Through Our Ancestors’ Eyes

Through Our Ancestors’ Eyes is a project within the Our Past, Our Future landscape partnership scheme. The project brings together commoners’ photographs and recordings of them explaining who and what is depicted.

Click on each record to hear interviews, read transcripts and view hundreds of photographs of commoning through the ages.

In some cases information has been withheld and images redacted for GDPR compliance. Copyright remains with each of the individuals interviewed, with licenses granted to the Commoners’ Defence Association and New Forest Heritage Centre. A reminder is shown on the top of each page, so please respect this.

The lead partner in the project is the Commoners’ Defence Association (CDA).

THE ASSOCIATION’S AIMS ARE:
I. To promote and safeguard the interests of the Commoners, particularly with regard to the welfare of ponies, cattle and other agistered stock.
2. To co-operate with the Verderers in the maintenance of the perimeter fencing of the perambulation of the New Forest.
3. To investigate and, in appropriate cases, to support any claim by any member of the Association for compensation in respect of death or injury to an animal depastured in the Forest and to assist any member in meeting a claim in respect of damage alleged to have been caused by an animal depastured in the Forest.