40 OUR FORESTS AND WOODLANDS 
or one sheep or lamb every year from each land- 
holder in the forest, and a certain quantity of 
oats or corn from each one renting land. He 
could also claim a subsistence allowance of three- 
halfpence a day, and was entitled to all the wind- 
fall and dead wood, to the browse-wood felled in 
winter for feeding the deer, and to the shoulders 
and skin of all deer killed in his beat. 
The Regarders (Regardatores) were appointed 
during the reign of Henry II. to take the place 
of the Lespegend or thanes of lesser degree in 
ancient times charged with the care of vert and 
venison under the forged charter of Canute. 
The older office having apparently fallen into de- 
suetude, the woods got into bad condition, and 
the number of deer became greatly diminished ; 
so Regarders were appointed to keep the foresters 
up to their work, and to improve matters gene- 
rally by ‘seeing to” the preservation of vert and 
venison. At first the office was only conferred 
on knights, though subsequently it could be 
filled by any good and lawful man named thereto 
by the king. There were twelve of them for 
each forest. If any of these fell sick or died, 
the number had at once to be made up to twelve, 
