6 LANDSCAPE IN HISTORY 



that destroyed human life and damaged human pro- 

 perty. But in describing historical events he could 

 hardly avoid reference to woods, lakes, marshes, and 

 other natural features which served as boundaries to 

 the theatre of these events. By comparing, therefore, 

 his local topography with the present aspect of the same 

 localities, we may glean some interesting particulars 

 as to changes of landscape in the course of centuries. 

 Such a comparison, however, to be effective and trust- 

 worthy, involves two special qualifications. The in- 

 quirer must be master of the language and style of 

 the author he is studying, and he must be completely 

 familiar with the present condition of the ground to 

 which allusion is made. The want of this combination 

 of knowledge has led to some curious blunders on 

 the part of able scholars. 



It is evident, then, that an ample domain of research 

 is here opened out to the student. In a general sense, 

 every kind of historical document may be available 

 for the purposes of the inquiry. England fortunately 

 possesses in Domesday Book the results of a minute 

 examination of the greater part of the country in the 

 latter half of the eleventh century. For other portions 

 of our islands much information may be gleaned in 

 quarters that might be thought the most unlikely. 

 Besides the narratives of the old Chronicles, which 

 might be expected to contain at least occasional in- 

 cidental reference to physical features, Charters and 

 other legal documents, in dealing with the holding 

 and transference of land, not infrequently throw light 

 on the former aspect of the ground with which they 

 are connected. The Cartularies of some of our ancient 



