A HISTORY OF SUSSEX 



The commissioners then take under survey three ' cottages incroached,' which they value at 231. t^d. 



Upon these ' purprestures ' they comment 



Memorandum That the said Pollard & Hever aboves d are poore, especially the said Hever having 

 three children, & both have beene at charges in building the s* cottages and fencing ye said platts of 

 ground . . . therefore we doe conceive the said widdow especially is to be pittyed and considered. 



Eight other ' cottages incroached ' are described as ' very p'judicial to the said parke and rather to 

 bee pulled downe than continued, and therefore we have put noe value upon the same.' The 

 commissioners comment upon the earl of Dorset's claim to offices, fees, and perquisites, ' the said 

 Earle by letters pattent from King James under the scale of the Dutchy dated i8 th Junii 22nd of 

 the said King ' having been appointed ' Master of the Forrest of Ashdown and governor or principal 

 M r of the game in the same Forrest ' at the yearly fee of 6 1 6s. I O^d., 



and alsoe keep' and surveyor of all the woods and underwoods and trees then growing or thereafter 

 to grow in the said Forrest. And also Stewart of the Honor of ye Eagle & of the Forrest of Ashdowne 

 . . . and of the Court Barron, Avesfeild, Woodmote, and Swainmote Courts within the said Forrest 

 ... at the yearly fee of xl s for execysing the said sev'all offices. 



They also note that by patent of the 8th of King Charles the earl had been granted the rents and 

 perquisites of those various courts within the three wards of the forest, paying therefor 8 19*. 

 'ould rent,' and 32*. for two 'stirkes' (heifers) at Michaelmas and Lady Day by equal portions, 

 covenanting to acquit and discharge the crown of all the fees due for all the offices mentioned in 

 the first patent. The earl also had by the same patent of King Charles a grant of all the underwoods 

 and coppices of the forest, as well as the chamberlain's house and grounds, the fish-ponds and waste 

 ground on which were situate the forges, furnaces, and workmen's dwellings. All marked oaks, 

 elms, ashes, and beeches, and all chestnut trees and crab trees were excepted, 



and also twelve of the fairest young trees of Oake, Elme or Beech upon every acre, and alsoe trees 

 of eight inches square foure feet above the stem. Also all Herbage, pannage, mast and ackornes, 

 chcsnuts and Beeches. And also excepted Browse for the Deere and estovers to the keepers and 

 tenn ts Habendum all the premises from the annunciation last for 3 1 yeares paying for the woods 

 xvi" xiii s iiii d , & for the Chamberlains house xx s at Michs and Lady day by equal porcones w th divers 

 other covenants, pticularly for repairing all the houses and Fences at his own proper costs and charges. 



These various grants the commissioners ' conceive if ev r authenticke to be voide in regard hee hath 

 not made good the covenants menconed,' the earl having almost destroyed the woods and underwoods 

 and suffered, or even occasioned, many of the encroachments, and allowed the pales to be ruined, 

 and the privileges of the courts to be lost. Coming to the various ' reprises,' or deductions from 

 profits in connexion with the forest, the surveyors note that the afore-named keepers had received 

 'before the late troubles' from the earl the yearly fee of 6 135. \d. each, with allowances for 

 hay for the deer in winter time. In addition, they had been allowed to agist a hundred cattle and 

 twenty horses or mares ' each of them for their owne benefitt,' but ' they have continued to take 

 in considerable numbers of Catle and horses.' Adverting to the inclosures of Buckhurst Park 

 (44^ acres), Newneham Park (14 acres, 2 roods), and Newbridge lands (9 acres), they declare them 

 to be all ' taken and inclosed out of ye great pke of Lancr ' by the earl of Dorset or his ancestors, 

 4 who produceth no evidence whereby they claime to hold the same.' Of another inclosure known 

 as the ' Vachery lands,' of 100 acres, together with a barn, they say the 'title hath beene claimed, 

 and Dan 1 Rogers proved immediate tenant and the estate in fee allowed.' As regards the inclosures 

 of the park, the surveyors state that they ' make noe reprise for the fenceing and repayring of the 

 Pales of the said Parke, which are ruined through the neglect of the Earl of Dorsett.' 



The ' Aves Court kept the next tuesday after all saints' day ' apparently represents the ' swain- 

 mote ' of the middle ages, albeit that court was held thrice a year ; while ' the Woodmote Court 

 wherein they present abuses of Customes, incroachments, Spoylers of game or wood,' was held three 

 weeks after All Saints' day instead of every forty days, as in the period when the forest laws prevailed. 

 It was at this ' Aves ' court (from ' Avesagium,' here equivalent with agistment, the pasturing of 

 cattle within the forest) that the tenants did ' pay their aves money for the yeare past,' and at which 

 doubtless any questions touching agistment came under review, together with the kindred matter of 

 pannage or feeding of swine within the forest. The figures presented in this connexion by the 

 surveyors seem immense, and are evidence of the former great extent of the forest, since it would 

 appear impossible that its then contracted compass could afford appreciable sustenance for the vast 

 number of horses, cattle, and swine, in addition to the large herds of deer which the forest at one 

 time maintained. 



By ancient Customalls (say the Commissioners), which ye jury and tenn" did produce, it did 

 appear that ye tenn" w cl1 did belonge to ye Dutchy, who have custome in ye said Parke, if they kept 

 a draught of oxen they were allowed to have two mares & one coult going in ye said Parke all ye 

 Summ' till Mich*, paying therefore ii d , but noe such Custome or allowance for any other tenn' neither 

 any mencon for any of the tenn' 1 keeping of a horse or a gelding in the said Parke, but they have of a 

 long time used the same. . . . 



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