IJklTlsil FOREST TREES 5 



/<7,v. The addition of areas to the already existing forests 

 was termed afforestation, whilst later on the release of 

 areas from the ban, and the determination of the rights 

 belonging to the crown and those belonging to the com- 

 monalty, were known as disafforestation, disforestation, or 

 deforestation. Ancient records state that at the time of the 

 Norman invasion there existed sixty-nine large forests in 

 England covering the greater portion of the country. Milton 

 says (A Complete History of England, Lond. 1706, vol. i., 

 page no, note b] that William the Conqueror destroyed 

 thirty- six parish churches, with the houses and possessions of 

 so many townships, to make them habitations for wild beasts 

 in forming the New Forest. The monkish records from 

 which this information is derived are, however, to be read 

 with caution, for the writers naturally did not love the royal 

 house that hustled them out of their churches, and can 

 hardly be trusted to have chronicled a dispassionate and 

 unbiased statement of the actual events. Such royal forests 

 consisted of Tert (timber, underwood and turf) and renison 

 (including all animals and game). Manwood's History of 

 Forest Laws and Holinshed's D-'scriMion <\f Jiritaiite (chap, 

 ii,) give good descriptions of the ancient woods and forc-t-. 

 The principal forests in England about that time were 

 Rothbury and Lowes (Northumberland), Nicol, Knaredale, 

 \Ve>t\vood, Inglewood, and Copeland (Cumberland), Mil- 

 burn, Whinfield, Martindale and Thornthwaite (\\Vstmor 

 land), Langden or Teesclale, and Weardale (Durham), 

 Wiresdale and Bowland (Lancashire), Knaresborough, 

 Pickering, and Hardwicke (York), IX-kimere and Mardes- 

 hdd(( Iheshire), Sherwood ( Nottingham), ( Mune (Shropshire), 

 Xcvdwood (Stafford). ( 'harnwood I Leicester), Lylleld or 

 Leafield (Rutland), \Viiv, Malvern and Feckinghain 

 (Worcester). AnUn or Ardennes (Warwick), Kockingham, 

 Whittlebury, and Salcey (Northampton), Wabridge (Hunt 



