WORLD'S TIMBER RESOURCES 161 



the work, 108 places, manors, villages and hamlets 

 suffered in greater or less degree. The same 

 ancient register, in showing that there were no 

 fewer than 1,033 woods or forests in the five 

 counties of York, Derby, Kent, Sussex and 

 Surrey, records that the Conqueror had in 

 possession 68 forests, 13 chases and 781 parks." 

 Henry VIII was an arch enemy to forestry 

 in Britain ; he seized the valuable forest lands 

 belonging to the Church, many of them very 

 well managed, and sold them or gave them to 

 his favourites. Elizabeth also reduced the area 

 of Crown forests, selUng the timber to pay for 

 the Irish wars, an easier proceeding than asking 

 parhament to vote supphes. Cromwell, also, 

 was no respecter of Crown forests, he is said 

 to have obtained over £10,000,000 from Church 

 lands alone, £1,200,000 from Crown lands and 

 £656,000 from royal forests and manors. Matters 

 had gone so far that in the reign of Queen Anne 

 it was forbidden to ahenate Crown lands except 

 by leases for certain fixed periods. The most 

 famous British historical forests are Sherwood 

 Forest in Nottinghamshire, New Forest in Hamp- 

 shire and the Forest of Dean in Gloucestershire. 

 The first-named was for long regarded as one 

 of the most valuable forests of the Crown. 

 Sherwood, as a forest, may now be said to be 

 non-extant. 



