CHAPTER VII 

 THE TREES OF THE FOREST 



AFTER the end of the glacial period, the first of the trees 

 to obtain firm lodgment in the soil would be the hardiest 

 kinds, such as the birch, elder, aspen, and willow, to- 

 gether with the more sturdy shrubs, such as the holly, juniper, 

 blackthorn, whitethorn, and gorse. As time advanced, the 

 more gregarious kinds, such as the oak and hazel, so abundant 

 among the fossil flora, would follow ; whilst other trees, such 

 as the beech, ash, hornbeam, and sycamore would gain foot- 

 hold in their respective localities. Most of the other trees that 

 have been for many centuries of common occurrence in this 

 country, such as the English elm, sweet chestnut, lime, and 

 poplar, were introduced during the Roman occupation. 



Our earliest known forest laws paid great attention to the 

 preservation of timber, more especially lest their destruction 

 or the disturbance of the woods should be prejudicial to the 

 king's game. The forest law attributed to Canute states that 

 anyone touching wood or underwood in a royal forest, without 

 the licence of the forest ministers, was to be held guilty of a 

 breach of the chase. Anyone cutting an oak or other tree 

 that bore fruit for the deer was to pay 2os. to the king in 

 addition. 



Henry II., by the Assize of Woodstock, ordained that 

 foresters were to be held responsible for the destruction of 

 demesne woods. The sale of any of the king's wood without 

 warrant was prohibited. 



In most forests, tenants, as well as privileged persons in the 

 vicinity, had limited rights to housebote, haybote, and firebote, 

 or to one or more of these privileges ; that is to say, wood 



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