122 THE ROYAL FORESTS OF ENGLAND 



chronicled. Fallow deer : 4 buck, 2 sowers, 3 does ; red deer : 

 14 stags, 5 bucks, 17 harts, 19 hinds, 18 calves (both hind and 

 hart, but not always specified which), and 3 hyrsills. In 

 addition to this, 6 stags, i hart, i hind, and i calf had been 

 found dead in Langdon and Newton Dale with arrows in them. 



The answer of Sir Richard Cholmley to the bill of complaint 

 of Sir Roger Hastings was brief, vigorous, and to the point. 

 He said that the charges were false, and only intended to 

 vex and trouble him, that neither the abbot of Whitby nor the 

 dean of York had ever had any timber out of Pickering forest 

 since he had been an official ; that the whole of the charges as 

 to the waste of wood were false, save that stubbs were delivered 

 to certain tenants by his officers for "firebote," according to 

 ancient usage. As to the game, he had given " certain dear to 

 the lords and gentylmen borderyng unto the said forrest 

 to thentent that they shuld be lovyng and favorable to the 

 kynges game there," and that their number and condition were 

 better than they had been when he entered on his office. 



As a counterblast to this long and definite complaint, Roger 

 Cholmley (brother to Richard) and others laid complaints of a 

 much shorter character before the chancellor, in the following 

 year, as to certain offences committed by Sir Roger Hastings 

 in Pickering Lithe. 



It became necessary to hold a local inquiry. The inquisi- 

 tion was opened at Pickering on ist May, 1503. The jury 

 found that in the year 1501 a stag was killed at Cross Cliff 

 for Lord Clifford ; a hart at Goathland for the Bishop of Carlisle ; 

 a stag for the Archbishop of York ; a hart for the Abbot 

 of Fountains; a stag for the Receiver-General of the Duchy; a 

 stag for Mr. Empson ; a stag killed by Sir Richard Cholmley 

 and given to the Ambassador of Scotland ; a stag killed by 

 Sir John Hotham and Sir Richard Cholmley ; and a brocket 

 killed by Sir Ralph Bigot ; also a buck and doe without 

 licence by two yeomen. The jury further stated that the red 

 deer in the forest of Pickering then numbered " 200 over and 

 above the number that were founden at thentre of the said 

 Sir Richard Cholmeley, and whereas the said Sir Richard 

 upon iiij yeres passed founde at his entre to said parke 

 (Blandsby) xviij score falowe dere, there be nowe 500 or 

 more." 



