CHAPTER XXVII 



THE FORESTS OF WILTS 



CLARENDON 



THERE is clear evidence that the forest of Clarendon, 

 Wilts, formed part of the royal demesne in pre-Norman 

 days. The nuns of Wilton, at the time of the Domesday 

 Survey, had a customary right in the wood of Milchet to four- 

 score loads of firewood, pannage for fourscore swine, together 

 with as much timber as was requisite for keeping their houses 

 and fences in repair. The parks of Milchet and Buckholt and 

 the forest of Panshet were original members of Clarendon 

 forest according to the thirteenth-century Hundred Rolls. In 

 the interesting account given in Hoare's county history, it is 

 stated that the earliest general view of this forest is to be found 

 in these rolls of the end of Henry III. and beginning of Edward I. 

 But this is scarcely correct, for the Close Rolls of the early part 

 of the reign of Henry III. abound in references to the forest and 

 its component members, as might naturally be expected from 

 the fact of Clarendon being such a favourite residence of our 

 kings in the thirteenth century. 



The timber of the forest was a great boon to the district, 

 and freely granted by the king for ecclesiastical and other 

 purposes. Six oaks were granted in 1222 to Gilbert de Lacy 

 for building a chapel in his court at Britford ; in 1223, 

 fourteen large pieces of timber (vj posies iiij pannas et iiij 

 *solivas) from the rootfallen or cablish trees to make a granary 

 at Eblebourn ; in 1224, all the cablish timber, not yet sold, 

 for the fabric of the cathedral church of New Sarum, which 

 had been begun four years before ; in 1230, three oaks to the 

 prioress of Amesbury for making the nuns' stalls, and five 

 oaks to help the Franciscan friars in building their house at 

 Salisbury; and in 1231, five good oaks out of Milchet wood 



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