A HISTORY OF DERBYSHIRE 



The offences both of vert and venison trespass and of agistment, proved against the 

 majority of the hereditary foresters of fee, and against so many of those of the highest position 

 in the district and county, show that there was very little moral stigma attached at that time 

 to forest transgressions in the Peak. In no other forest district does there seem to have been 

 quite so much laxity. This exceptionally bad feature of the Peak forest probably arose from 

 the long-continued state of turmoil of so much of the period between the two eyres of 1250 

 and 1286 throughout this district, which brought about great laxity of administration. After 

 these foresters had been duly convicted and fined for many transgressions, their respective 

 bailiwicks, because of their poverty, were not forfeited, but taken into the king's hands to be 

 replevied at his will when the required fine had been paid. The justices were authorized to 

 reinstate them in their offices during the king's pleasure, whilst the fines were being paid, if 

 they saw just cause, and in several cases the penalties were reduced. 



As examples of instances of convictions of men of considerable position the following may 

 be mentioned : Peter de Gresley, who had to pay 20 for the single offence of killing a doe 

 in 1268 ; John, lord of Queenbury, Yorks, 20 ; and John, lord of Shipley, 40*. Other 

 offenders were Sir Stephen le Waleys, William Bagshawe, and Thomas, Henry, and 

 William Foljambe. 



A few of the secular clergy were among the delinquents, including the rectors of Man- 

 chester, Denbigh (Wales), Tankersley (Yorks), the vicar of Sheffield, and Augustine the 

 chaplain of Penniston, but mostly for the venial offence of receiving venison. William de 

 Bradshawe, a parson, charged with killing a doe at Kinder in 1280, appealed to the spiritual 

 court at York. Peter, the prior of Ecclesfield, is the only religious charged with a venison 

 offence throughout all these years ; he was bailed by the abbot of Welbeck and others ; his 

 offence was merely that of harbouring a poacher. 



There were of course various venison offences committed by men in humbler positions, 

 but these seem to have been quite the exception. Michael, son of Adam de Wormhill, was 

 presented for having killed fawns (of red-deer) in the forest, and sold their skins in the open 

 market. The justices at this eyre were merciful, and had regard to poverty in other besides the 

 foresters of fee. Thus Richard de Baslow and Hebbe the fisherman were in the company of 

 Richard de Vernon when he was bailiff at the taking of venison for the king, and appropriated 

 five head of game to themselves. Baslow was fined 20*., but Hebbe, who admitted the offence, 

 was afterwards pardoned through the king's mercy because he was poor. 



There were five cases at this eyre of presentments for killing roebuck. In one case of 

 stag-killing, it is mentioned that the offender also took two otters in the waters of the 

 Derwent. 



The vert charges of this eyre, particularly those that deal with the wholesale damage of 

 the king's woods, are of special interest as enabling us to see that the woodlands were then 

 fairly numerous, although by far the largest portion of the forest area was always clear of every 

 kind of timber. 



The inhabitants of Bowden and its hamlets, since the last eyre, had done damage to the 

 woods of oak and whitethorn (horewhyt) to the value of 301., and a hundred oaks had been 

 destroyed. The wood of Hope, which was common to the inhabitants of Hope, had only 

 suffered to the extent of a mark ; it was ordered that they henceforth take nothing save 

 their estovers, and that only on view and with permission of the foresters. The king's 

 underwood (' repleta ') of Monkdale and Cowdale had suffered to the value of IQS. at the 

 hands of the inhabitants of Tideswell and Wormhill. The inhabitants of Bradwell had 

 damaged the wood of Pyndale to the extent of 51. ; those of Thornhill and Aston their 

 woods to the extent of 6s. 8d. ; and those of Fairfield and Buxton the wood of Boseworth 

 to a like extent. 



The king's wood of Longdendale had been injured by successive abbots of Basingwerk, 

 since the last eyre, to the amount of 50*. In that wood the abbot had a timber house or shed 

 100 feet long and 15 feet wide, built by his predecessors. The abbot, who attended the 

 pleas personally, argued that he had a right to hold this shed, for the pasturage and herbage 

 of (Jie wood were his, and the wood was also outside the regard of the forest from the days of 

 William Peverel. Thereupon an inquest was held as to the bounds of the forest and of 

 the liberty of the abbey of Basingwerk. The limits were set forth, and the jury declared that 

 the wood called Longedon, 10 leagues ('leucas' 1 ) long and I broad, which the abbot claimed 

 was part of the royal demesne, and had been so held by the abbey since it was enfeoffed by 



1 The ' leuca ' seems to have been about a mile and a half. 

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