EPPING FOREST. 115 



The Commissioners Widdrington, Whitelocke, 

 Sydenham, and Montagu recommended that the 

 forest rights of His Highness should be restored, and 

 the Courts re-established. They reported to the 

 Council that the forests being already by Act of 

 Parliament vested in trustees to be sold for certain 

 uses, there was a doubt as to the title, and a difficulty 

 either in selling or leasing. It was therefore suggested 

 that four forests should be sold by way of experi- 

 ment, and as to the rest, that " Lawnes and Inclosures 

 belonging to His Highness should be let from year 

 to year at the best rates that could be got for them ; 

 that fellable coppice woods should be preserved till fit 

 for sale and then sold ; and that for finding out and 

 restoring His Highness' rights in Forests, preservation 

 of timber, punishments of wastes, spoiles, encroachments 

 and other trespasses committed within the Forests, 

 officers should be supplied."* They also recommended 

 that the Forest Courts should be re-established for the 

 enforcement of the forestal rights. 



Nothing, however, was done in pursuance of these 

 recommendations during the remaining years of the 

 Commonwealth. On the restoration of the Monarchy 

 the Forest Courts were re-constituted. Charles II. 

 occasionally hunted in the district ; but after his time it 

 does not appear that the Forest was ever again resorted 

 to by Ro}*alty for sport. It was probably due to this 

 that, by degrees, the forestal rights of the Crown, over 

 other lands than the waste of the Forest, were allowed 

 * Fisher's "Forest of Essex," p. 50. 

 I 2 



