Fences are very important in the Forest. Fencing the boundary, or the ‘perambulation’, of the Forest, was finished in the 1960s. Before then, animals used to wander off to neighbouring towns and villages, and had to be led back. They were called ‘lane creepers’ because they worked down the roads feeding on the verges and hedges. If they broke onto farmland they would damage crops, so farmers used to catch them and charge commoners to let them out. Today fences help prevent accidents by keeping animals away from the busier roads.
