History
The Pig is one of a number of Lodges that were distributed around The New Forest area as accommodation for the Groom Keepers. The Groom Keepers are the predecessors of the modern Keeper staff. The name indicates their position below the Master Keepers, who were responsible for the Groom Keepers under their charge. Since the creation of the Forest in the 11th century, the Forest was divided into Bailiwicks and by the 16th century each Bailiwick had a single Lodge.
However, most Bailiwicks had more than one Groom Keeper with the result that many Groom Keepers lived in the villages. In the early 17th century this situation was reviewed and five more Lodges were ordered to be constructed in 1608. Two additional Lodges had already come into being before this, one at Ashurst, in 1577, originated as accommodation for the owner of a salt petre enterprise that failed. The other Lodge that was constructed was at The Pig in 1602, though it is not known by whose direction it was built. With the completion of the new Lodges, the Bailiwicks were split into Walks, with Master Keepers responsible for the former and the Groom Keepers responsible for the latter. Early brochures on the New Forest show Whitley as a hotel run by Brigadier John Doyle of the famous Conan Doyle family. The Pig was a Groom Keeper’s Lodge from its creation in 1602 until 1853, after which it became a private residence first on lease from the Crown, then as freehold, before becoming a hotel.