.no SECOND REPORT OF THE 



But this author obferves, that the liberality of modern times, with feutiment 

 'not fenfe for its guide, affecting to tremble at a Foreft Court held before Verderors 

 who by the conftitutions of the Foreft muft be gentlemen of the country, chofen 

 by the Freeholders of every defcription of the county, and who (except Coroners) 

 are the only judicial officers in the country, chofeu by the people at a Court when 

 the faft of guilt or innocence muft be decided by a jury of 1 2 men, Freeholders 

 of the Foreii, armed with every prejudice in favour of the fuppofed delinquent, 

 and having both law and faft in "their hands, has rather chofen to trull to a fum- 

 rnary jurifdicYioh, before Juftices of the Peace chofen by the Crown, in which 

 the ancient conftitutional trial by jury is forgotten. 



The Commiffioners however propofe avoiding, in this flage of their proceedings, 

 any particulars of the infufficieney of thefe Courts, and of the Foreft authorities 

 as at prefent conftitutcd, as that will more regularly -be brought by them under 

 your Lordlhips' view, when they mall be more prepared than they are at prefent 

 for the confideration of what mall be the future plan of managing the Foreft ; and 

 proceed to ftate the prefent couftituted authorities in -the Foreft, and the names 

 of the feveral Officers in whom they are vefted, with fuch obfervations only as 

 . appear moft regular to be made -in this Report. 



Thefe Officers are, a Lord Warden and his Deputy, four Verderors, an Out 

 Ranger, Steward of the Foreft Courts, Riding Forefter, Woodward, Head Keeper 

 and Under Keepers of the fifteen different Walks into which the Foreft is divided. 

 M Two of the Head. Keepers claim their offices as hereditary by grants from the 



Crown, and two others are now held bv patent from the Crown during: nleafure. 



Duke or tiloucener _, . '_ . . . , . rf [ \ c ^ -\\T j i Am / 



.andthoTrinceis So- * tlieie may be added, the Surveyor General ot the \\ oods, \\ ho is an Olhccr of 



jJiia of Gloucefter.,. authority in this, in common with all the other Royal Forefts. 



The names of the prefent Officers, and the Returns made by each of them of 

 . the nature of their fcveral appointments, the duties of their offices, and their 

 Appendix, N QO. emoluments, are Hated in the Appendix, No. 20. 



State of Hundreds The ftate of the Hundreds, and-of the Manorial Property within the Foreft, the 

 and JManwial Pro- latt g r of wluch g enera iiy i nc ] u des the Right to the Soil of Waftes, and the Timber 

 thereon (except in particular cafes of Woods belonging to the Crown, in Manors 

 whereof the Crown is not Lord, and which will be hereafter noticed) may be feen 

 Appendix, K i. jn the Appendix, No. i. It is there fhewn, that the Crown has undifputed poffef- 

 Munors of-Bruy ; f lon o f only two Manors within the Foreft, namely, Bray and Cookham ; that 

 .and Cookhum. the Manors of New Windfor and Old Windfor are claimed by the Crown, and 

 a " a ^ ^7 a P r ' vate Pi'rfon ; but the Commiffioners have every reafonable ground to 

 prefume that they are in the Crown. The Manor of Bray is in leafe (of which 

 about fix years-remain unexpired) to Lord Cardigan, who is Truftee for the King 

 Manors of in Jii s private capacity, and only part of that Manor is in the Foreft. A great 

 ' -P art of tne ^ anDr o{ Cookham is not in the Foreft, but contains two whole 

 Pariflies within it; viz. Binfield and Sunninghill, over which the Crown is Lord 

 Paramount in right of the Manor of Cookham, and as fuch entitled to all the 

 Wafte and Timber thereon in thofe Pariihes; this Manor is alfo in leafe, of which 

 about fix years -remain unexpired to Lord Cardigan, who is a Truftee for the King 

 3Vinkfield. in his private capacity. The Fee Simple of the Manor of Winkfield is alfo vefted 

 in Lord Cardigan, who is a Truftee for the King in his private capacity ; that 

 Manor, however, is not co-exteniive with the Parilh, and there is fome Wafte 

 Land therein, which is not within the Manor, but belongs to the Crown, and not 

 to the King in his private capacity, 



.Manor of Clewer. The Manor of Clewer is vefted in Arthur Vanfittart, Efquire; but the Trees, 

 Woods, and Underwoods are exprefsly referved to the Crown in the grant of the 

 Manor. The quantity of Open Wood within this Manor is about 230 Acres. 

 Bear Wond. The Crown is alfo entitled to an Open Wood called Bearwood or Berewood, in 



the Parifhes of Wokingham and Hurft, containing about 200 Acres, and which is 

 in the Manor of Soninge. 



Other Manors in All the other Manors within the Foreft are vefted in private Perfons, and the 



the Foreft. owners of the principal or chief Manors, claim in right thereof the Soil of the 



.Appendix, N i. feveral .AVafte Grounds and Commons within their refpeftive Manors, and the 



Timber {landing thereon, fubject to the Rights of the Crown in refpeft of the 



Foreft, fuch as Right of Chace, Feeding Deer by depafturing the Waftes and 



Commons, taking Browze Wood, and other Foreftal Rights. 



The Right of Free Warren has been claimed as belonging to each of thefe 

 Manors, and alfo in feveral other particular places in the Foreft, by fpecial grant, 



