152 EPPINQ FOREST. 



into the Forest, what land was to remain attached as 

 gardens and curtilages to houses erected before the 

 specified time, and what rent-charge should be paid by 

 the owners of such houses and curtilages towards the 

 funds of the Conservators, in acknowledgment of their 

 illegal inclosures. The Act provided that all rights of 

 lopping the trees for firewood were to cease in the future. 

 The Arbitrator was directed to assess the value of wood 

 assignments which was to be paid by the Conservators. 

 The Act preserved the other rights of the Commoners, but 

 gave power to the Conservators to regulate such rights. 

 It provided that in the future the four Verderers were 

 to be elected every seven years by the registered 

 Commoners, and that the}'' were to be associated with 

 a Committee of the Corporation in the future manage- 

 ment of the Forest. 



With respect to the customary right of the inhabit- 

 ants of Loughton to lop the trees in the Forest during 

 the winter months for firewood, the measure, as first 

 proposed, contained no power for awarding compensa- 

 tion. It simply declared such lopping to be illegal in 

 the future. I endeavoured to rectify this omission by 

 moving in Committee on the Bill, in the House of 

 Commons, a clause admitting the validity of the 

 custom, and directing the Arbitrator to assess the value 

 of it in compensation to the inhabitants of Loughton. 



The Corporation of London very unfairly, as I 

 thought opposed this, and were most unwilling to 

 recognise the right or custom in any way, in spite of 

 the fact that so great an advantage had been derived 



