LEICESTERSHIRE AND RUTLAND 233 



was taken into the king's hands, because it was so far away 

 from the town and so near to the covert of the forest. 



The township of Knossington was in mercy because they 

 did not produce those whom they had pledged, namely, 

 Richard and William, who had been found with bows and 

 arrows on the road that led to Rockingham. 



The two Leicestershire verderers, Robert Langton and 

 Robert Sampson, were declared in mercy because their 

 statements contradicted the entries on their rolls. 



So far as Rutland was concerned, at the same eyre, their 

 two verderers were in mercy because " they did not that which 

 they ought," and two foresters and four verderers were in like 

 plight for a similar vaguely expressed cause. The town of 

 Oakham was at mercy for not producing Robert, a servant 

 of the Earl of Hereford, for whose appearance they were 

 pledged. The sheriff of Rutland was also liable because he 

 had not the prisoners who had been delivered to him by the 

 foresters to guard. 



A special inquisition of the forest of Leicester and Rutland 

 was held at Oakham in 1219. After the great storm of 1222, 

 separate letters were addressed to the foresters and verderers 

 of both Leicester and Rutland as to the disposal of the wind- 

 fall. Hasculf de Hathelakestan was at that time keeper 

 or warden of this joint forest. The sheriffs of both counties 

 were warned in 1224 to see that a regard was taken of this 

 forest. A yet more important and detailed regard was ordered 

 in 1229. 



Forest pleas were held at Oakham in 1256, and again in 

 June, 1269, f r tne forest of Rutland, but the proceedings 

 show that the term included the Leicestershire division. The 

 principal business that came before the justices on the latter 

 date were the serious charges of extortion and damage made 

 against Peter de Neville, the chief forester, and the foresters 

 and other ministers under him. The verderers, regarders, 

 and other knights and good men of the two counties, testified 

 on oath that since the last eyre which was held thirteen years 

 before, namely, in 1256 Peter de Neville had continually 

 appropriated to himself nuts, mast, and windfall, together 

 with thorn, hazel, and such-like small vert, and kept dogs and 

 greyhounds on the unlawful pleas of taking hares, foxes, 



