodfords to be found in different parts of the
kingdom. This corruption of language we see daily going on in our own
Colonies, but it is well to pause and remember that the same process has
taken place in our own country.
Passing over the bridge, and up the village, and under the railway arch,
we once more reach the Forest at Shirley Holms, coming out on Shirley
and Sway Commons. Here again, as on Beaulieu Heath, there is not a
single tree, nothing but one vast stretch of heather, which late in the
summer covers the ground with its crimson and amethyst. There is only
one fault to be found with it, that when its glory is past it leaves so
great a blank behind: its grey withered flowers and its grey scanty
foliage forming such a contrast with its previous brightness and
cheerfulness.
But these two commons will at all times be interesting to the
archæologist and historian. On the north-east side lies the Roydon, that
is, the rough ground, a word which we find in other parts of the Forest;
and not far from it is Lichmore or Latchmore Pond—the place of
corpses—which is confirmed by the various adjoining barrows.[106]
After this point, there is nothing to attract the traveller, unless he
is a botanist, to the south. Wootton, and Wilverley, and Setthorns, and
Holmsley, are all young plantations, whilst at Wootton the Forest now
entirely ceases, though once stretching five miles farther, as far as
the sea. So let him make his way to Longslade, or Hinchelsea Bottom, as
it is indifferently called, where about the middle of June blossoms the
lesser bladderwort (_Utricularia minor_), and about the same time, or
rather later, the floating bur-reed (_Sparganeum natans_).
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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