74 EPriNG FOREST. 



other offycers be commytted to warde or letten to bayll 

 onles he be examyned by the lieu tenant, Rydynge for- 

 ester, Ranger, and Steward or two of them. 



' ' It. That the obhgacions for the bayll remayn with 

 the Steward of record. 



"//. That every keper observe ther articles upon 

 peyn of the forfetur of his offyce, and that upon dew 

 examynacion and dew proof hadde byfore the lieu tenant, 

 Rydyng forester. Ranger and Steward of the Swany- 

 mote, the sayd offender to l^e dischargyd of the exer- 

 syng of his sayd office, tyll the kyngs plesure be further 

 knowyng. 



"//. Thees fee deer to be alowed as here after folow- 

 yth :— 



" ffyrst, the Justices of the Poorest. 



" //. The Lieu tenant. 



"It. The Steward. 



' ' It. The Rydyng Forester. 



' ' //. The Ranger. 



' ' //. Every Keper. 



" //. My Lorde of Waltham. 



'■'■It. My Lady of Barkyng. 



' ' //. The ffreholders. " 

 Red-Deer — the largest and handsomest of the deer tribe in 

 Great Britain — had free range of Epping Forest (along 

 with the fallow) until the early part of the present century. 

 The lord of the manor of Loughton has some heads taken 

 from the Forest, which have been in the possession of his 

 family for several generations, and which adorned what 

 would certainly be accounted grand stags in Scotland at 

 the present time. This was to be expected, as woodland 

 red-deer always attain the largest size. From a state- 

 ment made in 187 1 by a very old inhabitant, and written 

 down from his lips, it appears that the herd was of con- 

 siderable size within his recollection. "There was a 

 kennel at Loughton Bridge, kept by a man named 

 Dean, and the dogs and horses for the hunt were kept 

 there. A paddock was enclosed with high palings, and 

 in this enclosure the deer, caught wild from the Forest, 

 were kept, and hunted as required, but not killed. The 

 black-deer (fallow) were hunted two or three times a 

 week, killed, and used as required also. The method 

 of taking the red-deer was by fixing a net (kept at Lough- 

 ton Bridge for the purpose, and about a mile long) from 

 the milestone in the Forest down to Monk Wood. The 

 deer were driven up from Monk Wood into it. Two or 

 three were then selected, and the rest, with the young 



