THE FORESTS OF LANCASHIRE 99 



In the first year of King John, Benedict Gernet held the 

 serjeanty of the forest of the whole county, for which he 

 rendered an annual payment of 26 13$. <\d. In the same 

 year (1200) the king granted leave by charter to the knights 

 and freeholders dwelling in his forest of the honor of Lan- 

 caster to use their own woods as they willed, declaring them 

 exempt from the regard of the forest. For these privileges the 

 knights and freeholders paid into the Exchequer, in the follow- 

 ing year, the considerable sum of .283 17^. In 1206, John 

 conferred the keepership of the Lancaster forests on Gilbert 

 Fitz-Reinfred, one of his favourite barons. 



John granted to the house of the lepers of St. Leonard's, 

 Lancaster, considerable privileges in the forest of Lonsdale, 

 where they might graze their beasts, gather dead wood'for fuel, 

 and have timber sufficient for the repairs of their dwellings. 

 Some time before 1220, Henry III. appointed Roger Gernet, 

 forester-of-fee of Lonsdale, to the general keepership ; in that 

 year the lepers petitioned the king for relief from the exactions 

 of Gernet, who claimed an ox from them in recompense for 

 their winter agistment, and a cow for the summer pasturing ; 

 nor would he allow them to take wood for fuel or house repairs. 



A writ was at once directed to the sheriff of Lancaster 

 instructing him to stay the exactions of Roger Gernet, and 

 a confirmation charter was sent to the lepers, allowing all 

 their privileges without any payment in money or kind. From 

 this and from a subsequent slightly amended confirmation we 

 learn that the lepers were originally indebted to Henry II. for 

 their forest favours, and that John merely ratified his father's 

 grant. Nine years later the pasturage rights of the lepers 

 were restricted to a certain defined area of the forest. In 1227 

 Roger Gernet was confirmed in the custody of Lancaster 

 Forest. 



A perambulation of the Lancashire forests was undertaken 

 in 1228, on the king's precept, by William Blundel, Thomas 

 de Bethune, and ten other knights, who said that the whole 

 forests of Lancaster ought, according to the Forest Charter, to 

 be disafforested, save Quernmore, Conet, Bleasdale, Fulwood, 

 Toxteth, Derby, and Burtonwood. In the following year a 

 confirmation of John's charter to the knights and freeholders of 

 Lancaster was granted by Henry III. for the enjoyment of the 



