THE FORESTS OF DORSETSHIRE 331 



two other foresters, the launder, the servant of the lieutenant, 

 the bailiff and his fellows of the hundred of Redlane, and 

 also of the manor of Gillingham, the two verderers, eight 

 regarders, and the reeves and " four-men " of each of the town- 

 ships of Gillingham, Motcombe, and Brayton. 



The business transacted chiefly consisted in assigning the 

 perquisites of oaks, roers, and bucks to the officials, and the 

 registering of liberty claims within the forest. The jury of 

 the hundred of Redlane presented a list of various persons 

 who had felled oaks, but in almost each instance they knew not 

 the number nor the warrant. 



One of the questions discussed at these pleas was the right 

 to a deer-leap, which formed part of the fence of a small park 

 three miles distant from the bounds of Gillingham Forest. 

 The nature of the saltatorium, or deer-leap, has been explained 

 in the sixth chapter. In this case the justices ordered its 

 removal, as a jury, after an inquest, decided that it had been 

 erected since the last eyre, and without any licence. 



BLACKMORE 



A large tract of the north and western parts of the county, 

 comprising several hundreds, known as the vale or forest of 

 Blackmore, was all forest in early Norman days ; but much of 

 it passed from under the forest laws in the time of Henry II., 

 and still more through the Forest Charter of Henry III. 

 Nevertheless, a considerable district remained forest, and was 

 known as Blackmore forest until a much later period. The 

 Close Rolls, etc., of Henry III. show that the king made 

 many gifts of red, fallow, and roe deer out of this forest, as 

 well as timber. In 1230 an oak was granted for the repair of 

 the bridge of Corfe Castle. In the same year the forest bailiff 

 was instructed to supply the distant Bishop of Durham with 

 seven does against Christmas ; and in the following year to 

 furnish the Bishop of Exeter with ten does towards stocking a 

 park. Camden says that it used to be known as the White 

 Hart Forest, and gives the following story to account for the 

 name. Henry III., when hunting here, ran down several 

 deer, and rinding a beautiful white hart amongst them, caused 

 its life to be spared. Shortly afterwards a neighbouring gentle- 



