144 THE NEW FOREST 



King's woods in the county of Southampton!, to 

 the following eifect, that " these shall be on behalf 

 of our Sovereign Lord to authorise you and your 

 sufficient deputies by these presents not only to 

 survey the King's said woods both great and small 

 with their values and ages in every Lordship 

 and seignory within the said County, and the 

 wastes and sales made in them, but also to 

 make sale to the King's use, at the best price 

 you can before Easter next coming of as many 

 coppice woods as are of fourteen years' growth 

 and upwards." 



In the reign of Elizabeth, in the year 1565, 

 Roger Taverner, the Queen's Surveyor, was ordered 

 to make a comprehensive survey of all the forests 

 south of Trent, and his complete return of the 

 New Forest and its woods is highly interesting 

 to those who know the country well. 



Most of the lands capable of growing hard- 

 wood are included. Some can hardly be traced 

 under their old names. Others can be identified, 

 but are now absorbed in larger and more modern 

 plantations, though some of these woods are 200 

 years old to-day and more. But many a name 

 shows us the old open woods of to-day in their 

 condition of encoppicements in 1565. 



Though various Acts were passed by James I 

 and by Charles I and Charles II dealing with 



