A HISTORY OF DERBYSHIRE 



Mythom Bridge to the river Bradwell ; and from the river Bradwell as far as a certain place 

 called Hucklow ; and from Hucklow to the great dell of Hazelbache ; and from that dell as 

 far as Little Hucklow ; and from Hucklow to the brook of Tideswell, and so to the river 

 Wye ; and from the Wye ascending up to Buxton, and so on to the new place of Goyt.' 



In the case of a considerable number of forests there was much variation in their bounds 

 subsequent to 1300 ; but the limits of Peak forest remained to its close the same as they were 

 in the thirteenth century, as is shown by a boundary statement, circa 1600. 



The forest area was not co-terminous with that of the hundred of the High Peak, for the 

 latter included the parishes of Darley Dale, Edensor, Eyam, Hathersage, and Youlgreave, in 

 addition to the forest proper. 



The Pipe Rolls of Henry II.'s reign supply a brief amount of definite information as to 

 this forest. Year after year from 1158 to 117 2, like entries occur of ^4 ' in wasto foresti,' and 

 of the payment of 6 5*. to eight foresters, and one warrener. Two payments made in this 

 reign are highly significant of the devastation then caused by Derbyshire wolves. In 1160 i, 

 25*. was paid to the forest wolf-hunters ('in lupariis') as an extra fee. In 11678, so great 

 a value was set on the skill and experience of the Peak wolf-trappers (' pedicatores '), that 

 Henry II. paid IQS. for the travelling expenses of two of them to cross the seas to take wolves 

 in Normandy. 1 



Forest law was the same, broadly speaking, throughout all the royal forests of England, 

 and was identical in its chief administrators ; but the local ministers and local administra- 

 tion were much diversified. They differed, for instance, considerably in Derbyshire's two 

 forests, those of the Peak and Duffield Frith. In 1238 the forest administration of England 

 was definitely divided into two provinces, separated by the Trent, with a justice appointed 

 for each. But before that date forest justices had been selected for groups of counties ; thus 

 in 1229 Brian de 1'Isle was appointed for a large group of counties, mainly in the north, of 

 which Derbyshire was one. Their chief duties were to release on bail prisoners in custody 

 for venison trespass, or for knowingly receiving venison, and to hold special inquisitions as to 

 proposed grants of liberties in case of grave trespass, as well as to exercise a general supervision 

 over forest administration. 



The place where the forest justice held his inquisitions was usually termed the Justice 

 Seat. This justice seat was occasionally held in different localities, or even in a temporary 

 booth or tent, as in the great Northamptonshire forest of Rockingham ; but the justice seat 

 for the Peak forest was about the centre of the district, in an extra-parochial part about equal 

 distance from Castleton, Tideswell, and Bowden. Here stood a forestry residence and hall, 

 termed ' Camera in foresta regia Pecci,' or ' Camera in Campana,' with a chapel attached. 

 This chapel was of earlier date than the large chapel built by the foresters and keepers at 

 Bowden about 1225, and which place was henceforth usually known as Chapel-en-le-Frith. 

 The chamber of the Peak was not so important a place as the central lodge of many other 

 forests, because the keepership of Peak forest being usually associated with the custody of the 

 castle, the residence of the chief local official was at Castleton. The prison was at the castle 

 of the Peak, and the bailey of the castle was sometimes made to serve as a great pound for 

 illegally pastured sheep ; but there is no instance of the justice seat or even of a swainmote 

 being held at Castleton. 



Though the term 'justice seat' was sometimes used for the place where the forest pleas 

 were held, particularly in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, this important court or eyre 

 was not necessarily held within the forest jurisdiction. Thus the earlier pleas for Rockingham 

 were held in the borough of Northampton, and in the same manner the pleas of Peak forest 

 were held at Derby. As a rule the regular forest justice was included in the commission 

 nominated by the king from time to time to hear forest pleas, but not of necessity. Justices 

 of the forest were commissioned, at the king's pleasure, to hear and determine pleas of the 

 forest for a particular county or group of counties. Forest offenders on bail or detained in 

 prison were committed till the hearing of these pleas. In the working of this it often happened 

 -.that these earlier pleas, though relating to the county, were for special forests, either through 

 ; the county having only one forest, or because of some exceptional circumstance or instance 

 applying to certain forests. Thus in Derbyshire, the small but important forest of Duffield 

 Frith, in the forest eyres of Henry III. and the first three Edwards, was not summoned to 

 Derby, because it was part of the earldom of Lancaster and honour of Tutbury, and hence the 

 Duffield pleas were heard at Tutbury. 



1 Pipe R., passim. 

 398 



