Lyndhurst

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The History of Lyndhurst

The name Lyndhurst, probably of Saxon origin, means 'lime-wood'. On Matley Heath, between Lyndhurst and Beaulieu, the mounds of Bronze Age round barrows can be seen and at Pondhead, near Matley, Roman coins have been excavated.

In 980, the recorded history of Lyndhurst begins. It was, by this time, a royal manor granted to the Abbey of Amesbury in Wiltshire. By 1075 the first Norman king, William I, had designated the whole area between the river Avon on the west, Wiltshire to the north, and to the south and east the Test, Southampton Water and the Solent as his "New" Forest, or Nova Foresta, to serve as a safe dwelling place for the beasts of the chase.

Over the centuries Lyndhurst became the haunt of royalty, nobility and commoner alike. It was also a magnet for artists, writers and professionals of all kinds. Most of the inhabitants of Lyndhurst were involved, unsurprisingly, in the timber and coppice industries. As the village increased in popularity there was an influx of newcomers who built large houses and consequently required domestic workers. Many locals are still employed in the service industry providing accommodation, hospitality and goods for the many visitors.

Lyndhurst claims to be capital of the New Forest.The Court of Verderers sits in the Queens House in Lyndhurst. The Verderers are the guardians of the Commoners and their Rights of Common within the UK; they are also the watchdogs of the Forest landscape and may veto development and highways. In the 1877 New Forest Act, they were charged with managing commoning on the Forest together with inquiring into unlawful inclosures.

To the north, the village of Minstead, with Furzey Gardens, established in 1922, with pleasant tea rooms at Acre Down Farm, and the village Church is the burial place of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

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