THE FOREST OF EXMOOR. 143 



the condition of things on the Devon border was 

 only sHghtly different. King John had proclaimed 

 the whole of Devon to be a Royal Forest, but was 

 compelled in 1203 to pass the " Charter of the 

 Forest," which expressly disafforested the county of 

 Devon " up to the metes and bounds of the ancient 

 regards of Dartmoor and Exmoor." 



" So that the whole of Devon and the men living 

 in it, with their heirs and descendants, are altogether 

 free, quit, and exempt for ever of the Forest and of 

 all things that belong to the Forest and the 

 Foresters so far as ourselves and our heirs are 

 concerned." 



The charter goes on expressly to grant rights such 

 as the making of deer leaps, which are not consistent 

 with the lands being accounted purlieus. 



" Saving and excepting in the regions of the afore- 

 said moors," where they cannot have deer leaps or 

 enclosures. " And if their dogs run into our forests 

 we will that they be withdrawn thence as the dogs 

 of the Barones and milites are withdrawn whose lands 

 are disafforested and march with our Forests." 



From this it would seem that the ordinary rules, 

 such as those mentioned above which governed the 

 sporting rights of ordinary purlieumen, did not apply 

 to the men of Devon who had been fortunate enough 

 to extract their freedom from a monarch who was 

 utterly at the mercy of his subjects and had to accede 

 to whatever they demanded. The Forest Pitas 

 contain several allegations of illegal "hunting" on 



