THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 



115 



cupy them. There are other similar contingencies near 

 Brockenhurst and Baddesly in the New Forest, which are 

 in a high state of cultivation. This fact tends to 

 denote that the land or soil pertaining to the above royaj 

 waste might be readily brought into a state of profitable 

 cultivation, whilst above 50,000 acres'now remain, in a con- 

 dition of perfect waste and unusefulness, occupied by furze 

 ling, heather, gorse, and wild productions, of little or no 

 use to any one. 



There can be not the slightest doubt but that the numerous 

 farms now in existence, which have been thriving pro- 

 gressively for the last one hundred and fifty years* and 

 upwards, on the borders of the New Forest, formed 

 originallj' a part and parcel of the said demesne. I will 

 enumerate a few of these special landed grants which have, 

 from time to time, been abstracted from the forest waste, 

 as it originally stood. First, there is the "roydon," or 

 royal gift of lands in and around Boldre, which, at the time 

 this territorial grant was made, formed a southern portion 

 of the chase. This passed into the hands of Hugo de 

 Quentin, one of the Conqueror's retainers, who levied fines 

 upon the produce of the farms situated within the range of 

 his manorial rights. Next in view came the manor of 

 Lentune, now Lymington, situated on the coast, hard bj', 

 which was vested in the exclusive right of one Roger de 

 Yevery, a Norman favourite of the Conqueror. This 

 highly flattered personage was privileged to take toll of all 

 imports landed at the above town from foreign ports ; and 

 also all fees, fines, and impositions which were customarily 

 collected in those unprotected times, when the villain and 

 the serfs held their puisne lands and tenements under the 

 mere caprice and tyranny of their exacting lords and 

 masters. Herdle, now Hordel, situated opposite the 

 Needles, on the coast, was allotted to the personage of one 

 Reginald de C'lerke; and several other royal grants, 

 adjacent to the foregoing, were assigned by the Norman 

 autocrat to various retainers in his service, who had ac- 

 companied or followed him from Normandy. 



Now let us pass over these usurparious times, and come 

 nearer to the purpose of the more useful intentions upon 

 which, we originally set out. That such royal grants of 

 lands eventually passed away from the bands of the 

 original possessors of them is unquestionable. The same, 

 it is not likely or probable were, when rendered and 

 sanctioned as private property to manorial lords and barons, 

 reaffbrested. They were (the same) titularly assigned 

 either by way of hereditary descendancy, or by deed 

 of gift, or in consideration of exchange or purchase to those 

 who, at the time, represented future generations; and it is 

 by these absolute modes of conveyance that that portion of 



* In looking over various title-deeds connected with con- 

 veyances of lands made from time to lime in the vicinity of the 

 Forest, I have not met with one earlier than the reign of 

 Elizabeth, and that was a conveyance of the manor of Suei 

 (Sway), from one Tyrrell to Purkess. This fact is somewhat 

 striliing, as it will be remembered an ancestor, very likely of this 

 Tyrrell, is said to have shot William Rufus with an arrow, near 

 Malwood, in the Forest ; whilst a charcoal-burner, of the name 

 of Purkess, conveyed the deceafed King in one of his own carts 

 to Winchester. I have repeatedly made inquiries within the last 

 40 years after the Tyrrell family in these parts, but I believe 

 they are extinct ; nevertheless, the Purkess family still continue 

 to reside at a retired spot named Minsted, in the New Forest, 

 which they have occupied before and ever since the death of 

 Rufus, which Iiistory would inform us occurred on the 2nd 

 August, 1100, and what is the more remarkable is tliat the 

 family still pursue the avocation and calling ol charcoal burners. 



the New Forest (the owners of which are now independent 

 of the Crown), by a long course of titular descendancy or 

 otherwise, continue to enjoy them. I will, therefore, 

 abstain from interfering or intermeddling with the position 

 of such portions of the original royal demesne, which have 

 become, by virtue of excepted rights, the undeniable 

 property of private individuals, and will confine myself and 

 my observations to the New Forest, as it still is, a part and 

 parcel of the royal domain. 



The soil throughout this extensive tract of useless territory 

 varies exceedingly. It comprehends clay, marie, gravel, 

 sand, loam, and a great deal of peat is to be met with in 

 the interior, towards Sway, It abounds in bogs and quag- 

 mires, and is intersected by numerous rills, which take their 

 rise within its boundaries. Its chief wild vegetable produc- 

 tionsconsist of many hundreds of acres of holm (or holly), 

 furze, gold-withy, ling, gorse, fern, and mosses. These 

 have seldom or never undergone the operation of cremation, 

 so that they constitute a vast jungle in themselves. No 

 pains are taken to cultivate the Crown lands, as the Com- 

 missioners of Woods and Forests hold the notion of waste 

 land cultivation highly objectionable.* , 



Nevertheless, this royal chase has not been passed over 

 as an object unworthy of regard or observation. During 

 the reign of Queen Anne, a proposal was laid before the 

 Lord Treasurer Godolphin by the famous Daniel Defoe, of 

 imperishable memory, for repeopling the New Forest with 

 the Palatines, who, at that period of time, had immigrated 

 into England in great numbers. He proposed to draw a 

 great square line, containing 4,000 acres of land, marking 

 out two large highways through the centre, crossing both 

 ways, so that there should be 1,000 acres in each division. 

 Then, to single out 20 men and their families, who should 

 be recommended as honest, industrious people, and expert 

 in husbandry. To each of these should be parcelled out, 

 in equal distributions, 200 acres of this land, so that the 

 whole 4,000 acres should be divided to the said 20 families. 

 For this, they were to pay no rent, be liable to no taxes ; 

 but such as would provide for their own sick and poor, re- 

 pairing their own roads, &c. ; the exemption to continue for 

 20 years, and then each to pay £50 a year to the Crovvn. 

 Now, perhaps, two objects would have been answered by 

 this scheme. First — That the annual rent to be received 

 for all those lands, after 20 years, would more than pay the 

 public for their initiatory disbursements. Secondly, it is pro- 

 bable that more money than would have effected this, would 

 have been expended on them here. At any rate, it may be 

 with confidence observed, that the royal forests and chases 

 have ever been considered by every well-informed politico- 

 economist, not only of no real importance to the Crown, but 

 extremely injurious to the public weal. 



The first object of a civilized people is to promote agri- 

 culture and population by all means, as from these joint 



• The patronage dependent upon the Crown, in addition to the 

 royal chases, is upon an extensive, and no less expensive scale. 

 The Commissioners of Woods and Forests constitute a very 

 exacting feature in the form of a Government establishment in 

 tlic country. If this establishment was altogether done away 

 with, it would prove a saving of many thousands a year to the 

 people ; and by selling off the forest lands by public sale or private 

 contract, the above inculius would be eflectually removed, whilst 

 from its ruins would spring up incalculable benelils to the coun- 

 try at large, which are now emburied in wasteful inutility, to up- 

 hold and support one of the most useless sinecures that is para- 

 sitical on the integrity and independance of the Crown. 



