FORESTRY 



In spite of these reservations great waste was 

 made in the woods after Serjeant Pigott's death, 

 and it was probably on this account that a swain- 

 mote 87 was held at Whaddon just before Holy 

 Rood Day, on 12 September, 17 Hen. VIII. 



Thomas Wendilborough, the keeper of the 

 park, deposed that a buck, a ' sore,' a ' sorell,' and 

 certain ' rascalls ' had died of murrain during the 

 preceding year and 'are hanged upon the trees.' 

 The two keepers of the chase, the keeper of the 

 Prior's Wood, and the keeper of the Abbot's Wood 

 also gave united testimony that a buck, a doe, 

 and seven ' rascalls ' had died of murrain in the 

 chase during the same time, and their bodies were 

 similarly exhibited. One poaching case in the 

 queen's park was presented, Robert Spencer, 

 gentleman, having been responsible for the death 

 of a ' pricket ' killed in the month of June 

 previous to the holding of the court. Five 

 persons were fined id. a piece for building and 

 retaining hog-sties in the chase, while the keeper 

 of the Abbot's Wood had made a 'park' within 

 the chase and taken pannage and herbage in the 

 wood aforesaid to the grave damage of the queen. 

 In this last case the jury found that the queen 

 had been wont time out of mind to have pannage 

 and herbage, waif and stray, and all other liberties 

 in the Abbot's Wood except such wood and 

 underwood as was reserved for the Abbot's use. 

 This matter was evidently regarded as of some 

 importance and reserved for the consideration of 

 the queen's councils. There had also been laxity 

 as to the commoning of sheep, 88 and direction was 

 given that the ancient customs relating thereto 

 should be observed under a penalty of 40^. in 

 each case of default. Furthermore, an entry as 

 to common-rights relating to Newton Longville 

 seems to indicate that in the abeyance of the 

 regular swainmote these matters, as they affected 

 the chase, were dealt with in the ordinary courts 

 of the manor. 



The most serious matter, however, which 

 engaged the attention of this court was the waste 

 of the vert both in the chase and park. The 

 jury returned that since the death of Thomas 

 Pigott 392 oaks and 18 ashes had been cut 

 down, and more than 600 loads of underwood 

 and ' top and lop ' (subbosci et rami) carried off 

 within the chase, as well as 137 oaks, 52 

 ashes, and 700 loads of underwood likewise 

 wasted in the park. The underwood and ' top 

 and lop ' was valued at the rate of bd. a load. 

 Moreover, Mrs. Pigott had broken and destroyed 

 the ' Capud Stagni vocatum le Newenton Pond- 



" Court Rolls (P.R.O.), bdle. 155, No. 19. 



* This was a frequent bone of contention daring 

 the early seventeenth century in forests and chases ; cf. 

 r.C.H. Essex, ii ; V.C.H. Glouc. ii, ' Forestry.' A* 

 regards Whaddon Chases especially, we know from 

 other sources that 'Sheep were not to be allowed 

 unfolded in the wood commons." B.M. Add. MS. 

 37069, fol. 147. 



hede ' in the chase and taken out all the fish. 

 The jury found that her late husband and his 

 predecessors had always full fishing rights in the 

 pool in question, but Mrs. Pigott, in utterly de- 

 stroying the fish, had evidently exceeded her 

 powers, and she was ordered to repair the pond- 

 head and re-stock it. 



A final presentment was made as to the parties 

 responsible for the keeping up of the boundary or 

 fence of the chase. 8 * 



A year or more later we have further evidence 

 of Mrs. Pigott's reckless proceedings in certain 

 articles * exhibited against her ' for wastes and 

 destruccions by her and her keepers done within 

 the Queen's Chase and Park of Whaddon ' from 

 the time of her husband's death till Michaelmas, 

 1 8 Hen. VIII. The trees felled are there esti- 

 mated at 600. Some of these were sold at ICM. 

 a piece, others carried to Doddershall for 

 the building of her new house there, while of 

 four wood-sales in Nicols Wood and the sale 

 of Lusshepytt and the Frith coppices she had 

 rendered no account. The underwood felled 

 was estimated as previously at 1,300 loads and 

 much more, and the destruction had continued 

 since the queen was last at Whaddon.* 1 



The slaughter done amongst the queen's deer 

 was even more serious. In one year only, from 

 Holy Rood Day, 17 Hen. VIII, to the same date 

 in the following year, more than sixty deer had 

 been killed in the chase, and in the 'grece tyme* 

 last past the keepers had killed at least twenty, 

 which was a very grievous offence. Nine or ten 

 fawns had been given to various persons, and the 

 keeper of the park had sent to his ' fryndes 

 dyverse dere in sakkys.' Indeed the ' said Eliza- 

 beth distroyed so largely the Quenys Grace' seid 

 dere that sumtyme she fedd her houshold with 

 them,' and venison, it was reported, was the 

 chief victual of the keepers on the flesh days. 

 What action was taken by the crown on these 

 revelations does not appear, but there is some 

 reason to believe that greater strictness was 

 observed during the next few years in safeguard- 

 ing the woodland and the venison at Whaddon. 



* Quod prior de Snellyshale debet facere bundam 

 de le Chace a Shepcotte Yate usque Angulum de le 

 Oxlesse et ab Angulo de le Oxlesse usque Hacche Yate. 

 Johannes Hampden miles debet facere a Hacche Yate 

 usque clausum dicti prioris et a dicto clause prior debet 

 facere usque Totnolandend. Et villata de Totnoland- 

 ende a dicto clauso usque Ryngforde Yate. Et a 

 Ryngforde usque Crabtre Yate domina Regina debet 

 facere. Et a Crabtre Yate usque Cakefote Yate 

 Horwode Parva debet facere. Et a Cakefote Yate 

 usque finem bosci de Horwode villata de Horwode 

 Magna debet facere. Et dicto fine bosci usque 

 Oldefeld Corner villata de Sykylburgh debet facere. Et 

 a Oldefelde Corner usque Lionellet Hollei villata de 

 Nasche debet facere. 



" Forest Proc. K.R. bdle. I, No. II. 



" The date of this is not stated. It may have 

 synchronized with the swainmote already referred to. 



141 



