The New Forest was formed around 1079 by William the Conqueror specifically as a hunting preserve for deer. Although peasants who lived in the forest were granted permission to let their own livestock graze in the forest, they were not permitted to interfere with the deer.

The rapid increase of prices during the early 19th Century led to smuggling and highway robberies. Smugglers used routes in the forest to smuggle their goods from the inlets and creeks of the coast. General routes for smuggling contraband from Lymington were via New Milton and the BeaulieuRiver.

The Naked Man was an oak tree within the New Forest where smugglers and highwaymen (who were unlucky to be captured) were left to die inside a gibbet. The Naked Man still exists as a remnant of the oak tree. Many years ago the tree was struck by lightning and there is a huge split in the relic of the trunk. The tree is surrounded by a fence to preserve what remains of this historic oak tree.

The Naked Man was a site recommended to Shelly. We were pleased to investigate as the Naked Man is also a place of pagan interest. Witches are known to meet at the Naked Man and it is said that famous witches Doreen Valiente and Stuart Farrar had their ashes scattered at the Naked Man site.

REPORT        

On Sunday 7th October 2007 the 'Twilight Shadows Paranormal' team conducted an investigation at the Naked Man in the New Forest.

We were all excited at the prospect of investigating this interesting site. While we were walking towards it the forest noises sounded especially eerie. Apart from the screeching and hooting of owls, a fox was screaming nearby. Although we knew it was a fox, the sound was blood-curdling. Several times during our walk towards our destination Shelly and I thought we heard footsteps following behind. We kept turning around to look but could see nobody.

We arrived at the site.  

We all assembled around the Naked Man discussing the energies and feeling horror that we were standing at the site where the gibbet hung encompassing prisoners within its iron cage.      

Loretta saw a black figure nearby which was definitely not of human origin. We decided to try and attempt a vigil with Matt filming. We waited quietly. Matt heard voices to his right but he could not determine the content of the conversation. For a while the temperature seemed to plummet and everyone felt very cold.

I heard a male voice clearly say "Look at him creeping about, he is a coward. He won't come near"! We waited for a while longer and suddenly I was gripped by the most terrible pain. I had my back to the tree and it felt as if two hands were gripping me from behind and under each arm. It got tighter and tighter until I told the entity responsible to "back off" which it immediately did. (I was sure that I would be left with bruises but there were no marks when I checked. However if I press under my left arm, it feels sore as if the soft tissue has been gripped). We all felt as if the coldness had dissipated and we were warm again.        

We stayed there chatting about the terrible atrocities that had happened there. Although we had previously perceived that the atmosphere would be cheerless and depressing, it wasn't. In fact, the ambience was positive and pleasant. Nothing else of a paranormal nature occurred.    

Eventually we decided to finish the investigation and return home. We all enjoyed our visit to the Naked Man.

Written by: Maria Williams       

THE NAKED MAN