SHERWOOD FOREST 215 



f 

 Before the justices left Nottingham, they issued a series 



of pardons for both venison and vert offences. Amongst the 

 eighteen pardoned were Sir John le Bret, the rector of Annesley, 

 and the vicar of Edwinstowe. 



In 1340, the king pardoned John, Bishop of Carlisle, for 

 killing a doe in Sherwood Forest and taking it away. 



In the accounts presented by William Latimer, who was 

 then keeper of Sherwood Forest, for the years 1368-9, record 

 is made of the whole of the attachment courts. The return 

 shows that substantial efforts were then made to comply with 

 the forest law by holding attachments every forty days in each 

 district ; Edwinstowe was the only centre that fell short of the 

 proper number, having but seven of these forest courts during 

 the twelvemonth ; nine each were held at Mansfield, Lindley, 

 and Calverton. There are no special features about the pre- 

 sentments of that year. 



The Sherwood exchequer accounts for 1395-6 show that 

 30 of the forest profits were that year expended upon the 

 royal lodge or manor house of Clipston. 



The accounts for 1430-2 give full details of the agistment 

 of the park of Clipston ; cows were charged from 6d. to lod. 

 each, and calves ^d. ; the total agistment for 1431 came to 

 2os. *]d. Particulars are also given of the pannage in Best- 

 wood park ; the average charge for each pig at this date 

 was 2d. 



From an inspeximus and confirmation granted to the monks 

 of Rufford in 1462, citing all their old royal charters, it ap- 

 peared that the men of Clipston and Edwinstowe were not 

 allowed to take anything from the abbey woods that were 

 within the forest, and that the monks were at liberty to sell all 

 windfalls within their woods, and to root up dead stumps, and 

 take heather without let or hindrance. 



Sir William Hastings, in 1471, was granted for life by the 

 Crown, the offices of constable of Nottingham Castle, together 

 with that of keeper and steward of Sherwood Forest, and the 

 keepership or wardship of all the parks and woods, with every 

 possible privilege of agistment, pannage, cheminage, dog- 

 silver, etc. The abuse of accumulating a great number of 

 distinct forest offices in one man's hands and allowing all the 

 work to be done by poorly paid underlings or deputies began, 



