DUFFIELD FRITH 199 



their wives and children) petitioned the queen not to carry out 

 the project of leasing the underwood, as they had from time 

 beyond memory been accustomed to crop and browse of these 

 woods from Martinmas to the end of February for their cattle 

 whenever the weather was severe, paying a price for the same 

 at the end of the winter. If the leasing was carried out, they 

 considered they would be debarred from this, as well as from 

 their customary rights of fuel wood, and wood for the repairs 

 of their houses and hedges, and that they would " be utterly 

 impoverished thereby and constrayned to seek dwellings other 

 where." This petition was presented in September, 1587, 

 and in June, 1588, Edward Stanhope was appointed by the 

 Council of the duchy to enter into the grievances of these 

 tenants. On 5th July he met seven representatives of the 

 tenants at Nottingham, but after several adjournments they 

 were able to come to no satisfactory compromise. 



In 1592 another commission was appointed to secure true 

 measurements of the " woodgrounds " of the frith, but after 

 thrice meeting the commissioners, the local jury declared 

 that it was impossible to execute such a task, giving their 

 reasons at length, which were chiefly because of the various 

 barren and stony places with which the woodlands were 

 interspersed. 



The woodmote courts continued to be held and were busily 

 engaged in fining vert trespassers. At the court held at Cow- 

 house Lane in July, 1593, fifteen offenders who had carried off 

 green wood in Duffield ward were fined in sums varying from 

 $d. to 6d., thirty-nine in Belper ward, and sixty-four in 

 Hulland ward. The fines amounted to 35^. ; a pannage 

 court was held the same day, when a penny each was received 

 for 109 pigs. 



At a woodmote held at Hulland on 2ist September, 1597, 

 the only business transacted was the imposing two fines of 2s. 

 each for cutting down trees. At the woodmote held at Chevin 

 House, on nth August, 1598, many vert trespassers were pre- 

 sented. In the Belper ward one offender was charged with 

 removing so many " bigis Anglia sleydfulls " of wood. In 

 other returns of this reign the taking of sledges and drags of 

 woods are mentioned. Thomas Sympson incurred the heavy 

 fine of 3-r. 4^. for cutting various birches. 



