INTRODUCTION 13 



teiii])t luade ]iy till' ;uitli()r of a ' History of the ]>ucl<lioiiii(]s,' 

 to which ahusioii has hccii ah'eady made, to throw douhi on 

 the antiquity of the hereditary transmission of the Mastei'ship 

 \vith ' Hunter's Manor ' — an attempt apparently hased on the 

 fact that the Lovels and de Borhuntes, who held it before Sir 

 Bernard Brocas, were styled custodians instead of masters 

 — needs no further attention than the statement that in the 

 Brocas documents ' magister ' and ' custos ' are frequently 

 used as interchangeable terms of the same meaning, and 

 that in an indenture of Elizabeth's reign the phrase ' Master 

 or Keeper ' of the Buckhounds occurs. Kemote from King and 

 Court the situation of Hunter's Manor may seem at the 

 present day to those who forget the central position and 

 historical importance of Rockingham Forest and Eockingham 

 Castle in Norman and Plantagenet times. Here, within 

 reach of the stronghold of Northampton, was the royal 

 residence, fitted for retirement and the pleasures of the 

 chase, until, with the increasing necessity of moving the 

 Court nearer to London, Eockingham was superseded by 

 the greater convenience and magnificence of Windsor. A 

 vast extent of country was once covered by Eockingham 

 Forest, which, when reduced to the limits retained almost to 

 modern times, was twenty-four miles long from Oxendon 

 Bridge to Stamford, and twelve miles wide from Eocking- 

 ham to Thrapstone. Numerous woodlands, quaint forest 

 names, peculiar customs, and a population that retains its 

 forest character still mark the ancient limits. Local names, 

 such as ' The Lord's AValk ' and ' Harry's Wood,' still recall 

 the memory of some forgotten royal and noble lover of the 

 ' mimic war ' of hound and horn. Though ' Hunter's Coppice,' 

 last relic of the ancient ' Hunter's ^lanor,' was broken up 

 some years ago, there still may be seen in ' Little Weldon ' 

 mounds and foundations of an extensive building surrounded 

 by a quadran'gular moat to which the peasants give the name 



