36 THE FORESTS OF ENGLAND. 



memorable had happened might not be hereafter unknown, 

 this stone was set up by Lord John Delawar, who has seen 

 the tree growing in this place." 



There is an old tradition in the forest that the body of 

 William was found by a poor charcoal-burner named 

 Purkess, living in a miserable hut in the forest, and that 

 he placed it on such a rude cart as was then in use in those 

 days and took it to Winchester. As a reward he received 

 a grant of a few acres of land around his house or hut. 

 His descendants remained in possession of this little pro- 

 perty until a few years ago, never rising above the posses- 

 sion of a horse and cart. In the hut a piece of wood was 

 preserved, said, with the most glaring shew of improbability, 

 to be part of one of the wheels of the cart that conveyed 

 the royal body. When George III. visited the forest he 

 wanted to see this relic ; but be was told it was lost ; the 

 probability being that the keeper of the hut had some 

 scruple of conscience about deceiving the king. 



The ancient boundaries of the New Forest included the 

 whole of that part of Hampstead which lies between 

 Southampton Water on the east, the British Channel on 

 the south, and the River Avon on the west. By a peram- 

 bulation on the 22d of Charles II. it was ascertained that 

 it extended from Godshill on the north-west to the sea, on 

 the south-east, about 20 miles ; and from Hardley on the 

 east to Ringwood on the west, about 15 miles, containing 

 within these limits 92,362 acres : of these 24,797 belong to 

 individuals ; 901 acres are encroachments ; 1192 are en- 

 closed land in the possession of the master, keepers, &c., 

 and the remainder, being about 63,845 acres, constitute 

 the woods and waste lands of the forest. 



There are within the precincts of the forest buildings 

 famous in their day, and famous still: amongst others 

 Beaulieu Abbey, Netley Abbey, and Hurst Castle, and 

 each of these has its traditions if not its history. 



The most important character of a forest is, as has been 



