EARLY FORESTS 3 



over which such right existed. Grants of free-warren over 

 demesne lands outside forests, so frequently made by our earlier 

 kings both to religious foundations and to private individuals, 

 prevented anyone entering on such lands to hunt or to take 

 anything belonging to the warren without the owner's licence, 

 under the great penalty of 10. No one might, therefore, 

 follow the hunt of a hare or of a fox or other vermin into 

 warrenable land ; but following the hunt of deer into such 

 land was held to be no trespass, as deer were not beasts of the 

 warren. Lords of warrens had the power of impounding the 

 greyhounds or other dogs, and the nets and snares of tres- 

 passers. 



In the consideration of England's old forests, it is well to 

 remember that subjects from time to time, in different shires, 

 were seized of lands within forest bounds ; but, when that was 

 the case, they were not allowed on such lands the right of 

 hunting, or of cutting trees, or of high fence making, or of 

 doing anything which could be interpreted as detrimental to 

 the deer, save by special grant from the Crown. 



It has been pointed out by Mr. Turner that the history of 

 English forests divides itself into three periods, namely, from 

 the earliest times up to 1217, when the Charter of the Forest 

 of Henry III. was granted ; from that date up to 1301, when 

 large tracts were disafforested by Edward I. ; and thirdly, from 

 1301 up to the present day. 



As to the story of the forests in the first of these periods, it 

 must largely partake of the nature of conjecture based upon 

 subsequent knowledge. 



As the Romans gradually made themselves masters of 

 England, they must have destroyed much of the vast extent 

 of woods that gave shelter to the British tribes. This work 

 of destruction begun in the later prehistoric stage was 

 accelerated by two other causes, apart from military reasons ; 

 wooded districts were cleared in order to use the richer tracts 

 for tillage and pasturage ; whilst the greater attention paid to 

 iron and lead smelting led to a steady diminution in timber 

 through the demands for fuel. 



The Saxons made further development of iron smelting 

 works. This gradual clearance of the natural woods, coupled 

 with enclosures of land round homesteads and settlements, 



