THE WILD BOAR. 81 



at last slain by one Nigell, a huntsman, who pre- 

 sented the boar's head to the king ; and for a 

 reward the king gave him one hide of arable land, 

 called Derehyde, and a wood called Hulewood, with 

 the custody of the forest of Bern wood, to hold to him. 

 and his heirs by a horn, which is the charter of the 

 aforesaid forest. Upon this land Nigell built a lodge 

 or mansion-house, called Borestall, in memory of the 

 slain boar. For proof of this, in a large folio 

 vellum book, containing transcripts of charters and 

 evidences relating to this estate (supposed to have 

 been written in or before the reign of Henry VI.), 

 is a rude delineation of the site of Borestall House 

 and manor, and under it the figure of a man 

 presenting on his knees to the king the head of a 

 boar on the point of a sword, and the king returning 

 to him a coat of arms, argent, a fesse, gules, between 

 two crescents, and a horn, vert. 



The same figure of a boar's head was carved on 

 the head of an old bedstead, now remaining in the 

 tower or lodge of that ancient house or castle, and 

 the arms are now to be seen in the windows, and in 

 other parts. And, what is of greatest authority, the 

 original horn, tipped at each end with silver gilt, 

 fitted with wreaths of leather to hang about the neck, 

 with an old brass seal ring, a plate of brass with the 

 sculpture of a horn, and several lesser plates of silver 

 gilt, with fleur-de-lys, has been all along preserved by 

 the lords of Borestal), under the name of " NigelTs 

 horn," and was in the year 1773 in the possession of 

 John Aubrey, Esq. (son and heir of Sir Thomas 



