148 THE FORESTS OF ENGLAND. 



Details of historical allusions to some of the forests 

 which have disappeared are not awanting. Of these the 

 following are a few ; — ■ 



A. — Notices of Forests formerly existing in the Northern 

 Counties of England. 



The anonymous author of English Forests and Forest 

 Trees, tells : " The greater part of the north of England was, 

 at no very distant period, covered with numerous forests. 

 These seem to have been used chiefly for the purposes of 

 the chase, as we find little account of the timber, contained 

 in them being applied to any public purpose. The names 

 of these forests still remain, and are in use still. In West- 

 moreland we have Milburn, Lime, Whinfield, Martindale, 

 Thornthwaite, Stainmore, and Mallerstang. AH these are 

 situated in a very mountainous district, and they are now 

 mere waste heaths. In Milburn Forest, in the north, rises 

 Crossfell, one of the highest mountains in England. On 

 the borders of Mallerstang stand what remain of the ruins 

 of Pendragon Castle, on the banks of the Eden. The 

 celebrated hero, Uter Pendragon, tried to turn the course 

 of the river Eden, so that it might flow in a circle around 

 his castle ; but the fierce, bold baron was no engineer, 

 and seems to have been terribly ignorant of hydrostatics, 

 and of course he failed. This forest was famous in former 

 times for its great numbers of wild boars, which the name 

 Wild Boar Fell attests to this day. It is a curious fact, 

 that close by both Stainmore and Mallerstang there are 

 two little narrow strips of ground, the possession of which 

 is disputed between little Westmoreland and large York- 

 shire. Neither of them seems to be at all worth any 

 dispute, 



" In Cumberland we have still the names of Nicol, Cope- 

 land, Skid daw, Inglewood. There is also on the eastern 

 border a large waste with the singular name of Spade- 

 Adam, which has evidently at one time been a forest ; and 



