The Royal Forest of Whittlewood was a medieval hunting forest
and contains many remnants of the area's ancient woodlands. Today
the forest consists of a core of ancient woodlands and stone built
villages to the west of Silverstone, and scattered remants across
to Milton Keynes.
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Medieval Northamptonshire was dominated
by the king’s forests. At their height, during the late 12th
and 13th centuries, the royal forests of Rockingham, Salcey and
Whittlewood extended in an unbroken band from the River Welland in
the north to the Great Ouse in the south, encompassing about half
of the total area of Northamptonshire. This does not mean that
about half of the county was covered by woodland, but that this was
the area subject to forest law. Thus, not only heaths, parks and
woods, but also many of Northamptonshire’s towns and
villages, together with their fields of arable and pasture, fell
within the jurisdiction of the king’s forest officials. This
was a substantial tract of countryside. Across England as a whole
during this period, no more than a third of the country’s
land area lay within the boundaries of the royal forest.
Northamptonshire was, therefore, affected more than most counties
by the imposition of forest law.
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The South side of Hazelborough Wood is less accessible, and thus
less frequently visited than the Northern side. The easiest route
is to head for the Force India F1 site (formerly Spyker, formerly
Midland F1, formerly Jordan) off the Dadford Road (opposite the
main entrance to Silverstone Circuit). Parking coords are below,
and clamping restrictions now seem to have been removed.
You do not have to enter any buildings or other
structures to retrieve this cache.
Once again, thanks are due to the Northants Forestry Commission
for permission to place this cache.