Under the Stuarts. 43 



still learut no lesson from the Ship-money, and would have 

 pawned England itself, rather than yield to that obstinacy, which 

 was but the other side of his weakness of character. 



With the decline of hawking and hunting, the Forest Laws 

 fell into decay, and the Forests themselves were less regarded, 

 and theii boundaries less strictly observed. Under the Stuarts, 

 we find the first traces of that system, which at last resulted 

 in the almost entire devastation of the New Forest. James I. 

 granted no less than twenty assart lands — agri ex-sariti — there 

 having been previously only three ; * and gave the privilege of 

 windfalls to various persons ;t whilst officers actually applied to 

 him for trees in lieu of pay for their troops : | and Charles II. 

 bestowed the young woods of Brockenhurst to the maids of 

 honour of his court. § 



* MSS. prepared by ]\Ir Record-Keeper Fearnside, quoted ia the Secre- 

 tary's Sub-Report of the Royal New and Waltham Forest Commission, 

 Reports from Commissionprs (U). vol xxx. p. 342 



t See Grant Book at the Record Office, 1613, vol. 141, p. 127— "4th 

 October, a Grant to Richard Kilborne, abas Hunt, and Thomas Tilsby (of) 

 the benefitt of all Morefalls within the New Forest, for the terme of one and 

 twenty years." 



X See "The humble petition of Captayne Walter Neale" for "two 

 thousand decayed trees out of the New Forest, in consideracion" of 4601., 

 which he had advanced to his company engaged in Count Mansfeldt's 

 expedition Record Office Domestic Series, No. 184, Feb., 1625, f. 62. 



§ See warrant from Charles 11. to the Lord Treasurer Southampton, 

 that " Winefred Wells may take and receive for her own use" King's 

 Coppice at Fawley, and New Coppice and Iron's Hill Coppice at Brocken- 

 hurst. Record Office. Domestic Series, No. 96, April 1st, 1664, f. 16. 

 Three years before this there had been a petition from a Frances Wells " to 

 bestowe upon her and her children for twenty-one yeares the Moorefall trees 

 in three walks in the New Forest, .... and seven or eight acres of 

 ground, and ten or twelve timber trees, to build a habitation." The petition 

 was referred to Southampton, who wrote on the margin, " I conceive this 



G 2 43 



