A New Forest commoner (also known as a New Forester, Commoner or Forester) is a person who has recognized historical rights associated with the New Forest area of Southern England. The term is used both for a practitioner of the heritage agricultural vocation of commoning, and also a cultural minority native to the area. They are closely associated with the New Forest pony. In 2020, there were about 700 New Forest commoners.[1]
Commoners hold rights to the New Forest as common land, which have been enshrined in law since the Anglo-Saxon period, and which in many instances have been passed down through the same community of local families for centuries. These rights include Pasture, Mast, Marl, Turbary, Sheep and Fuelwood. The contribution of New Forest commoners to maintaining the area's ecology and landscape, as well as their historic role as a living tradition and heritage cultural minority, has been recognised by the Government of the United Kingdom, and the New Forest National Park Authority has acknowledged its commitment to protecting and supporting the community and the practice.[2]