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Grovely Wood
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Grovely Wood
Grovely Wood is one of the largest woodlands in southern Wiltshire, England. It stands on a chalk ridge above the River Wylye in Barford St Martin parish, to the south-west of the village of Great Wishford, within the Cranborne Chase and West Wiltshire Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. It is recognised for its nature conservation importance through designation as a County Wildlife Site. Among the species found here is the Purple Emperor butterfly.
To the west of Grovely, on the same ridge, lies another large block of woodland, Great Ridge Wood. Adjacent to Grovely, to the north, lies the grassland Site of Special Scientific Interest Ebsbury Down. Another SSSI, Baverstock Juniper Bank, is also nearby.
There is much Iron Age and Roman archaeology in the vicinity of the woods. A Roman road runs east to west through the centre of the wood, and at the western end are the Iron Age/Romano-British settlements of Hanging Langford Camp and Church End Ring. Just to the north of the woods lie the sites of two Iron Age hillforts, Ebsbury, and Grovely castle; as well as an Iron Age farm enclosure, known as East Castle.
In the 13th century, Grovely Forest extended north and east to the River Wylye, and south to the Nadder; on its western boundary were the villages of Wylye and Teffont Evias.
At a Grovely swainmote held in March 1603, a jury drawn from Great Wishford and Barford St Martin declared that the forest then consisted of fourteen coppices. Seven lay north of 'Grim's Dyke' in Great Wishford, while the others lay south of the dyke in Barford St Martin. The combined areas of these fourteen coppices correspond to what was formerly the extra-parochial area of Grovely Wood. By 1839, the boundary of Barford parish had moved north to include almost all of the woodland.
Grovely Wood was an extra-parochial tract until 1858, when it became a civil parish. On 1 April 1934 the parish was abolished and merged with Barford St Martin. In 1931 the parish had a population of 31.
According to a mediaeval custom, villagers of Great Wishford have a right to gather firewood in Grovely Wood on 29 May, Oak Apple Day. On this day, villagers claim their ancient rights to collect wood from Grovely, said to date back to the Middle Ages and to have been confirmed by the Forest Court in 1603, thanks to a charter for the collection of wood in the Royal Forest of Groveley.
Grovely Wood has two stories associated with it.
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Grovely Wood AI simulator
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Grovely Wood
Grovely Wood is one of the largest woodlands in southern Wiltshire, England. It stands on a chalk ridge above the River Wylye in Barford St Martin parish, to the south-west of the village of Great Wishford, within the Cranborne Chase and West Wiltshire Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. It is recognised for its nature conservation importance through designation as a County Wildlife Site. Among the species found here is the Purple Emperor butterfly.
To the west of Grovely, on the same ridge, lies another large block of woodland, Great Ridge Wood. Adjacent to Grovely, to the north, lies the grassland Site of Special Scientific Interest Ebsbury Down. Another SSSI, Baverstock Juniper Bank, is also nearby.
There is much Iron Age and Roman archaeology in the vicinity of the woods. A Roman road runs east to west through the centre of the wood, and at the western end are the Iron Age/Romano-British settlements of Hanging Langford Camp and Church End Ring. Just to the north of the woods lie the sites of two Iron Age hillforts, Ebsbury, and Grovely castle; as well as an Iron Age farm enclosure, known as East Castle.
In the 13th century, Grovely Forest extended north and east to the River Wylye, and south to the Nadder; on its western boundary were the villages of Wylye and Teffont Evias.
At a Grovely swainmote held in March 1603, a jury drawn from Great Wishford and Barford St Martin declared that the forest then consisted of fourteen coppices. Seven lay north of 'Grim's Dyke' in Great Wishford, while the others lay south of the dyke in Barford St Martin. The combined areas of these fourteen coppices correspond to what was formerly the extra-parochial area of Grovely Wood. By 1839, the boundary of Barford parish had moved north to include almost all of the woodland.
Grovely Wood was an extra-parochial tract until 1858, when it became a civil parish. On 1 April 1934 the parish was abolished and merged with Barford St Martin. In 1931 the parish had a population of 31.
According to a mediaeval custom, villagers of Great Wishford have a right to gather firewood in Grovely Wood on 29 May, Oak Apple Day. On this day, villagers claim their ancient rights to collect wood from Grovely, said to date back to the Middle Ages and to have been confirmed by the Forest Court in 1603, thanks to a charter for the collection of wood in the Royal Forest of Groveley.
Grovely Wood has two stories associated with it.
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