44 THE FOHESTS OF ENGLAND. 



de Dene ;' Henry II. subsequently confirmed the institution, 

 and granted to the monks the right of grazing their cattle 

 and feeding their hogs in the woods, with permission to 

 use the timber for repairing their buildings, and to set up 

 and maintain an iron forge. A little later on the same 

 Sovereign gave permission to the Abbot of Flaxley to have 

 both an itinerant and a stationary forge, with wood for 

 fuel ; the two consumed more than two of the largest oaks 

 weekly, and to stop this devastation the king gave to the 

 Abbey 872 acres of woodland, known to the present day as 

 ' Abbot's Woods.' Quite recently Mr E. Crawshay pur- 

 chased from the present holders of Flaxley Abbey 'the 

 vert,' and from the Government ' the Venison ' (hunting 

 rights), of this estate, which has thus ceased to be the pro- 

 perty of the Crown. 



" The Itinerary of King John shows that he visited St. 

 Briavels on November 15th, 1207, and this, and other 

 places within the forest bounds, on no less than sixteen 

 occasions in the following years, his last visit being to 

 Flaxley on December 11th, 1214. From this date we get 

 in Bigland's County History a' list of the 'Constables and 

 Wardens ' in almost unbroken succession : — 



A.D. 



1215 17 King John John de Monmouth 



1260 44 Henry III. Robert Waleran 



1263 47 „ John Giflfard (Baron) 



1263 47 „ Thomas de Olace 



1282 12 Edward I. William de Beauohamp, Earl of Warwick 



1289 19 „ John de Bottourt (deprived) 



1291 21 „ Thomas de Everty 



1298 27 , John de Handeloe 



1300 29 '„ Ealph de Abbenhalle 



1307 1 Edward II. John de Bottourt (restored) 



1308 2 „ William de Stanre 



1322 15 „ Hugh le Despenser (senior) 



1327 18 ,, John deNy vers 



1327 20 „ John de HardeshuU 



1341 14 Edward III. Roger ClifTord (Baron) 



1391 14 Richard II. Thomas de Woodstock, Duke of 



Gloucester 



1436 14 Henry VI. John, Duke of Bedford 



1459 38 „ John Tiptoft, Earl of Worcester 



