EPPING FOREST. 113 



this Kingdom as they were before the late Justice's 

 seat held." An Act was passed in the same year, 

 declaring that thenceforth the limits and bounds of 

 all the Forests should be taken to extend no further 

 than those commonly reputed in the twentieth year of 

 James I. ; and all subsequent acts, by which the 

 bounds of the Forests were further extended, were 

 declared void. 



Almost immediately after the passing of this Act, a 

 perambulation of Waltham Forest was made by virtue of 

 a Commission under the Great Seal, directed to the Earl 

 of Warwick and forty-four other Commissioners. The 

 boundaries shown in the map attached to this survey 

 agree almost exactly with those laid down in 1301. 

 Thus ended a controversy about the bounds of the 

 Forest, which had lasted from the time of King 

 John. 



That Charles I. was actuated mainly by the desire 

 to raise money, and cared little about the maintenance 

 of the Forest, is evident from the fact that he con- 

 templated a scheme for wholly disafforesting Waltham 

 Forest. There is extant a State paper in the Record 

 Office, giving a list of landowners of the district and 

 their claims under a scheme for this purpose. Had he 

 been able to carry it out, it would probably have re- 

 sulted in large gains to him. For the disafforesting of 

 the comparatively small Forest of Gaultres, he received as 

 his share the sum of 20,000. For that of the Forest 

 of Dean, if it had been carried out, he was to receive 

 100,000, and a fee farm rent of 1,000 a year for 

 i 



