120 THE ROYAL FORESTS OF ENGLAND 



In a schedule supplied to the Commission of fallow deer 

 killed or taken out of the park of Blandsby, within the honor of 

 Pickering, by the steward and his deputies or by others at his 

 command, 12 are entered for 1488, including a buck each for the 

 dean of York and for the abbot of St. Mary, York; and 12 died 

 in the summer of that year of murrain. Of the 15 does killed 

 at Michaelmas, in 1489, 6 were retained by the steward and 



2 by his clerk ; 6 died of murrain. But of 16 deer killed at 

 Easter of that year, the steward kept 4 bucks, and his clerk 



3 does ; the murrain carried off 8 male deer. At Michaelmas, 

 1490, 13 deer were killed by the steward's orders, all does, of 

 which the dean of York received one ; the murrain was respon- 

 sible for the death of six. From this date up to the holding of 

 the Commission the number of deer killed by the steward's 

 orders averaged 15 a year. Of those killed at Easter, 1491, a 

 buck was assigned to " the weddyng of Crystofer Peghen," and 

 another "to making of a Preest." The last entry probably 

 refers to a feast given at Pickering by the parents of one who 

 had been admitted to priest's orders. 



A separate schedule was presented of "the herts, hinds, and 

 other reade dere which have been taken by Bryan Sampford 

 Esquyre, steward of the honor of Pykeringe," or his deputies, 

 between 1488 and 1493. They included 9 harts, 3 hinds, 2 

 brocket, and i " Hyrsill." A hind was also found hurt with a 

 harrow in Newton Dale, which had to be slain. During this 

 period 15 red deer died of the murrain. 



A prolonged and fierce dispute arose between Hastings and 

 Chomley as to this forest, of which extraordinarily full records 

 are still extant. Members of the Hastings family had been 

 frequently stewards of the honor of Pickering, constables of its 

 castle, and masters or keepers of the forest for some two centuries. 

 Richard II. had appointed Sir Edmund Hastings to these 

 offices, and Henry VII. had confirmed the appointment, and 

 made him also keeper of Blandsby park in the second year of 

 his reign. But Henry had soon cause to note the lax way in 

 which the old officials of the duchy discharged their duties, 

 and on the death of Sir Edmund Hastings severed the official 

 connection of that family with the honor of Pickering. Sir 

 Roger Hastings, as tenant of Kingthorpe, became one of the 

 foresters-of-fee, but Brian Sandford became master forester and 



