282 THE ROYAL FORESTS OF ENGLAND 



tinuance of the Mine Law Court, space prohibits us to enter. 

 The more recent development of coal and iron industries in 

 this beautiful district is also foreign to our purpose. 



As to the deer, which seem to have been almost entirely 

 fallow after the Restoration, they became much reduced in 

 number by the end of the eighteenth century, although a most 

 elaborate and costly staff of forest officials were maintained. 

 The commission of 1788 found that there was a warden, six 

 deputy wardens, four verderers, a steward of the swainmote 

 court (which never sat), nine foresters-in-fee, nine woodwards, 

 and six keepers ! Mr. Charles Edwin, chief forester-of-fee and 

 bowbearer, told the commissioners that he was entitled to the 

 right shoulder of all bucks and does killed in the forest, and 

 to ten fee-bucks and ten fee-does annually ; and that as bow- 

 bearer it was his duty to attend the king with bow and arrow 

 and with six men clothed in green whenever His Majesty 

 might be pleased to hunt in the forest. But though receiving 

 all his venison perquisites, this chief forester-of-fee was so 

 ignorant of any corresponding duties, that he could not tell 

 the commissioners the number of deer or anything as to 

 venison warrants executed in the forest. From the six keepers 

 the commissioners gained the vague information that they 

 believed there were about 500 " of all sort" in the forest. 

 The deer were finally all destroyed or removed from the forest 

 in 1850, as the result of Lord Duncan's committee of the 

 previous year, to the number of about 150 bucks and 300 

 does. The general feeling at that time was that their presence 

 had a demoralising effect as an inducement to poaching. 



