THE KING'S HOUSE 121 



wood the "Ornamental ride" in Pound Hill 

 enclosure, and the avenue of Douglas fir (so little 

 known and admired) in Oakley, with many 

 hundreds of other fine specimens, are witnesses 

 of much good and successful work in this nursery. 



After the passing of the Act of 1877, all plant- 

 ing and nursery work became abandoned in the 

 New Forest, and Rhinefield Nursery was closed 

 down. The house fell into ruins, and eventually 

 the property a most lovely site for a house 

 was let to Lieutenant Monro Walker, who turned 

 the old nursery into pleasure grounds, and 

 built on the old site a large and very beauti- 

 fully designed mansion, with very well laid out 

 gardens. 



The great house at Burley Lodge stood on a 

 different footing. It was occupied by the Dukes 

 of Bolton, who for nearly 130 years exercised a 

 sort of " imperium in imperio " in the Forest diffi- 

 cult to understand or explain. 



For "near a century" before 1789 the Dukes 

 of Bolton held the keepership of the Bailiwick 

 of Burley (i.e. Burley and Holmsley Walks), with 

 the great lodge at Burley and the under keeper's 

 lodge at Holmsley. The last grant to the Dukes 

 of Bolton or Paulet family terminated in 1786. 

 But a further grant was made to the Earl of 

 Lonsdale (as family trustee) for an additional 



