The shipbuilding is under way. In this scene, we see woodsmen at work with felling axes. William’s Barons supplied many of the ships, but the ships that carried the horses needed to be constructed. The number of ships in William’s fleet range from 696 to over 3000. The middle axe-man in this scene might be identified with Verdeire, a forester. The Verdier was a judge of petty offences against the forest laws. In England a Verderer is an officer appointed to take care of everything that grows within the forest. The timber used for ship building was mainly oak and spruce. Oak is hard, strong and resistant to decay, for this reason oak has been the most popular wood of choice for shipbuilding.