162 THE NEW FOREST 



more heavily upon the area that is left. It is 

 the case that they are becoming so old and decayed 

 that the frequent windfalls go some way towards 

 satisfying the claims to fuel wood. But it 

 happens, often enough, that the sovereign's sign 1 

 manual authority has to be obtained for the 

 sacrifice of 100 or 200 of these old trees, and 

 the loss is too severe to be often repeated, when 

 the drain by windfalls is also considered. In 

 1883 Sir Henry Loch, then Commissioner of Woods, 

 introduced a bill into Parliament with the object 

 of obtaining powers to buy up, arbitrarily, all 

 these rights, for the purpose of protecting the 

 old woods. The price, whatever it might be, was to 

 be fixed by arbitration or, in the case of small 

 amounts, by the local magistrates in Petty Sessions. 

 But the commoners resented any interference 

 with their right, whether it was for the benefit 

 of the Forest or not, and, after the bill had passed 

 its second reading and committee stages, the 

 third reading was blocked, and, owing to press 

 of business we had to abandon it. Thus the 

 right still continues to be a perpetual drain on 

 the most precious part of the Forest, to the sad 

 detriment of the public property. The traveller 



1 No tree of timber dimensions may be cut in the open parts 

 of New Forest without the authority of the Sign Manual of the 

 Sovereign. 



