ioo THE ROYAL FORESTS OF ENGLAND 



neighbouring woods under certain restrictions. This was 

 probably done to prevent the forests of Wyersdale and Myers- 

 cough, adjoining the county town, being disafforested, as was 

 evidently the intention of the inquest of 1228, wherein they 

 are not named as exceptions to the general disafforesting. 

 Wyersdale forest, which took its name from the river, con- 

 tained about 20,000 acres ; Quernmore, to the north of it, 

 about 7,000 acres ; Myerscough, about 2,200 acres, skirted the 

 great north road from Preston to Lancaster ; whilst Bleasdale 

 was coextensive with the township of that name. 



By charter of 3Oth June, 1267, Henry III. granted to his 

 son Edmund the honor and castle of Lancaster, together with 

 the vaccaries and forests of Wyersdale and Lonsdale, etc. But 

 they were to be considered forests, and not chases of private 

 ownership ; and hence were entitled to be ruled by forest pleas 

 held by the king's justices. 



Long notice was given of the rarely held eyre of justices for 

 forest pleas, proposed to be held for the county of Lancaster at 

 Easter, 1287. The first summons was issued for it in October, 

 1286, when it was stated that the justices would be William 

 de Vesey, Thomas de Normanvill, and Richard de Crepping. 

 But this arrangement was subsequently cancelled. On 8th 

 February the sheriff was instructed to order a preliminary 

 regard of the forest to be taken, and ten days later he was 

 ordered to issue summonses for an eyre to be held a month 

 after Easter before Robert Brabazon and William Wyther. 

 At these pleas forty-eight cases of venison trespass were pre- 

 sented. In at least one case, that of Nicholas de Lee, the 

 chartered privileges of King John were pleaded in defence of 

 hunting in the king's forest. 



There are various records extant of attachment courts of the 

 forests of Quernmore and Wyersdale, which were under joint 

 jurisdiction, temp. Edward I. The offences were chiefly venison 

 trespass. The courts were always held on a Thursday, and 

 presided over by the two verderers, John le Gentil and John 

 de Caton. There are records of eight courts held in 1299, nine 

 in 1300, and four in 1301. 



The venison trespasses for this and other years show that 

 there were both fallow and red deer in the Lancaster forests of 

 this date, though the latter were the more numerous, and the 



