326 THE ROYAL FORESTS OF ENGLAND 



of the king's game in winter, but "many yeres heretofore no 

 deer Browse hath been allowed or cattle for releafe of the 

 deare, whereby they have been forced in dead tyme of winter 

 to forsake the Foreste, and to seeke their releife in the Bor- 

 derers house groundes to the dammage and spoyle of his 

 Mat? 68 game." 



Braden was disafforested in the time of Charles II. 



SAVERNAKE 



The important Wiltshire forest of Severnake lay to the south 

 of Marl borough, and was divided into two bailiwicks, the one 

 in the hundred of Selkley, and the other in the hundred of 

 Kinwardstone. 



The references to this forest in the rolls of Henry III. and 

 subsequent reigns, concerning royal gifts therefrom of deer, 

 roe deer, and timber, as well as appointments of keepers, 

 foresters, verderers, etc., are of very frequent occurrence. 

 Much, too, can be gleaned from the forest pleas and other forest 

 rolls. The following instances are reproduced as examples of 

 twenty-nine presentments of venison trespasses before the forest 

 justices, temp Henry VII., chiefly against the Wroughton and 

 Darrell families. The pleas were held at Amesbury on 25th 

 August, 1490 : 



' ' William Tailor vnderkeper of the verme bayle presentith that 

 John Wroughton esquier Thomas Wroughton John Perot William 

 Belson David Welshman John Barowe John Longden with other the 

 Thursday next after the feast of the Trinite the first yere of our 

 sovraigne Lord Kyng Henry the VII th hunted Cobham Fryth Holt 

 Lese and the Lityll ffrithe and there kylled a Sower with bowys and 

 arowes. 



"Thomas Kyng vnderforster of Iwode presentith that Sir Edward 

 Darell Knyght John Baynton gent John Cradeley David Walsman 

 John a Wood and John Langden with other of his servantes the 

 morowe after the feast of Seint John Baptiste the v th yere of our 

 seid sovraign Lord out of Monttisfonte Copys a Doo and a fawne 

 kylled in the cheif of the fense monyth and their houndes thorough 

 ranne the forest to the great distrucion of the Kynge peace." 



An interesting portion of the old forest of Savernake, about 

 4,000 acres, containing much fine old timber, has been pre- 



