William the Conqueror made himself a playground in the New Forest, driving entire towns off the land. But did he return the karma?
The year 2016 marks the 950th anniversary of the Battle of Hastings and the Norman Conquest when William the Conqueror, also known as William the Bastard, killed the Anglo-Saxon King Harold and led his Norman knights to the capture of England.
If you’re following the Norman Conquest Trail, visiting important sites from the momentous year 1066 and its aftermath, take a trip to the New Forest National Park to visit The Rufus Stone. There he can uncover a little-known story about how the bloody fate of William’s offspring may have been the revenge of the New Forester.
First some background on the new forest
The details of what exactly happened when William the Conqueror created the New Forest, some 90,000 acres in Hampshire and Dorset, are a bit hazy. But what is known is that around 1079, William decided that he needed a hunting ground with special laws to protect the “beasts of the hunt” (deer and wild boar) and the land they grazed on.
An area of 150 square miles of forest, moorland, moorland, and meadow was cleared of villages for William’s pleasure. Some reports claim that 36 churches were demolished, suggesting that 36 parishes or towns were destroyed and the inhabitants driven from the land.
That could be an exaggeration. Some experts say the area in question may have been suitable for grazing, but was not fertile enough for enough agriculture to support 36 villages. The truth may never be known. But what is known is that some people were driven from their homes and William imposed harsh laws to protect his beasts.
Karmic revenge?
In the years that followed, three of William’s descendants, including two of his sons and a grandson, died under mysterious circumstances in the New Forest:
- Richard , the second son of William the Conqueror, died in the forest in a hunting accident in 1081, allegedly while hunting deer. William’s children did not get along and were notorious rivals. In fact, William’s eldest son Robert Curthose, who became Duke of Normandy, was arrested by his father and led a failed insurrection against him. So was Richard’s death an accident?
- King William II known as William Rufus was the third son of William the Conqueror and succeeded his father to the throne of England. He was known to be brutal and arbitrary and was unpopular with his fellow noblemen. On August 2, 1100, while hunting with a group of nobles (which included his brother and heir, Henry I), he was allegedly struck by an arrow, fired by Sir Walter Tyrrell, that it bounced off an oak tree with such force. it penetrated his heart, killing him instantly. The Rufus stone, depicted here, marks the spot. His body was later carried, in a carriage, to Winchester Cathedral.
- Richard, the grandson of William I was the illegitimate son of William the Conqueror’s eldest son, Robert. While his father spent time as a wandering knight in France, before finally becoming Duke of Normandy, this Richard seems to have grown up in the royal court of England. In May 1099 or 1100 (reports disagree) he was caught in the neck by a tree branch and died while chasing deer on horseback in the New Forest.
So did William Rufus die by accident?
So goes the official story. The Rufus stone, above, was erected near the oak. The legend says:
“Here was the oak, in which an arrow shot by Sir Walter Tyrrell at a deer, looked and struck King William II, surnamed Rufus, in the chest, from which he died instantly, on the second day of August 1100.”
«That the place where such a memorable event could not be forgotten in the future; the stone enclosed was created by John Lord Delaware, who had seen the tree grow in this place.
But was it really an accident? Consider these facts:
- Sir Walter Tyrrell ran back to France and immediately disappeared.
- Nobody really liked William Rufus, especially the nobles who were with him that day.
- His brother, who would become king when he died, was also part of the hunting party.
- Most telling of all is that the King’s body was simply left where it fell. No one from the royal family made any attempt to bring him back to court for a funeral fit for a king. Finally, a man named Purkis, a local ranger, found the body and brought it to Winchester Cathedral in his cart.
How to find the Rufus stone
You can visit the quiet site of The Rufus Stone and decide for yourself. There is a small parking area just across the road and most days the New Forest ponies will be chewing on the nearby grass. The rangers advise you to treat them like wild animals, but they don’t seem concerned about human or canine presence.
The stone is coming down a narrow road off the A31 midway between the Stoney Cross and Cadnam exits. It is a left turn on the east lane. You can’t turn on this road, or even see it from the westbound lane. If you enter the park from the east, you will need to continue west past Stoney Cross and change direction as soon as you can after that. The path is well signposted. There is a free car park across the road and a pub a little further on.
