A HISTORY OF NOTTINGHAMSHIRE 



the old castle of Annesley ; and from the same castle along the high road as far as the town of Linby ; 

 and thence through the middle of the town of Linby as far as the mill of the same town on the 

 water of the Leen ; and from thence descending by the same water as far as the town of Lenton ; 

 and thence as that water was anciently wont to run as far as the water which is called the Trent, 

 and so descending by the same water of the Trent as far as Nottingham bridge aforesaid 1 . 



These bounds, which were exactly maintained until Sherwood began to be broken up at the 

 close of the sixteenth century, embraced a district of country about twenty miles long by eight 

 broad, and containing some 100,000 acres, or about a fifth of the whole shire. 2 



Reverting to the chief ruler of this forest, Maud de Caux died in 1223, and as the office by 

 the charter of the earl of Morton had been made hereditary, she was succeeded as chief forester- 

 of-fee by her son, John de Birkin. In 1231 this hereditary office came to Robert de Everingham, 

 in right of his wife Isabel, daughter and heiress of Thomas de Birkin. Adam de Everingham was 

 chief forester at the beginning of the reign of Edward I, and he was succeeded by his son Robert. 

 Soon after his accession, Robert de Everingham incurred the king's displeasure, and the office was 

 claimed by the crown as forfeited. 3 



It is clear from the Close Rolls of 1286 that the offence which brought about the downfall 

 of the last hereditary keeper of Sherwood Forest was the grievous abuse of his position as guardian 

 of the king's deer. In November of that year the crown interfered to release from Nottingham 

 gaol Robert de Everingham, John de Everingham, and 'nine others, who were there imprisoned for 

 venison trespass in Sherwood ; bail was accepted from twelve sureties, who were bound to produce 

 the offenders at the next eyre. 4 



After the disgrace of Robert de Everingham, the position of chief forester or keeper (custos) 

 of Sherwood was granted by the crown to various persons of high position as a mark of royal 

 favour. It was a post not only of dignity, but of privilege and emolument. 



The forest pleas for Sherwood were held at Nottingham in July, 1251, before Geoffrey 

 Langley, forest justice, when the duties as well as the privileges of Robert de Everingham as keeper 

 were defined. It was then reported that there were within the forest three keepings, namely, 

 the first between the streams of the Leen and Dover Beck, the second the High Forest, and the 

 third Rumewood. The chief keeper was bound to have a sworn chief servant, who was to go 

 through all the forest at his own cost, to attach transgressors, and to present them before the 

 verderers at the attachment courts. In the first keeping the chief keeper was to find a riding 

 forester with a servant, two foot foresters, two verderers, and two agisters ; in this keeping were 

 three parks or hays, namely, Bestwood, Linby, and Welby. In the second keeping there were to 

 be two riding foresters with their servants, two foot-foresters, two verderers, and two agisters; 

 the hays of Birkland, with Bilhagh and Clipston, were in this keeping, and to them pertained two 

 other verderers as well as two agisters. The third keeping of Rumewood had a foot-forester, two 

 verderers, and two agisters ; and also two woodwards, one for Carburton, and one for Budby. It 

 was also declared that Robert de Everingham ought to provide a servant, bearing his bow, 6 to gather 

 cheminage or wayleave through the forest. 6 



There are certain particulars extant with regard to the forest pleas of Sherwood which were 

 held in 1267. Several hundred vert offenders were brought before the court. The heaviest 

 presentment under this head was that against the abbot of Rufford for having felled 483 oaks for 

 building purposes since the last eyre ; the abbot was, however, able to plead successfully a charter 

 of Henry II in justification of his action. 7 



A striking illustration of the occasionally rebellious conduct of the forest tenants of Sherwood against 

 the officials who guarded the king's game occurred in 1276. On 3 July John de Lasceles, steward 

 (senacallui) of the forest, caught two men, Robert Martham and Robert Afferton, with bows and 



1 Edward I broke the Forest Charter in several cases throughout the kingdom under legal quibbles, but 

 as a rule the bounds as settled in his father's time were maintained. In 1281 the king ordered an inquisition 

 relative to the Sherwood perambulation, with the result that the bounds of 1 6 Hen. Ill were held good ; save 

 that the wood of Rumewood and the townships of Carburton, Budby, and half the townships of Thoresby and 

 Skegby and the townships of Sutton in Ashfield and Bulwell, with certain other parts, were to be held forest, as 

 being part of the whole demesne of the crown, and therefore, wrongly disafforested temp. Hen. III. (For. Proc. 

 Chan. No. 72.) There are also somewhat contradictory memoranda attached to some versions of the ancient 

 1300 perambulation, wherefrom it would appear that the king's wood of Wellow and the archbishop's wood of 

 Littlehagh were again afforested. At the beginning of the seventeenth century the following townships were 

 declared ' ould demesne not geldable ': Arnold, Bulwell (half), Carburton, Clipston, Darlton, Linby, 

 Mansfield, Mansfield Wbodhouse, Roynton, Skegby, and Sutton in Ashfield. Exch. K. R. Accts. &-, f. 66. 



' See perambulation of Sherwood 30 Hen. VIII., Fourteenth Rep. of Woods and Forests (1793) App. ii. 



' See the two Sherwood Forest Chartularies already cited, passim. 



4 Close, 14 Edw. I, m i. 



6 This was the officer who was afterwards termed the Bow-bearer or Ranger. 



' Exch. K. R. Accts. |5, pp. 7, 8. ' Exch. Misc. Bk. Ixxvi. 



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