90 THE FORESTS OF ENGLAND. 



From Manwood's statement it appears that none but 

 monarchs can have forests and exercise Forest Law ; but, 

 and apparently he admits the fact, in the Duchy Court of 

 Lancaster theJEarl of Lancaster in the times of Edward II. 

 and III. had a Forest in the counties of York and Lancas- 

 ter, in which he is said to have exercised the Forest Laws 

 as fully as any soverign. This may be accounted for 

 without prejudice to the distinction drawn between a 

 forest and a chase, thus : the Earl of Lancaster may have 

 claimed or may have had conceded to him by others, if 

 not by his sovereign, royal prerogatives, 



SECTION III. PARKS. 



PARKS, according to Manwood, must, like Chases, be 

 royal grants, and contain beasts of the chase ; but, unlike 

 Chases, they must be enclosed. Of parks there were some 

 GOO referred to by Manfield as being fully recognised. 

 Thus comes it that the designation is so often met with 

 the combined vanity and ambition of many holders of a 

 country residence with a little land around it, thinking to 

 add to their importance by calling this also a Park, though 

 it be nothing of the kind ; but real parks being so 

 numerous, and no one having any interest in exposing the 

 assumptions, they have done so with impunity. Like- 

 unwarranted assumptions of designation, supposed to 

 bring with them distinction, are not infrequent. 



Within the area of Sherwood Forest is Bestwood Park, 

 which was an unenclosed Hay or Wood until the time of 

 Edward III., when it was imparked. In the same Forest 

 boundary are enclosed Nottinham Park and Clipstow 

 Park ; and there are, or at least were within the present 

 century, titular Keepers of these parks. One of these 

 officials used to reside at Newstead and the other at 

 Annesley Hall, both of them places extensively known by 

 name, through painful incidents connected with them in 



