102 THE NEW FOREST 



Forest (very frequently a royal personage), who 

 was allowed 70 a year for the upkeep of the 

 house. It was usually occupied by his steward, 

 who was responsible for the Forest dues made 

 over to the Lord Warden, and for the con- 

 duct of the Forest generally. In connection 

 with these dues, I may point out why there are 

 in the New Forest no real " agisters," although 

 the servants of the verderers have usurped that 

 title, which is that of a special officer in a Royal 

 Forest. To this the servant of a subject can 

 have no claim. The matter is well and tersely 

 put in the Report of the Commissioner of 1789, 

 to which I have previously referred : 



"There were formerly agisters of this Forest 

 whose duty was to receive the agistment or 

 profit arising from the herbage and pannage for 

 the King's use, but the herbage and pannage 

 being granted to the Lord Warden, those profits 

 are collected by the Lord Warden's steward, 

 and the appointment of agisters has been dis- 

 continued for near a century past." 



Their appointment was never revived, for at 

 the termination of the appointment of the Lord 

 Warden's steward, the collection of the Forest 

 dues was continued, as before, by the Forest 

 keepers for the King's use, who accounted for 

 them to the Deputy Surveyor instead of to the 



