26 Extracts Jrom the Records of the 



him a tree he had bought of one John Hall Keep' of a walke in the sayde forrest 

 . . . . but confesseth HoUye hade a fallowe doge w'^^ him." 



iSliepperd is followed by another witness, who confesses that he 

 and another : — 



" Having had some speech touching the fleshing of a younge greyhounde whelp, 

 . . concluded .... to meet att W™ Burgises Lodge in Bromha' 

 Parke .... where they would devize some place for that purpose . . . • 

 and haveing confered among themselves [the company had now been raised to 

 the number of six persons] where the meetest place might be for the fleshing of 

 the said whelp .... [they pei^uade William Tristram of Bromham to 

 leave his bed and join them] by whose direction they went through Spie Park 

 . . . . about the further end of the Park toward the said Forrest the dogg 

 that Long ledd chaunced to break loose and rann after a deare and coursed 

 him out of the Park a little below the new lodges and haveing rann him about 

 the distance of a forelonge from the parke ther the dogg puld the deare downe 

 and this exaiat comeing first to the fall of the deare and finding him as he thought 

 not much hurt was earnest w'li the rest of his companie that the deare might be 

 lett goe againe but they would not assent therunto, soe there they kylled that 

 deare .... and forthwi-i^ resolved to goe into Bowdon Park to have 

 another course there. Where likewise they killed another deare . . . ." 



This expedition subjected the party to an indictment for assault 

 upon the Riding Ranger [eqtces rangeator'] of Rlackmore Forest. 



Many, besides the above, are the accusations and confessions of 

 these gentlemen irrepressibly addicted to field sports. " To Ketche 

 conyes — if they might " was the alleged object of a visit by one 

 party (Hilary, 1603-4) to " Mr. Merviu's coniger at Pertwood " ; 

 and of another (Michaelmas, 1609, described as "of the Lodge in 

 Littlecot Pk ") " in the tyme of meade harvest into Mr. Hinton's 

 Warren in Chilton Pk." The first party operated with " a firrett 

 and five old pursenetts .... butt took none for that they 

 were founde by the said Mr. Mervin." The second party " wente 

 togeather all p'vided of staves some fowerteene some fifteene foote 

 longe and they hunted wth a haye \^iiet'] and tooke seaven coople of 

 connyes^' A third party (Hilary, 1606-7) " .... Did 

 kyll one fawyn with a brace of greyhounds .... and did 

 carry the said fawin in to Langlie's Heath.'" The same sportsmen 

 " did kyll one Prickett wth a Leash of greyhounds .... 

 where the Reapers of the forest of Pewsham did take them." 

 " William HaulFs Lodge in Havering's Heath in the forr€;st of 



