 William the Conqueror, who was a great lover of hunting, established and enforced a system of forest law.This operated outside the common law, and served to protect game animals and their forest habitat from hunting by the common people of England and reserved hunting rights for the new French-speaking Anglo-Norman aristocracy.Henceforth hunting of game in royal forests by commoners or in other words poaching, was invariably punishable by death by hanging.