Poaching

Poaching involved taking protected game, but under the Norman kings it also defied royal restrictions. To understand its significance, we therefore need to consider both ownership and power.

Poaching involved hunting or taking game illegally. Hunting rights were restricted, so taking an animal on someone else’s land without permission was not simply a way of obtaining food: it also infringed the rights of those who controlled the land and hunting. This helps explain why an act that might benefit a hungry person could still be treated as a crime.