42 The New Forest : its History and its Scenery. 



of the Forest before the reign of Henry II. ; and that all those 

 places mentioned in the perambulation of 1279 and now omitted, 

 were afforested by his successors, though they cannot say to 

 what extent or by whom.* Most probably it had been reserved 

 for John to show here, as in other cases, to what absolute 

 madness selfishness will carry a man. 



After this, nothing, with one exception, of any general 

 importance occur s.f Having in his prosperity incurred all 

 the odium of attempting to revive the hated Forest Laws, in 

 his adversity Charles I. granted as security the New Forest, and 

 Sherwood, and other Crown lands to his creditors.^ He had 



* " Quid et quantum temporibus cujuslibet regis rmllo modo eis constare 

 potest." The conclusion of the perambulation Some little difficulty attends 

 these perambulations. From Domesday, it is certain that the Conqueror 

 afforested land on the west of the Avon at Holdenhurst, Breamore, and 

 Harbridge And amongst the MSS of Lincoln's Inn Library we find a copy 

 of a charter of William of Scotland, dated, curiously enough, " Hindhop 

 Burnemuth, in mea Nova Foresta, 10 Kal. Junii, 1171." (See Hunter's 

 " Three Catalogues," &c., p. 278, No 78, 1838.) It would seem, from what 

 Edward s commissioners say. that these afforestations, which had taken place 

 since Henry II. s time, were all made inside the actual boundaries of the 

 Forest. It has been generally supposed that the perambulation in the 

 eighth year of Edward I. was the first ever made of an English forest. 

 This is not the case , for in the Record Office, in the Plita Foreste de Com 

 Southt LIlI ti<J R H. III.', No. Ill, may be found the perambulation of a 

 forest m the north of Hampshire 



t For a good account of all details connected with the history of the 

 New Forest, see the Sub-Report by the Secretary of the Royal New and 

 Waltham Forest Commission, Reports from Commissioners (11), vol. xxx. 

 pp. 267-309, 1850 , and also the Fifth Report of the Land Revenue Com- 

 missioners in 1789, published July 24th of that year, to be found also in 

 the Journals of the House of Commons, vol xliv. pp 552-571. 



| See " The humble petition of Richard Spencer, Esq., Sir Gervas 

 Clifton, Knight and Baronet, and others, to enter upon the New Forest and 

 Sherwood Forest," &c, &c. Record Office. Domestic Series, Charles II., 

 No. 8. f. 26, July 21st, 1660, 



