FORESTRY 



over a territory within or contiguous to like lands which were in the hands of another landowner ; in 

 this case between Richard earl of Arundel and the bishop of Chichester in 1292 concerning the 

 episcopal park of Houghton. Situated on the north-east border of his forest, and originally, no 

 doubt, an actual part thereof, the earl perhaps considered himself entitled to hunt over it by ancient 

 right of over-lordship. But the bishop was prompt to protest against this action, at first with any- 

 thing but success.' The earl, 'and his servants at his bidding, hunted twice in the chace of Hough- 

 ton with greyhounds and archers without any license or leave.' The bishop having sent his clerks to 

 protest, the earl declared ' that he had hunted and would hunt there again, notwithstanding the 

 rights of the bishop.' Thereupon the sentence of excommunication was pronounced upon the earl, 

 but his contumacy continuing the bishop laid an inderdict upon his chapel and his lands, within the 

 diocese of Chichester. Eventually, when the earl was spending Christmas at his manor of East Dean, 

 within the forest land, mollified possibly by the amenities of the season, and 'moved by healthier 

 counsel,' he sent to the bishop, who was at Amberley, where he had a castle and a park. A meet- 

 ing was arranged between earl and bishop, and the former having proceeded to the chapel of Houghton 

 was duly absolved, but subjected to a penance of three days' duration and a pilgrimage to the shrine 

 of St. Richard at Chichester. 90 On the death of John, thirteenth earl of Arundel, the honour and forest 

 came into the hands of Henry VI, the heir being a minor. On this occasion Sir Richard Dalyn- 

 grygge was appointed ' custos.' 91 



At the upheaval of the Reformation such portions of Arundel Forest as had belonged to religious 

 houses were taken into the king's hands, and usually regranted to court favourites. Some passed by 

 exchange, more or less compulsory, such as Slindon, the archbishop's manor and park within the 

 forest, which Cranmer thus disposed of to the king. William earl of Arundel himself made an exten- 

 sive exchange with the king of parks and forest land, 92 obtaining in return the greater part of the 

 lands of Michelham Priory. But most of those thus changing owners were outside the bounds of 

 Arundel Forest, such as the parks of Meadhome and Shillinglee, which lay in the north of his rape. 

 The parks of Woolavington and Bignor, however, were, if not actually without its metes, at least 

 contiguous to its northern verge. 



Some few years earlier there is record of the same king in connexion with Houghton. For 

 ' n J 533 Henry VIII sent the following command to his forest-officer at Houghton, which was 

 then in his possession : 



To the Kepar of our chase or Forreste of Houghton in our Countie of Sussex and in his absense 

 to his Depute there. We will and charge you that unto our welbeloved John Heskett or to the 

 bringar hereof in his name ys delivered or do to be delivered too bukkes of season to be taken of our 

 gifte within our chace or forreste of Houghton, now being in our hands and disposicon by reason of the 

 vacancy of the temporalities of the Byshopric of Chichester, any restrainte or commandment to the con- 

 trarie notwithstanding and this our lettre signed with our hande shalbe your sufficient warrant and 

 discharge. Yevyn und' our signet at our Manor of Greenwich vi July, xxii yere of our reign. 93 



Houghton appears to have been disparked soon afterwards, for the Bishop's Registers under the 

 year 1548 contain record of a lease made of 200 acres of wood there. Its final separation from the 

 see took place in 1810, when the bishop sold his part of the 'Forest of Houghton' to the duke of 

 Norfolk. 94 



When we come to post-Reformation times we find less and less information on the subject of 

 Arundel Park. In 1605 it appears to have been in royal hands, and a commission was issued to 

 inquire into various matters connected with it, as, for instance, whether ' Rewell Walk ' the 

 ancient Ruelle was part of the forest. 95 



There was the usual destruction of its woods during the Civil War. Some parts of it were 

 in the possession of the Lumley family, and when they ' compounded ' for their estates Charlton 

 and Singleton, constituent parts of the forest, were omitted from the calculation as being of no profit, 

 the deer and rabbits almost all destroyed, and the land overgrown with gorse and briars. The 

 commissioners were therefore petitioned to set some value upon them so that their sequestration 

 might be discharged, and the owners be free to use such wood as they required for fuel and repairs. 86 

 In the time of the last Stuarts both Arundel and Stanstead forests came into much favour as hunting 

 centres, and Charlton was so much a place of resort for Lord Lumley and the nobility for sporting 

 purposes that its name came to be attached to this forest-land. The unfortunate duke of Monmouth, 

 we read, was particularly pleased with ' Charlton Forest ' as a hunting ground, and in after years 

 George I and George II, when Prince of Wales, hunted over this district. Nowadays this forest- 

 land, to a great extent, wears a different aspect ; cultivation has largely supervened ; but in the 

 demesne of the lord of Arundel both fallow and red deer roam. The beautiful home-park of 



90 Chich. Epis. Reg. Reade. " Pat. 13 Hen VI. 9f Pat. 33 Hen. VIII,pt. I. 



w Chich. Epis. Reg. 'C,' fol. 107. " Dallaway, Rape of Arundel, 218. 



95 Dep. by Com. (Exch.) Easter, 3 Jas. I, 28. * Royalist Comp. (2nd Ser.), vol. 14. 



2 305 39 



