BRIEF HISTORY OF THE ARBORICULTURE OF THE NEW ForREST, 31 
done in felling them. The wood is all now cut and stacked before 
it is delivered, and while abuses are thus prevented, a considerable 
charge is made on the public purse for the labour. The right is 
more destructive than formerly, for as it is limited to the “ waste 
of the forest,” and as all planting is now at an end, while the 
existing young plantations are subject to enclosure, and thus free 
from the right, it follows that it can only be satisfied from the 
ancient plantations of the Stuarts, or of Elizabeth, which are the 
very woods standing most in need of protection. In view of this 
destruction, the Crown authorities have lost no opportunity of 
buying up the rights of all who would sell them at a fair price. 
The number of loads, or “cords” of wood is thus reduced from 
800 to 367 in the present year, which are held by forty-three 
owners, about one-third belonging to one landlord. In 1883 
the Commissioner of Woods, Sir Henry Loch, introduced a bill 
to buy up all these fuel rights, at a price to be decided either 
by arbitration, or by the magistrates of the county in petty 
sessions. The bill was vigorously opposed by the commoners, 
and though it readily passed through the committee stage, yet 
owing to press of business it did not become law, and the Crown 
authorities have not renewed the good offer that was thus rejected. 
The right thus remains as a perpetual drain on the most precious 
part of the Forest. 
The origin of these common rights is obscure. By some it is 
contended that they were existent before the actual formation of 
the Forest. It is very probable that the inhabitants of the district 
did make what use they thought right of the whole of the waste 
land at their doors; but this is hardly consistent with the idea of 
a “right,” by which is implied a claim on the part of one man to 
make certain use of the property of another. Manwood says that 
the rights were granted by the Crown as a sort of compensation 
for the hardships inflicted by the enforcement of the forest laws. 
This seems probable, and is an explanation of the existence of the 
earlier rights. So little is heard of these rights up to about the 
year 1700, while there is so much written about the Forest, that 
it would seem that they were few in number, and, with the 
exception of the fuel right, not of sufficient importance to attract 
attention. During the 18th century they come prominently into 
notice, and as during the same period there is much said of the 
lack of order in the Forest, and the need for enforcing the law 
more strictly, it seems that the commoners availed themselves of 
