12 THE ROYAL FORESTS OF ENGLAND 



business of the court. It was also usual for juries from the 

 different hundreds to be summoned ; but their duty, as well 

 as that of the men from the townships, seems to have been 

 confined to attesting the truth of any statements affecting their 

 districts which might appear on the rolls, and to being amerced 

 for any particular neglect that might be brought to light. As 

 to any jury proper, at these pleas, for the purpose of pronounc- 

 ing a verdict on the delinquents, there is no trace ; such 

 decisions were left entirely in the hands of the justices. 



By article nine of the Forest Charter, a man might be 

 imprisoned for a year and a day ; but in practice, so far as the 

 eyre was concerned, a fine seems to have been the invariable 

 judgment of the justices. These fines were so apportioned 

 to the position and means of the delinquents, that they could, 

 as a rule, be readily paid ; and there are various instances 

 in which, after being pronounced "in mercy," they were 

 excused payment on the ground of poverty. The sheriff was 

 ordered to arrest those who failed to appear, and sentence of 

 outlawry was at last pronounced, after the due number of 

 summons before the county court. The fines imposed on 

 offending foresters, verderers, or other forest ministers were 

 rightly of a much heavier character than those imposed on 

 ordinary offenders. 



With regard to the venison pleas, the chief forester was ex- 

 pected to answer for all manner of venison delivered by 

 warrant or otherwise since the last eyre. Under these pleas 

 also came all the presentments for illegal or supposed illegal 

 venison trespass of every kind, including the receiving of 

 venison illicitly killed, or the harbouring of known offenders. 



The vert pleas dealt with all the charges connected with 

 damage to timber or underwood, its felling, carrying off, un- 

 lawful sale, or misappropriation, as well as the grant of "fee" 

 or gift trees. The question of vert is dealt with more in detail 

 in the section on forest trees. 



In addition to the question of assarts and purprestures, 

 another important matter always brought before the forest 

 eyre was the list of claims or privileges by royal grant or 

 charter, the majority of which were usually held by the 

 religious houses. Each case had to be duly discussed and 

 sanctioned, or refused, or curtailed, at each successive eyre. 



