A royal forest
The present day Cannock Chase forms
part of what was once a vast piece of
land that stretched from Stafford as
far south as Sutton Coldfield.
It was uncultivated land, inhabited by
deer, wild boar and wolves. In 1086,
William the Conqueror declared it to
be his royal hunting forest.
A picturesque scene of Cannock Chase near Hatherton, showing some of the heathland which by
this time covered much of the area.
This watercolour is by J Adveno Brooke.
Courtesy of the Trustees of the William Salt Library, Stafford
A royal forest was not necessarily wooded. It had much more open
space than we see today, with native broadleaf trees rather than the
present-day pines.
People lived in settlements around the forest and used the land for
grazing animals and growing crops. Trees were coppiced and pollarded
(cut back to encourage the growth of new, straight stems). They could
then be used to make wooden items such as hurdles (frameworks of
interwoven branches, usually used for enclosing land or livestock).
The Bishop’s ‘Chase’
In 1290 part of Cannock Forest became the Bishop of Coventry and
Lichfield’s ‘Chase’, a term that referred to a forest controlled by an
individual rather than a monarch.
The Bishop of Coventry and Lichfield established a deer park and hunting lodge
here in the 13th century. It was called Beaudesert, meaning ‘beautiful wild place’.
This drawing of Beaudesert by J Buckler is dated 1815.
Courtesy of the Trustees of the William Salt Library, Stafford
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Deforestation in the 16th century
From the 13th century there are records of iron forges in Cannock Forest. In 1546 a number of local manors were sold to Sir William Paget, who realised that the area’s plentiful supply of ironstone, wood and water power could be used to develop the nearby iron industry. By 1584 Paget’s ironworks were producing 164 tons of iron per year, which created a great demand for charcoal. A few years later the courtier Fulke Greville gained a lease on two of Paget’s forges and furnaces, and on 3,123 acres of woodland. By the end of the 16th century most of the coppiced and pollarded woodland had been felled for charcoal.
The destruction of the forest greatly enlarged existing areas of heathland. During the 17th and 18th centuries it was used extensively for the grazing of animals.
For many centuries local people have used the natural resources
provided by Cannock Chase. These women were photographed
collecting wood in 1896.
Image courtesy of Staffordshire Arts & Museum Service
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In the 19th century, landowners
started planting trees on parts of
Cannock Chase, but during the
Great War many of the trees were
felled. Timber was being used for
trench-building and industry, and
by the end of the war the national
timber reserve had been stretched
to breaking point.
This led to the formation of the
Forestry Commission in 1919.
Planting on Cannock Chase began
soon after, and trees dating back
to this time can still be found here.
In 1939 alone, about 5,300 acres
were converted from heathland to
pine plantation. After the Second
World War, forestry became an
important industry for the area.
Since the 1970s, the Forestry
Commission has given increasing
attention to landscaping,
recreation, conservation and
environmental protection. These
are now seen as being equal in
importance to its original purpose
of timber production.
You can find out more about what
The Forestry Commission offer here
at Birches Valley by visiting the
Forest Centre. |
The Forestry Commission manages 2,300 hectares of
woodland on Cannock Chase for multi-purpose benefits
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