242 THE ROYAL FORESTS OF ENGLAND 



malefactors standing at their trees turned in defence and shot arrows 

 at the foresters, so that they wounded Mathew, the forester of the 

 park of Brigstock, with two Welsh arrows, to wit with one arrow 

 under the left breast, to the depth of one hand slantwise, and with 

 the second arrow in the left arm to the depth of two fingers, so that 

 it was despaired of the life of the said Mathew. And the foresters 

 pursued the aforesaid malefactors so vigorously that they turned and 

 fled into the thickness of the wood. And the foresters on account of 

 the darkness could follow them no more. And thereupon an inquisi- 

 tion was made at Benefield before William of Northampton, then 

 bailiff of the forest, and the foresters and verderers of the country 

 on the day of the Invention of the Holy Cross, in the same year, by 

 four townships neighbouring on the laund of Benefield, to wit, by 

 Stoke, Carlton, Great Oakley, and Corby. 



''Stoke comes, and being sworn says that it knows nothing 

 thereof except only that the foresters attacked the malefactors with 

 hue and cry until the darkness of the night came, and that one of the 

 foresters was wounded. And it does not know whose were the grey- 

 hounds. Carlton comes, and being sworn says the same. Corby 

 comes, and being sworn says the same. Great Oakley comes and, 

 being sworn, says that it saw four men and one tawny greyhound 

 following them, to wit, one with a crossbow and three with bows 

 and arrows, and it hailed them and followed them with the foresters 

 until the darkness of night came, so that on account of the dark- 

 ness of night and the thickness of the wood it knew not what became 

 of them." 



Pledges were taken of the four townships to appear at the 

 next pleas. The arrows with which Mathew was wounded 

 were delivered to Sir Robert Basset and John Lovet, the ver- 

 derers, and the greyhounds were sent to Sir Robert Passelewe, 

 then justice of the forest. 



Another inquisition of i3th January, 1347, is well worth 

 giving in full : 



" It happened on the Sunday next after the Epiphany, in the 

 thirty-first year of the reign of King Henry, that when Maurice de 

 Meht, who said that he was with Sir Robert Passelewe, passed in 

 the morning with two horses through the town of Sudborough, he 

 saw three men carrying a sack. And when he saw them he suspected 

 them, and followed them as far as the town of Sudborough with his 

 bow stretched. And when the three men saw him following them, they 

 threw away the sack and fled. And Maurice took the sack and 





