Gillingham’s Royal Forest Skimmington Riots

Riots and protests are not normally associated with towns like Gillingham. Yet, that is what happened back in the 1620s. Gillingham Forest on the Dorset/Wiltshire borders was a medieval royal hunting ground and deer park which had been particularly popular with King John. A moated hunting lodge had been built there  to accommodate his visits.

In 1625, the area was deforested, the land enclosed but this  led to riots and protests. King James I and King Charles I had sold off parts of the forest to raise money. Erection of fences prevented the locals from grazing their animals and from collecting wood which had been long-standing practices. Also during the winters of 1626 & 1627 the deer were slaughtered and trees were felled.

One of the more bizarre protests involved Lady Skimmington cross-dressing parades designed to poke fun at the authorities. Rioters marched under the leadership of  Gillingham yeoman, Henry Hoskins, local tanner, John Phillips together with the mythical Lady Skimmington. Men would dress as women and women as men who would noisily clash pots and pans. In 1628, soldiers were sent to quash the rioters but they sided with the protesters so their commander was reprimanded. In November that year the Sheriff of Dorset, Sir James Fullerton brought in more troops but they could not dislodge the protestors. Finally, after the arrival of even more soldiers some 87 protestors were arrested and sent to London to appear before the Star Chamber. Eighty of those captured were fined for their ‘riotous destruction.’ The punishments were surprisingly light for the times although the leaders had managed to evade arrest. Most of the rioters were artisans who relied on the forest for their livelihoods.

(Credit: Editor’s Farewell (2026) by Dorset Museum.)