Bernwood Forest facts for kids
Bernwood Forest was once a very large forest in the old Kingdom of England. It was a special Royal hunting forest, meaning kings used it for hunting wild animals. People think it became a royal hunting area around the 10th century. This was when Anglo-Saxon kings had a palace in Brill and a church in Oakley. Edward the Confessor, a famous king, loved Bernwood Forest. He was born nearby in Islip.
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History of Bernwood Forest
Over many years, from about 1217 to the 1600s, Bernwood Forest slowly became smaller. This process is called deforestation, which means trees were cut down.
Kings and Maps
King Henry II ruled from 1154 to 1189. He had a map made of the forest. This map helps us understand how big the forest used to be. However, King Henry made the map to divide parts of the forest among his noblemen.
By the 1500s, another map showed the forest was much smaller. The king at that time wanted to see how much money could be made by selling off parts of the forest. By the time King James I ruled (1603–1625), Bernwood Forest was no longer a royal forest. It had almost completely disappeared.
Bernwood Forest Today
Today, the name "Bernwood Forest" refers to a large area in Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire. This area covers about 400 square kilometers (about 154 square miles). It is roughly bordered by the River Great Ouse, the Padbury Brook, the Claydon Brook, and the River Thame.
Modern Forest Areas
There is a small modern Bernwood Forest in Buckinghamshire. It is about 1 square kilometer (0.4 square miles) in size. This area connects with other woods like Hell Coppice, York's Wood, Oakley Wood, and Shabbington Wood.
This area is very important for nature. It is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) called Shabbington Woods Complex. Many different kinds of wildlife live here. It is also one of the most important places in the United Kingdom for butterfly species.
The Forestry Commission owns these woods. In the past, they managed the forest more for business. Until the late 1960s, they even used aerial spraying of chemicals. They sprayed DDT to control a beetle called Hylobius abietis. They also used 2,4,5-T to clear out broad-leafed plants, like young oak trees. This was done to plant commercial pine trees.
Other Forest Remnants
Several other small woods in Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire are also parts of the old Bernwood Forest. These include:
These woods are also protected as SSSIs. Another piece of the old forest is Rushbeds Wood in Buckinghamshire. It is managed by the Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust.
See also
In Spanish: Bosque Bernwood para niños
