FORESTRY 



the surveys of oak timber made in 1608 and 

 1783: 



Rockingham Forest, in 1792, consisted of 

 three separate districts called the bailiwicks of 

 Rockingham, Brigstock, and Clive or Cliff, 

 distant about 2 to 4 miles from each other ; and 

 each bailiwick was divided into two or more 

 walks. Those in Rockingham were the lawn of 

 Benefield, West Walk, Gretton and Little 

 Weldon Woods, Weedhaw and Thornhaw, and 

 Corley Woods ; those of Brigstock were Edding- 

 ton and Farming Woods ; those of Clive were 

 Westhay, Moorhay, and Sulchay Ferms and 

 Shortwood. All three bailiwicks were formerly 

 under the superintendence of a warden or 

 master forester, which office was granted by 

 James I, on 31 August, 1603, to Thomas, 

 Lord Burleigh, for three lives ; but Charles I 

 abolished the office and gave (10 July, 1629) the 

 master forestership of Rockingham, with Ged- 

 dington Woods, to Edward Lord Montagu, for 

 three lives, and that of Clive (25 July, 1630) to 

 the trustees for Mildmay, earl of Westmorland, 

 for three lives, while that of Farming Woods 

 was granted (i May, 1674) to Sir Robert 

 Robinson for three lives. In 1792, Mr. George 

 Finch Hatton was warden of Rockingham ; the 

 earl of Upper Ossory was warden of Farming 

 Woods ; the earl of Exeter was warden of West 

 Hay ; and the earl of Westmorland was warden 

 of Moorhay, Sullhay, and Shortwood ; while 

 Geddington Woods had been disafforested on 

 17 January, 1676, and granted to Lord Montagu 

 and his heirs and assigns for ever. The actual 

 woodlands included in the forest, in 1792, were 

 about 9,482 acres, distributed over three baili- 

 wicks (Rockingham 3,500, Brigstock 1,400, 

 Clive 4,582). But they were most of them 

 private woods merely burdened with forestal 

 rights. The number of deer then maintained in 

 the forest is not known, though it must have been 

 large, as over 1 00 bucks and a greater number of 

 does were killed annually.! 



1 V. C. H. Northants, i, p. 133, for further details. 



In addition to the warden or master forester, 

 the local forest officers, previous to the Act of 

 Limitations (1640), were a lieutenant, four 

 verderers, a ranger of the forest, and for each 

 walk an under-ranger, a bow ranger, a bow 

 bearer, a master keeper, under keepers, and twelve 

 regarders, besides woodwards and under wood- 

 wards. Two swainmote courts were held, one 

 for Rockingham and Brigstock, and the other for 

 Clive ; but after the discontinuance of the forest 

 courts, the forest was mainly under the care of 

 the hereditary master foresters. In 1702 the 

 surveyor-general found that the crown could 

 claim a title to oak timber in Sullhay Woods, 

 and 2,094 trees were sold between 1704 and 

 1736, giving a net revenue of ;^3,623. The 

 conclusion the commissioners came to in 1792 

 regarding this forest was that : — 



' A forest in a situation so distant from any 

 residence of the royal family, with an establish- 

 ment of offices, either granted in perpetuity or 

 esteemed of little value by those who possess 

 them, and in which so little of the right to 

 timber has been reserved, can neither contribute 

 much to the amusement of the king, the dignity 

 or profit of the crown, or the advantage of the 

 public. 



'And though the ancient forest laws, and the 

 courts, when regularly held, have been found by 

 experience to conduce very much to the increase 

 and preservation of timber in forests thinly in- 

 habited, . . . yet in Rockingham Forest, where 

 the crown has little property left, where a con- 

 siderable part of the land is already in tillage or 

 pasture, and the country pretty fully inhabited, 

 it cannot be desirable that those laws should be 

 continued.' 



Hence disafforestation was recommended, and 

 the sale to the owners of the wood of the crown 

 rights over the timber. Acts were accordingly 

 passed in 1795 and 1796 for accomplishing this. 

 By the first of these (35 Geo. Ill, cap. 40) the 

 earl of Upper Ossory obtained power to purchase 

 the fee simple of the haye or walk of Farming 

 Woods in extension of the tenure under grant 

 from George III for three lives. By the other 

 Acts (36 Geo. Ill, cap. 62, 63, and 64) the 

 earl of Westmorland acquired the complete 

 proprietary title to ' the Hayes or Walks of 

 Sullhay Fermes and Shortwood, and Morehay in 

 the Forest of Rockinghaniy in the County of 

 Northampton, upon a full and adequate considera- 

 tion to be paid for the same'; the earl of Exeter 

 similarly acquired Westhay ; and Mr. George 

 Finch Hatton obtained the Lawn of Benefield. 

 The sum thus paid by the earl of Westmorland 

 was ;{^i 1,881 I2J. ?)d. (as is subsequently 

 mentioned in 52 Geo. Ill, cap. 1 6 1, sect. 25). 



In 181 2 an Act was passed (52 Geo. Ill, 

 cap. 161) authorizing the sale of crown lands 

 lying intermixed with private lands within the 

 royal forest, laying down the procedure and 



349 



