EPPING FOREST. 107 



said, " to give over ploughing and sowing their arable 

 land, of which the greater part of the demesne of his 

 Manor consisted. He was still obliged to pay com- 

 position, in wheat and oats, for the King's household, 

 though not a foot of the demesne had been ploughed 

 for the last ten years, by reason of the number of deer, 

 which would utterly destroy the corn ; and the cessa- 

 tion of ploughing caused the increase of deer, by reason 

 that the barren and dry fallows were converted into 

 sweet and fresh green pastures to layer and feed the 

 cattle." * 



The uninclosed parts of Waltliam Forest were 

 confined, even in early times, to two wide and distinct 

 districts : the one kDOwn as Epping Forest, which 

 consisted probably of 9,000 acres ; the other, Hainault 

 Forest, of about 4,000 acres. It does not appear 

 that the ownership of the soil of Epping Forest, or 

 of any substantial part of it, was even in early days 

 vested in the Crown at all events, from the time of 

 Henry II. at latest. The district had been granted 

 out in yet earlier times, in very numerous Manors, 

 and the waste land was vested in their Lords, subject 

 to the rights of Commoners. Eppiug Forest alone 

 was divided between no fewer than nineteen such 

 distinct Manors ; Hainault Forest between seven 

 Manors. 



Of the Manors in Epping Forest, thirteen were 

 granted at various times by successive Sovereigns, from 



* Fisher's " Forest of Essex," p. 58. 



