THE FOREST OF EXMOOR, 129 



of the existence of staghunting on Exmoor, what 

 the old books call " hunting at force," that is with a 

 pack of hounds hunting by scent in contradistinction 

 to coursing or shooting deer, which are sometimes 

 included under the general term hunting. 



Of the boundaries of the Royal Forest in Saxon 

 times we have no records, but as so many of the 

 manors surrounding the forest were held by members 

 of the Saxon Royal family, it is probable that forest 

 rights were exercised over a very large and indeter- 

 minate stretch of country, nor have we any definite 

 information as to the boundaries under the earliest 

 Norman kings, but from the presentation of the jury 

 who made a perambulation of the boundaries of the 

 forest in the seventh year of Edward I., we learn 

 that a great part of the encroachment which then 

 existed had been made by King John. The country 

 over which the forest laws were then in force was 

 bounded by a line running from a little east of 

 Hurlstone Point, passing between East and West 

 Luccombe to Couple Cross, near the " Heathpoult," 

 and going, nearly on the line of the old Minehead 

 road, past King's Brompton to the junction of the 

 Rivers Exe and Bade close to Dulverton Station ; the 

 other boundary of the forest being coterminous with 

 the boundary of the county. This included in the 

 forest the parishes of Porlock, Bossington, West 

 Luccombe, Stoke Pero, Cutcombe, Exford, Wins- 

 ford, Exton, King's Brompton, Dulverton, Hawkridge, 

 and Withypool. 



K 



