6 THE ROYAL FORESTS OF ENGLAND 



Essex and Surrey. The complaints of the hardships caused 

 by this autocratic proceeding gradually gained strength. 

 Certain disafforestations were made even by Henry II. ; but 

 in 1215 John was compelled to agree, by one of the articles 

 of Magna Charta, to the disafforesting of all the great tracts 

 of country which had been made forest during his own reign. 



Soon after this, in 1217, the child-king Henry was made 

 to issue the Charter of the Forest, in consideration of a grant 

 of one-fifteenth of all movables of the whole kingdom. By 

 this instrument it was provided that all forests, which 

 Henry II. had afforested, should be viewed by good and 

 lawful men ; and that all that had been made forest, other 

 than his own royal demesne, was forthwith to be disafforested. 

 In accordance with this charter special perambulations were 

 ordered to be made before March, 1224-5, by twelve knights 

 elected for the purpose. 



There is much confusion among both national and local 

 historians as to the number and extent of England's forests 

 at this period ; and certain of our State documents appear to 

 be somewhat contradictory. Fortunately, however, a great 

 gale, that affected almost the whole of England towards the 

 close of the year 1222, was the incidental cause of furnishing 

 the longest extant list, of an early date, of England's royal 

 forests. The windfall was so considerable, that Henry III. 

 issued orders to the forest officials not to interfere with any 

 of the prostrate trees or broken branches until further orders, 

 and at once to proceed to draw up a careful valuation of their 

 worth. Letters to this effect were despatched to 



Viridariis et forestariis de feodo de foresta de Dene, Nova 

 Foresta, Brikestok, Braden, Rokingham, Lye, Brehull 

 (Bucks), Galteriz, Windlesore, inter Usam et Derewentem, 

 Huntindonie, Shirewud, Rotelande, Clive (Northants), Brun- 

 ningemor (Berks), Cumberland, Penber (Hants), comitatus 

 Leicestrie, Clay (Salop), Lya (Salop), Melkesham and Chipe- 

 ham, Get, Savernac (Wilts), Northumberland, Lancastria, 

 Salopa, Kenefer, Canoe, Alrewas, Hopwas, Kenillewurth 

 (haia et parco), Selewud, Nerechirch (Somerset), Graveling, 

 Gillingeham, Pikering, Porcestre, Essexie, Wichewud, Axis- 

 holt, Notingham, and Periton (parco). 



At the same time, like injunctions were forwarded to the 



