EARLY ENGLISH FOREST REGULATIONS 539 



Stances meant that, if the presence of the stock interfered with the 

 deer, the live stock was excluded. On some forests no stock was 

 allowed during the winter months, as all the forage was needed by the 

 deer. Hogs were allowed during the mast, or as the old records call it, 

 the pannage season. This season lasted from September 14 to Novem- 

 ber 18. The usual agistment or grazing fees for hogs was 2 cents per 

 swine above a year old. The forest or local courts were usually kept 

 busy during the autumn months in fining those who had unagisted hogs 

 in trespass on the forests. In 1257 a survey of a portion of Windsor 

 Forest showed that it had 156 ho^s under permit, worth 50 cents each. 



Cattle were allowed in practically all forests. From an early date it 

 was customary to insist upon all forest cattle being branded for identi- 

 fication with the brand of the particular forest. Thus in accounts of 

 1381-22, of Needwood Forest, occurs an item of 6 cents paid for an iron 

 for branding the cattle allowed on that forest. The duty of the reeves 

 of the forest parishes was to mark the cattle entitled to graze on the 

 grass lands within the forest. In the case of Essex Forest the mark 

 or brand consisted of the letter E surrounded by a crown, or as it 

 might be called on western ranges, "Crown E." Other brands for well- 

 known forests were "Crooked Billett" and "Maypole" for Barking 

 Forest; "Crown Lazy E" for Epping Forest; "Sawtooth H" for Chig- 

 well Forest; "Pitchfork L" for Dagenham Forest.* The marking or 

 branding irons were usually eight inches in height. Many of these old 

 branding irons are still in existence, and in Cox's book are given illus- 

 trations of many of these curious old irons. 



Dartmoor Forest was the most conspicuous example of a vast forest 

 district given up chiefly to the grazing of cattle. The accounts and 

 court rolls from Edward III to James I give full details of the large 

 number of cattle turned out in each of its four divisions or districts. 

 As high as 5,000 head were carried and fees were 3 cents per head. 

 This forest had GO.OOO acres, and from the records it carried 5,000 head 

 of cattle (and probably hogs and horses in addition), giving a carrying 

 capacity of 12 acres per cow, besides being well stocked with deer. In 

 handling the cattle there were annual drives, when the cattle were 

 marked or branded, numbered and counted. Horses were allowed 

 universally, especially brood mares. It was generally recognized that 

 horses did more damage to the forest than cattle or sheep. 



'Examples of a considerable luiiiiber of cattle brands are given in "The 

 Forest of Essex — its History, Laws, .Administration and .Ancient Customs," 

 4to. Vol. 1887. Also in Home's "Town of Pickering," 1905. 



