THE NEW FOREST DEER 73 



In the Charta de Forestse of Henry III, it 

 is laid down : " Let the inquisition or view of 

 the lawing of dogs being within the Forest be 

 henceforth made when the regard ought to be 

 made to wit every third year . . . and let 

 him whose dog shall be found not lawed give 

 for mercy three shillings, and henceforth let no 

 ox be taken for the lawing." So you could keep 

 your dog uninjured at " a bob a year." These 

 were substantial payments, and the whole thing 

 was really a tax not a barbarity, though founded 

 on one and there were remissions, e.g. in the 8th 

 year of Edward I : " The foresters, verderers, re- 

 garders and other jurors of the New Forest say 

 upon their oath the men of the New Forest of 

 Lymitthorn (Lymington) are quit, and ought to be, 

 of expeditating their dogs of the same town up to 

 a certain number, to wit thirty-two dogs ; and if 

 there are more mastiffs in the said town they 

 ought to be expeditated, or expeditation shall be 

 given for them according to the custom of the 

 Assize of the Forest" 



If this were not sufficient to prove that 

 the whole business was one of taxation " ac- 

 cording to the custom of the Assize of the 

 Forest," the following quotation will illustrate the 

 matter. 



In the Pleas of Venison of the New Forest 



