324 THE ROYAL FORESTS OF ENGLAND 



a pricket ; William Heyden and his assistants, for clerical 

 labour and attendance at the sessions, to four roers ; and 

 Thomas Unwin, as sheriff of Wilts, a buck. The claims to 

 liberties of the abbot of Stanley, the prioress of Ambresbury, the 

 abbess of Lacock, the priors of Farley and Brodenstoke, the 

 Bishop of Salisbury, the Duchess of York, the Countess of 

 Warwick, and three others were enrolled. 



The army of officials, however, reported omma bene, and as 

 the various claims were all of long standing, it may be said 

 that the whole business was nil, save that the findings of the 

 swainmote court held on the previous gth of June were duly 

 enrolled, recording the conviction of several transgressors for 

 venison offences. 



It was also recorded that in the first year of Henry VI I. 's 

 reign 82 deer died of murrain, namely, 27 bucks, 35 does, and 

 20 fawns ; and in the second year the great number of 340, 

 namely, 140 male, 200 female ; and in the third year 140, of 

 which number 50 were male and the rest female. There 

 seem to have been no red deer in this forest at that date. 



Most of this forest was disafforested in the days of James I., 

 but the Crown at that time retained the liberty of Bowood, 

 adjacent to Calne, which was part of Pewsham forest. This 

 was one of the best timbered districts of the forest, and in 

 1649 the Commonwealth caused a great number of the finest 

 trees to be felled to pay the expenses of the army, under the 

 authority of an Act of the Parliament. Fortunately, however, 

 under the administration nf the famous John Pym, who was 

 for many years a representative of the borough of Calne, the 

 destruction was stayed. In 1653, Bowood, "late parcel of the 

 possessions of Charles Stewart late King of England," was 

 surveyed, when it was found to consist of 958 acres, bearing 

 10,921 trees. At the Restoration, Bowood reverted to the 

 Crown, but Charles II. sold it to Sir Orlando Bridgman, and 

 thus the last remnant of this once great forest jurisdiction 

 came to an end. 



Bowood, which is now the seat and property of the Marquis 

 of Lansdowne, still preserves large tracts of wood and finely 

 timbered lands outside the immediate park. The park of 254 

 acres has a herd of 200 fallow deer, and has many well-grown 

 trees beech, oak, elm, and chestnut. To the immediate south 



