Ban Forests and Forest Laws. 371 



son', wood and game, belonged to the king; a host 

 of officers, stewards, verderers, foresters, regarders, 

 agistors, woodwards, exercised police duties, and 

 oppressed and ground the people by extortions, while 

 special courts, 'woodmote', 'swainmote', 'court of 

 justice seat', enforced the savage and cruel laws. 

 The first of these laws was supposed to date from 

 Canute the Great, in 1016, but was eventually found 

 to be a forgery perpetrated by William I in order to 

 lend historical color to his assertion of 'forest' 

 rights. 



A partial reduction of forests, and a modification 

 of the cruelty and unreasonableness of the laws was 

 obtained by the Charta de Foresta, in 1225, which 

 formulated the laws into a code, and again by the 

 Forest Ordinance of 1306. But not until 1483, under 

 Edward IV, were the people living within 'forests' 

 permitted to cut and sell timber, and to fence in for 

 seven years portions of the reserved territory. The 

 last territory was 'afforested', i.e., withdrawn for 

 purposes of the chase, under Henry VIII, but he had 

 to secure the consent of the freeholders. The Long 

 Parliament, in 1641, stopped at least the extension of 

 forests, and modified the application of the laws to a 

 more reasonable degree. 



The forest laws are still on the statutes, but have 

 fallen into desuetude; the last 'forest court of justice 

 seat' was held under Charles I. The 'forests' them- 

 selves have also almost entirely vanished, some being 

 abolished as late as Queen Victoria's time, by act of 

 parliament, but the last action under the 'forest laws' 

 was had in 1862 when the Duke of Athole tried to 



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