CHAPTER IV 



THE COURT OF VERDERERS 



THE ancient Court of Verderers the oldest in 

 this country with the exception of that of the 

 Coroner was to be reconstituted so as "better 

 to represent the interests of the commoners." 

 The old Court had represented both Crown and 

 commoner alike, and assisted the Crown ably in 

 maintaining and preserving order in the Forest. 

 A verderer too, who was elected for life by the 

 full county, took an oath of allegiance -to the 

 Crown. This did not at all suit the book of the 

 promoters of the Act of 1877, whose object it 

 was to set up a body which should override and 

 oppose the Crown, and gain full power over the 

 Forest, in favour of the commoners alone. The 

 number of verderers was increased from four to 

 six they were to be elected on a popular basis 

 by a constituency consisting of the owners of 

 rights of common, and by persons holding the 

 parliamentary franchise for a property lying in 

 a parish any part of which lay within the Forest. 



This at the time just nicely covered the com- 



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