THE FOREST OF THE HIGH PEAK 175 



ing on the champagne " wherebye the feedinge for the seid 

 dere is utterlye consumed, and therebye allso the said deare 

 forced to flee out of the seid forest for their relyfe whereas 

 they be killed and destroyed," commanded Robert Eyre 

 to drive these sheep to the castle of the Peak ; that this 

 order was carried out without killing, destroying, or hurting 

 any of the shefcp ; that the sheep were only impounded for half 

 an hour, by which time Bagott's shepherd and the other 

 owners claimed the same, paying, according to ancient custom, 

 a penny for every score. 



Humphrey Barley, William Needham, Thomas Bagshawe, 

 and William Bagshawe, yeomen and foresters-of-fee, who had 

 " charge custodye and looking unto of all the Quenes Majesties 

 games of warren and especially hir game of Redd deare within 

 the same forrest, and to answere for the defaults and negligent 

 kepinge of the same game of dere yf the same should be 

 ympeyned and destroyed," reported in 1567 " that the game of 

 redd deare in this the forest hath bene much decayed about 

 twoe yeares last past by reason of two extreme wynters in the 

 same yeares, and that through the extremetie of the wether 

 specyallye frost and snowe having no browse to helpe the same 

 dere, for that ytt ys a champion and playne place wherein no 

 wood groweth, manye of the said deare be dead and manye 

 of them be strayed into other foorests and places adjoynyng 

 and are not herto retorned nor to be recovered so that there 

 remayneth not of rede deere in the said forrest of all sortes 

 eyther fallow male or rascall above the nomber of xxx dere 

 in all." In consequence of this the foresters sent in this 

 statement lest they should be accused of negligence, and prayed 

 the chancellor (Sir Ralph Sadler) that a restraint may be had 

 in hunting or slaying the game by any warrant whatsoever for 

 six years, until the red deer be replenished to their former 

 number, which was about 360, and to signify the same re- 

 straint to the Earl of Shrewsbury, the queen's master of the 

 game of Peak Forest. 



A court of attachment held at Tideswell on 22nd October, 



1566, and fourteen vert offenders were fined, bringing in the 

 aggregate sum of 4^. zd. At the next court, held 28th April, 



1567, los. 2d. was the total of the fines. 



In June, 1561 the queen issued a commission of inquiry as to 



