Pony Branding Irons
Each owner who has ponies on the Forest has a unique symbol of ownership which is crafted into a ‘brand’, a practice which is momentarily uncomfortable for the pony but ensures its ownership (and therefore care) is secured. The branding irons often hold a special superstition in the hearts of those living in the cottages where the brand was originally registered, kept above the fireplace in memory of the properties’ commoning rights and branded onto cottage or stable doors. Whilst today many of these branding marks are the owner’s initials, in the past a whole host of symbols were used and had their own personal significance. In other rural parts of Britain there is a firm belief in protective chimney spirits, such as Old Clim of East Anglia, and it’s possible that a similar belief was held by people of the New Forest. Given the New Forest’s relationship with horses, Clim’s connections to the blacksmith trade make this particularly feasible and the spirit of Clim could be tied to a particular property with brand marks made by the occupier.
Some of these old commoner cottages come with their own fire charms which should not be removed from the house – such as commoner branding irons, or bends of leather branded with the symbols of the family. In the Green Dragon pub in Brook, there still remains such bends of leather.
– Vikki Bramshaw, author of the book ‘New Forest Folklore, Traditions & Charms’