146 THE FORESTS OF ENGLAND. 



" Elizabeth reduced not only the woods and forests, but 

 the royal domain generally, rather than apply to her 

 parliament for supplies, particularly in the 42d year of 

 her reign, for money to suppress the rebellion in Ireland. 

 This Queen confirmed the Crown lands to many, who held 

 them by titles liable to be controverted. Although the 

 Crown had before given the land in fee, yet the trees were 

 not given : these remained the property of the crown.* 

 Cromwell is said to have raised 10,035,663 by the sale of 

 church lands, and consequently woods ; 1,200,000 by the 

 sale of crown lands and principalities ; and 656,000 by 

 the sale of forests and houses belonging to the king. 



"In our own time the royal domains have been con- 

 siderably reduced by the sale of the forests of Gillingham, 

 Rockingham, and Brecknock, the latter of which alone 

 contained 40,000 acres. 



" All these tended not only to reduce the royal domain, 

 but the forests and woods of the country in general : yet 

 the meagre appearance of the few vestiges that remain is 

 more to be regretted, than the diminution in extent of 

 surface. According to two surveys of the royal forests in 

 1608-9, and 1783-90, by the former there were found in 

 the forest of Sherwood, 49,909 oak trees,t by the latter 

 there appeared only 10,117. The other royal forests had 

 been still more reduced, as the diminution on the whole 

 is stated to have been in the proportion of six to one. 



" Of the few royal forests that remain, I have 

 endeavoured to obtain information of the number of acres, 

 but have not been so successful as I could have wished." 



He gives the names of eighteen, with the reputed area 

 of eight of these, and he goes on to say 



" According to this account, the extent of the nominal 

 royal domains still appears very considerable : a large por- 

 tion of each, however, is not actually at the disposal of the 



* See Fitzherbert's Abridgment in Trespass. 



t Lowe's View of the Agriculture of Nottingham, 



