A HISTORY OF SUSSEX 



Laughton, and other his woods in Sussex, and pannage for zoo pigs in the same. Timber also he 

 granted them, in the same forest-land, for building, repairing, and fencing, ' to be taken under the 

 view of my foresters.' The neighbouring abbey of Otham was also the recipient of the benefactions 

 of the same Gilbert, consisting of two trees, an oak and a beech, to be taken yearly in his forest, 

 under the supervision of his foresters ; also pannage for twenty pigs in it ; together with 120 acres 

 of land in the Dicker. 



Not many years after the date of these donations to Otham and to Michelham the lordship of 

 Ashdown Forest passed again into new hands. In 1245 Peter of Savoy was lord of the honour of 

 Aquila, its castle, and forest, 169 and a few years later obtained hunting rights over it. 160 



His bailiff, or chief forester there, William de Fawkham, endeavoured to set up various new 

 customs in the forest to the prejudice of the free tenants there, calling on them to serve on 'inquisi- 

 tions which he made of timber felled in the Forest of Asshedoune,' whereas formerly this had only 

 been required of them ' by precept of the king.' 161 



A survey made in 1273 gives a valuable insight into the conditions and customs of this forest. 162 

 There were then 208 customary tenants dwelling on the borders of (circa) the forest paying at 

 Michaelmas money rents amounting to 39*. O^d., at Christmas 208 hens, and at Easter 416 eggs. 

 They had the right to all windfall wood 163 within their ' communia ' throughout the year save 

 that what was torn up by the roots (roth events) by the wind belonged to the king ; moreover 

 between Hockday and Michaelmas they might go into the forest with their carts in search of drift 

 wood, but not during the winter. They could also have brushwood, furze, and broom for fuel, 

 ' and if it be necessary for the improvement of their common pasture they may burn all the afore- 

 said, so that they burn no wood ' ; 164 a reference to clearing the ground for pasture by burning the 

 gorse and other shrubs. Further, they might have on their 'communia' as much stock as they 

 could maintain throughout the winter in their own buildings, 105 but for six weeks between 

 Michaelmas and Martinmas the stock must be kept out of the woods upon the heath so that 

 it should not enter the pannage, on penalty of being impounded. They might also have all 

 the swine that they could support themselves 166 running in the forest, in the ' defense ' as well 

 as elsewhere, all the year except for fifteen days before and after the Nativity of St. John 

 the Baptist ; and at Martinmas all the swine should come to the pound-fold (ad pontfoldani) for 

 pannage, and id. should be paid for every pig over a year, but those under a year should be 

 assessed by the foresters according to their age. The foresters' accounts 167 show that the young 

 pigs were charged at \d., id., or i\d., according to their age. If any customary tenant had 

 ten swine the king could take one, namely the best, and for every additional ten another ; this 

 tenth pig discharged the others from their pannage fees, for it was open to the king to take "id. 

 for each pig instead of the payment in kind. An examination of such pannage lists as remain shows 

 that it was very rare for any tenant to have more than five or six swine. The total number of 

 swine feeding in the forest varied from time to time ; in 1293 the customary tenants had no full- 

 grown pigs and 70 young ones, while foreign tenants (extranet) had 300 full-grown (at ^d. a head), 

 and 366 young pigs (varying from id. to 2^.), making a total of 846 ; 168 but unless these figures 

 are incomplete this was a tremendous downfall from the previous year, when William Savary, 

 swineherd of ' Lampol,' accounted for 533 grown pigs and 455 yearlings; Richard Preston, swine- 

 herd of Walheath, for 340 of the former and 225 of the latter ; and Gilbert Brounyng, of 

 ' Heselwode,' for no less than 746 full-grown and 485 young pigs, making a grand total of 2,784 and 

 those, as the charges show, all belonging to foreigners. 169 The amount received this year from 

 foreign pannage was well over 25, while 631. "]\d. came from the pannage of the customary 

 tenants, ' which is called gersheues.' 17 



The survey of 1273 records the right of the prior of Michelham to 60 cows and a bull running 

 all the year on the east of ' la Redee,' between that place and ' la Wigge,' and of the prior of 

 Wilmington to have 36 oxen from Hockday to St. Peter ad Vincula upon Bromknoll, under charge 

 of his own herdsman. The rector of Maresfield could have 1 6 cows and a bull where the prior 

 of Michelham had his ; and the chapel of Maresfield had a right to 1 5 cows and a bull at ' Uleley ' m 



158 Chart. R. 30 Hen. III. I6 Ibid. 37 Hen. III. 



161 Assize R. 912 (47 Hen. Ill), m. 40. 16f Rentals and Surveys, ||. 



ra In the bishop of Chichester's wood of ' Menesse ' in Amberley, Wisborough, and Fittleworth, certain 

 tenants had the right that when a tree fell the first comer might take all the branches and outgrowth, back 

 to the trunk, and this they called ' Twyshewencartfelghe ' or 'tuvs haggen fellighe ' ; Year Bk. 14 Edw. Ill 

 (Rolls Ser.), 104-15. 



' Et si necesse fuerit ad pasturam commune sue emendam debent omnia dicta ardere.' 



65 ' Omne instaurum quod possunt per totum yems sustentare ad domos suas.' 



so ' Omnes porcos suos quos nutrire possunt de nutrimento suo proprio.' 



167 e.g. Mins. Accts. bdle. 1027, No. 22. IM Ibid. 169 Ibid. No. 21. " Ibid. 



171 Geoffrey de Say and his esquires had hunting rights (curius) at ' Oulele 'in 1353; Assize R. 941, m. I d. 



