LEGISLATION ANTERIOR TO "CHARTA FORESTA." 223 



viz., the boughs and branches of trees, and all are made 

 into cordwood, but the cordwood of naval timber is made 

 from the whole lops or branches of navy trees, and that 

 arising from miners and stolen timber only from the 

 boughs and branches left by the colliers or timber stealers, 

 and the wood so left is termed ' offal wood.' 



" Kibbles are stolen pieces of timber cut into suitable 

 lengths for cider casks and for wheelwrights." 



Of the forest officers and their duties the following 

 account is given in the Journal of Forestry : 



" The origin of the laws and regulations of forests seems 

 to be involved in equal obscurity with that of the forests 

 themselves ; but if we except the Justices in Eyre, there 

 was no officer who had any general superintendence of 

 the forests before the reign of Henry VIII. But in each 

 forest there was a distinct set of officers, viz : 



" 1st. Verderers, or judges of the Swainmote Court, and 

 directors of all the other officers in the forest. There 

 were usually four in every forest. 



" 2nd. Regarders, who were to go through the whole 

 forest, and make their regard every third year ; to inquire 

 of all offences in the forest, and survey all ' asserts, wastes, 

 and purprestures.' There should be twelve regarders in 

 every forest. 



" 3rd. Foresters, whose duty it was to preserve the vert 

 and venison in the forest, to attack offenders, and present 

 offences at the forest-court. The number was determined 

 by the occasion for them in each forest, according to the 

 discretion of the regarders. 



" 4th. Agistors, whose office was to receive and account 

 for the agistment or profit arising from the herbage or 

 pannage of the king's woods and lands in the forests. 

 The full complement was four to each forest. 



" 5th. Woodwards, whose charge was to look after the 

 woods, and to present offences therein at the forest courts. 

 Their number does not seem to have been determined. 



" 6th. A steward, whose duty it was to attend the courts 



