ErPIXG FOREST. 121 



who was also the Lord of four or five of the 

 Manors within the Forest. He reduced the Ver- 

 derers' Court to impotence by appointing his own 

 solicitor to be its steward, and in lieu of maintain- 

 ing the Forest as he was bound in duty to do, he 

 led the way to its destruction by inclosing and ap- 

 propriating a great part of its waste within his own 

 Manors. 



It was to be expected that his example would 

 quickly be followed by others of the Lords of Manors. 

 By the year 1851 the area of the Forest was reduced 

 to G,000 acres. In the years which ensued further 

 large inclosures of the Forest were made by many of the 

 Lords of Manors, some of them by arrangement. w T ith 

 such of the Commoners as they were willing to recog- 

 nise as having rights ; others without any regard for 

 the Commoners ; some of them in respect of land where 

 the Crown rights had been bought ; others where 

 the land was still subject by law to these forestal 

 rights. 



Meanwhile, the fate of Hainault Forest, and the 

 increasing inclosures of Epping Forest, began to 

 disturb the public mind, and to raise the question 

 whether it was really for the interest of the people of 



acquired through his wife a property with a rent roll of 70,000 a 

 year. By reckless extravagance he dissipated the whole of it in a 

 very few years. He fled the country to avoid his creditors, and 

 became a pensioner on his brother, the Duke of Wellington. His 

 wife died of a broken heart ; his children were taken from him by 

 the Court of Chancery. His mansion at Wanstead was pulled 

 down. 



