Agister (New Forest) in the context of New Forest pony

⭐ Core Definition: Agister (New Forest)

In the New Forest, an agister (/ˈadʒɪstə/) is a local official whose role is to assist the verderers with their duty to manage the free-roaming animals that the New Forest commoners are allowed to release onto the forest. Several thousand semi-wild ponies run free, along with several thousand cattle and smaller numbers of donkeys, sheep and (in autumn) pigs. These are owned by the commoners who pay an annual grazing fee known as the ‘marking fee’. There are currently five New Forest agisters employed by the Court of Verderers, each with responsibility for a specific forest area.

The post of agister is medieval in origin, the name deriving from the word ‘agist’ meaning 'to take in to graze for payment'. Originally agisters were known as ‘marksmen’, from their role in collecting the marking fees – a role which they still have today.

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Agister (New Forest) in the context of New Forest

The New Forest is one of the largest remaining tracts of unenclosed pasture land, heathland and forest in Southern England, covering southwest Hampshire and southeast Wiltshire. It was proclaimed a royal forest by William the Conqueror, featuring in Domesday Book.

It is the home of the New Forest Commoners, whose ancient rights of common pasture are still recognised and exercised, enforced by official verderers and agisters. In the 18th century, the New Forest became a source of timber for the Royal Navy. It remains a habitat for many rare birds and mammals.

View the full Wikipedia page for New Forest

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