72 EPPING FOREST. 



Arms, and the tracks of some of the larger bucks can 

 generally be found in soft places, within a short distance 

 of Chingford Station. South of that point they do not 

 now go. The visitor who wishes to get a glimpse of them 

 may generally succeed in doing so, especially when the 

 trees are leafless, by traversing the Forest noiselessly, at 

 dusk, and up wind in the neighbourhood of Monk 

 Wood, St. Thomas's Quarters, or the Theydon Thicket, 

 especially the latter. 



It may be said that in olden times the Forest was pre- 

 served for the sake of the deer, for the king to take his 

 pleasure in hunting, and that without them it would 

 probably have ceased to exist centuries ago. As I have 

 explained elsewhere, the Forest laws, which were of un- 

 exampled severity, were mainly directed to this end. 

 Although the deer were thus reserved for the king, there 

 were some exceptions, and fee deer were allowed to 

 certain persons, as the following veiy interesting frag- 

 ment of an ancient Royal Roll, preserved in the British 

 Museum, shows. The date is uncertain, but it is at 

 any rate anterior to the dissolution of the Monasteries. 

 The first pai^agraph is rendered unintelligible by muti- 

 lation : — 



" Item. That the Lieu tenant, Rydyng forester, 

 ye Ranger of the same Forest, certyfy at ... . 

 particulerly in a byll, the certentie of the deer kyllyd 

 and servyd by every of them with the ... to them 

 directyd and gy^'yn. 



"/A The clerke of the iSwanymote every yere within 

 xii days next after the fest of Saynt Michell, and within 

 convenyent tyme after to make relacion to the kyng's 

 hyghnes of the certentie of the deer kyllyd in the same 

 forest in the sayd yere and byfore him presentyd as ys 

 aforsayd. 



" //. Yf any deer be kyllyd by chaunce and recovered 

 so that the ffleshe be of any goodnes, then the keper in 

 whose walke any such deer be recovered diljwer and 

 biyng the same to the Lieu tenant, in his absens, to the 

 Rydyng forester and Ranger to th'entent that yf the 

 sayd deer be mete for the Kyng's Hyghnesse then that 

 yt be sent to his hyghnes, and yf convenyent tyme serve 

 not, then that it be distrybutyd by the discretion of the 

 lieu tenant, and in his absens by the sayd Rydyng for- 

 ester or Ranger, best for the savegarde of the kyng's 

 game. 



' ' It. The sayd Lieu tenant Rydjmg forester or 

 Ranger to certyfy at the next Swanymote to the Clerke 



