Hag knots is the term given in the New Forest to tangles in the manes of wild ponies, and so named from the ancient belief that they were used as stirrups by witches (hags). Research Hag Knots
Cicada is the popular and generic name of certain insects belonging to the order Hemiptera, sub-order Homoptera, of many species. The males have on each side of the body a kind of drum, with which they can make a considerable noise. This, regarded as the insect's song, was much admired by the ancients, and is frequently referred to by their poets. The largest European species are about an inch long, but some American species are much larger, and can be heard a mile off. They are nearly all natives of tropical or warm temperate regions. The female has the posterior extremity of the abdomen furnished with two serrated horny plates, by means of which it pierces the branches of trees to deposit its eggs. An English species (Cicada anglica) is found in the New Forest. The seven years' locust (Cicada septemdecim) is well known in the United States. Research Cicada
The forest fly is a fly so called from its abundance in the New Forest. It is an external parasite on horses and cattle, is flat in form, leathery in consistency, and has legs specially adapted for clinging to the hair of its host. Although possessing wings, it rarely uses them. It is a pupiparous fly, giving birth to a single larva which quickly turns into a pupa. Research Forest Fly
The New Forest Pony is an English breed of semi-wild pony descended from ancient stock, and found in Hampshire's New Forest since the 10th century. The
New Forest Pony stands between 12 and 14 hands high and occurs mostly in a bay or brown colour. They are gentle and placid ponies and are excellent for use by children, excelling at dressage, jumping, mounted games and cross country riding as well as being in a harness. Research New Forest Pony
William II (known as William Rufus) was a Norman king of England. He was born in 1057 and died in 1100 Strong, outspoken and ruddy (hence his nickname 'Rufus'),
William II reigned from 1087 to 1100 and extended his father's (William the Conqueror) policies, taking royal power to the far north of England. Ruthless in his relations with his brother Robert, William II extended his grip on the duchy of Normandy under an agreement between the brothers in 1091. William II's relations with the Church were not easy; he took over Archbishop Lanfranc's revenues after the latter's death in 1089, kept other bishoprics vacant to make use of their revenues, and had numerous arguments with Lanfranc's popular successor Anselm.
The Secret Auxiliary Unit was a top-secret British volunteer militia formed of the Home Guard during the Second World War. Unlike the regular Home Guard, this elite fighting force were hand picked, very highly trained and equipped with the latest weapons, even before the regular army. The force was arranged into small platoons of maybe six men based around a secret dugout. In the event of invasion these men would hide in the dugout, coming out to carry out sabotage and cause mayhem among the invaders. The volunteers were required to be very fit - they had to swim across a river in full kit as part of their test - and were ruthless, none were to be taken prisoner and any wounded who couldn't be got away were to be shot, as was anyone who might or could reveal the location of the dugout. Equipment included knuckledusters, 0.38 calibrerevolver, automatic pistol (possibly 9 mm), detonators, explosives including the new plastic explosives, sub-machine guns, standard issue rifle and emergency rations which
included a bottle of rum! One such unit in the New Forest area of Hampshire was captained by the local estate agent, the sergeant was the local butcher (Leslie Charles 'Elsie' Probert) and also included the local chemist in the platoon. This platoon certainly didn't store all its equipment in the dugout, many weapons and detonators were secreted at the sergeant's butchers shop as was the rum - which on one occasion was dropped and smashed by the sergeant's fourteen year old son. After the war, most members of the Secret Auxiliary Unit continued to keep the secret of their unit, never talking about it or revealing the location of their bunkers. Research Secret Auxiliary Unit
A point-to-point is a cross-country horse-race run between a start and an end point, with the actual route taken left to the individual riders' discretion. A famous point-to-point race takes place every Boxing day in the New Forest, Hampshire, with the end points revealed to the riders only when they have assembled and been escorted to the start point and the race is about to start. Research Point-To-Point
Abbreviations
Research Hag Knots
