BWINE IN THE FORESTS OF ENGLAND. 31 



owners with increase. Some of the fabulous narrations blended 

 with the history of these swineherds have been attributed by anti- 

 quarians to a period antecedent to Christianity. 



In the laws of Howel Dha, there is a chapter on the value of ani- 

 mals, in which it is stated " that the price of a little pig from the 

 time it is born until it grows to burrow, is one penny ; when it ceases 

 sucking, which is at the end of three months, it is worth twopence ; 

 from that time it goes to the wood with the swine, and it is consi- 

 dered as a swine, and its value is fourpence ; from the Feast of St. 

 John unto the 1st day of January, its value is fifteenpence ; from 

 the 1st of January unto the Feast of St. John, its value is twenty- 

 four pence ; and from that time forward its value shall be thirty 

 pence, the same as its mother." 



" The qualities of a sow are, that she breeds pigs and do not de- 

 vour her young ones. The seller must also warrant her sound 

 against the quinsy for three days and nights after she is sold. If she 

 should not possess these qualities, one third of her price must be 

 returned. The value of a boar is equal to the value of three sows." 



The British forests, which formerly occupied the greater part of 

 England, were peopled by the swinish multitude. Hertfordshire 

 was nearly covered with wood and forest land ; Buckinghamshire 

 boasted its magnificent Bern Wood ; Hampshire, its extensive New 

 Forest ; nor were the other counties destitute of these sylvan retreats, 

 which have latterly vanished before the axe of the woodman and 

 the industry of the husbandman. 



In 1646 Norwood in Surrey is described as containing 830 acres 

 from which the inhabitants of Croydon " have herbage for all kinds 

 of cattle, and mastage for swine without stint." 



The right of the forest borderers to fatten their swine in the vari- 

 ous forests, formerly royal property, is very ancient, being evidently 

 anterior to the Conquest. At first a small tax or fee was paid by 

 those holding this right ; but whether this went to the crown, or 

 consisted in a certain gratuity to the forest ranger or the swineherd, 

 is nowhere specified in the records. This privilege, like all others, 

 was greatly abused; for many of the keepers availed themselves of 

 it, and kept large herds of swine which they suffered to run the 

 forests during the whole of the year, doing exceeding damage to 

 the timber as well as to the land. 



The actual period for which it was lawful to turn swine into the 

 royal woods and forests for masting, was from fifteen days before 

 Michaelmas to forty days afterwards, and this was termed the pawn- 

 age month. 



Nor was the practice of feeding swine in herds, peculiar to this 

 country. In Calabria they are grazed in herds, and the keeper uses 

 a kind* of bagpipe, the tones of which, when the period arrives for 

 their being driven home, quickly collects the scattered groups from 

 ayery part. In. Tuscany it is the same. 



