Wychwood

The Wychwood, or Wychwood Forest, is an area now covering a small part of rural Oxfordshire. In times long past, the forest covered a much larger area, but has since been felled in favour of farm land, villages and towns.

Some of the land that was part of Wychwood Forest and that was cleared for agricultural use was purchased by a UK registered charity, the Woodland Trust, and re-planted with native English deciduous trees creating Shillbrook Wood, a 9-acre (36,000 m²) site near Bampton, and Eynsham Wood, a 13.37-acre (54,100 m²) site near Eynsham.^[1][2]

It is believed that Wych- is derived from the Old English language (Anglo-Saxon) word, 'Hwicce'. The Hwicce were the Germanic people living in the area from some time in the 6th century until the assimilation of the Old English peoples into the larger 'Middle English society'.^{[citation needed]}

Recent years have seen a particularly strong resurgence in Wychwood culture. A number of forest fairs take place around the Wychwood area, promoting pre-Industrial Revolution crafts and employments. The Oxford University Historical Re-Enactment Society, also known as the Wychwood Warriors, is a reenactment group that recreates aspects of Saxon life in Wychwood during the Dark Ages.

The Wychwood has also given its name to a set of three villages in Oxfordshire, Milton-under-Wychwood, Shipton-under-Wychwood and Ascott-under-Wychwood. The villages together are known by locals as 'The Wychwoods'.

References

1. ^ "Shillbrook Wood". The Woodland Trust Directory of Woods. http://www.wt-woods.org.uk/ShillbrookWood. Retrieved 2007-10-02. 
2. ^ "Eynsham Wood". The Woodland Trust Directory of Woods. http://www.wt-woods.org.uk/EynshamWood. Retrieved 2007-10-02. 

External links

• Wychwood Brewery
• Wychwood artists
• Shipton-under-Wychwood Community Website
• The Wychwood Project - A promoter of Wychwood culture
• The Wychwood Festival
• Ascott-under-Wychwood Community Website
• The Wychwood Magazine Online
• The Wychwood Warriors
• The Wychwood Warriors
• [1]

Coordinates: 51°46′55″N 1°25′44″W / 51.782°N 1.429°W / 51.782; -1.429

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