i6 EPPING FOREST. 



of the river Roding, the Crown were owners, not 

 only of the sporting rights, but of the manorial 

 rights and the soil as well ; and, when the Crown 

 rights were commuted, it was vested in the 

 above named officials for the benefit of the people 

 at large. They have unfortunately taken an ex- 

 ceedingly narrow view of their trust, and have 

 acted on the short-sighted doctrine that they were 

 to show the best balance-sheet which they could 

 at the moment. Their policy was thus expressed 

 by the Chief Commissioner, the Hon. K. Howard, 

 who, speaking at the moment of the New Forest, 

 said, " We want to get as much as w^e can out of the 

 Forest ;" and what they expected to get is shown in 

 the following recommendation by one of his assist- 

 ants in the New Forest, of a large enclosure by the 

 Crown, " because, exclusive of other advantages, by 

 so doing, all the best pasture would be taken from the 

 commoners, and the value of their rights of pasture 

 would thus be materially diminished, which would be 

 of importafice to the Crown in the evefit of any such 

 right being commuted." Neglecting the future value 

 of open spaces near great cities, they recommended 

 — and the House of Commons unhappily endorsed 

 the proposal in 1851 — the complete destruction of 

 the woodlands of Hainault, and its conversion into 

 arable land. A contract was made with a manufac- 

 turer of steam ploughs, who, attaching his anchors 

 to the soil, dragged up by the roots the old oaks, 

 including the Fairlop Oak of ancient memory. 

 The whole operation was concluded in six weeks, 

 and public opinion, even if it had been then ripe 

 for a protest, had no time to act before the work 

 of desecration was complete. Thus the Hainault 

 division of the Forest disappeared for ever, with 



