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Finemere Wood

Finemere Wood is a ancient woodland of 45.7ha, which was once part of the Great Forest of Bernwood. This forest was first mentioned in written records in the early tenth century, and in the 11th and 12th centuries was the hunting ground for deer and wild boar of medieval kings, and was itself was one of a series of linked hunting reserves that stretched from Oxford to Stamford.

The old name for Bernwood was Barne Woode and King Edward the Confessor built a royal hunting lodge at Brill. It is estimated that at the time of Henry II, the forest covered at least 90,000 acres (or by another measure, 50 modern day parishes). Hunting forests provided considerable income from oak production and hunting, and were protected by forest laws. There were harsh penalties for anyone caught poaching deer or felling the trees. The term 'forest' however described a place of deer not necessarily a place of trees, and there were also large areas of open arable land. By the 15th century however Bernwood had contracted to three parishes and in 1632 forest law was ended and it was disposed of as part of the crown’s attempts to raise revenue.

The wood is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and is managed by the Berks, Bucks & Oxon Wildlife Trust, Link. This path and noticeboard is close to the entrance at the southern end of the wood.