FORESTS OF SOMERSETSHIRE 337 



(not "beans," as Mr. Rawle has it). Several offenders were 

 also fined half a mark for waste of wood. 



At the eyre held at Ilchester in 1270, there were upwards of 

 fifty vert trespassers presented. In a few cases the fine was 2s. , 

 but in general it was i2d. ; the justices imposed no fine in five 

 instances in consequence of the poverty of the offender. The 

 venison trespassers presented by the foresters and by Philip 

 de Luccombe and Richard de Bradley, the verderers, were not 

 numerous, considering that thirteen years had elapsed since the 

 last eyre. Simon, the miller of Dulverton, Ralph Bulbe, and 

 John de Reygny caught a stag on St. George's Day, 1259, 

 and carried it to the house of William de Reygny. Simon 

 made no appearance, and a writ was addressed to the sheriff of 

 Devon. Ralph could not be found, and a writ of exigent was 

 issued. John and William de Reygny were committed to 

 prison, but released on the payment of ten marks and finding 

 pledges for their future behaviour. In another case, Thomas 

 le Shetten and William Wyne were charged with entering the 

 forest on Easter Eve, 1267, with bows and arrows, with the 

 intent of wrong-doing to the king's venison. They hunted a 

 hind, and chased her into the wood of Longcombe, without 

 the forest bounds, and there caught her, and carried her away 

 to their houses at Molland. The same two men were charged 

 with often entering the forest with evil intent, when they were 

 harboured in the house of John, then chaplain of Hawkridge. 

 The chaplain came to the eyre and was put in prison, but the 

 other two made no appearance, and a writ for their arrest was 

 directed to the sheriff of Devon. Before the court was dissolved, 

 John the chaplain was pardoned for the sake of the king's soul 

 (pro anima Regis}. 



At an inquisition held at Langport before a deputy justice of 

 the forest, in 1333, in addition to two cases of venison trespass, 

 Richard le Webbe and two others of Moulton were convicted 

 of burning the heath of 1,000 acres on the hills of the forest, 

 to the damage of the king and to the injury of his deer. At 

 the same time, William Cobbel, rector of Oare, was convicted 

 of felling saplings in the wood of Oare, and carrying them off 

 for his own purpose. 



Various other inquisitions as to the state of Exmoor, held 

 before forest justices or their deputies at Somerton, Taunton, 



