554 
Deere Hayes or Bukstallys by the space 
of a moneth next after proclamacion of 
this Acte made, uppon payne of forfeicte 
for every moneth that he or they so kepe 
or cause to be kepte the same netts, Hayes, 
or Bukstalles X TI; and that no person 
from hencforth stalke nor cause eny other 
person to stalke with enys boussh or bestys 
to eny Deere being in eny parke, chace 
or forest or without, but if it be withyn 
his oune ground, chace, forest, or park, 
without licence of the ouner maist’ of the 
Game or keper of the same Ground, etc., 
upon payne of forfeicture of every tyme 
that he or they so stalkith X T I.” 
This meant, in plain language, that in 
the year 1503 there was an amount of 
skilful poaching going on with nets, bushes, 
and dogs, and that if anyone was unlucky 
enough not to be possessed of parks, etc., 
and yet dared to go cut for a bit of sport in 
the way of stalking, etc., he was fined the 
sum of {10 for every time he was caught. 
Going back still earlier, a somewhat 
amusing Act of Parliament will be found 
to have been passed in the thirteenth year 
of the reign of Richard II.—that is, about 
the year 1389. Translated, it runs as 
follows :— 
“Forasmuch as divers Artificers, 
Labourers, Servants, and Grooms keep 
Greyhounds and other dogs, and on 
Holidays, when good Christian People 
be at Church, hearing Divine service, 
they go hunting in Parks, Warrens, and 
Connignes of Lords and others to the 
very great destruction of the same, and 
sometime under such colour they make 
their assemblies, conferences, and con- 
spiracies for to rise and disobey their 
Allegiance ; It is ordained that no man- 
ner of Artificer, Labourer, nor any other 
Layman which hath not lands and tene- 
ments of the value of £40 by year nor 
any priest or clerk, if he be not advanced 
to the value of {10 by year, shall have or 
keep Greyhounds (Hound, nor any other 
Dog) to hunt, under pain of one year’s 
Imprisonment.” 
THE NEW BOOK 
OF THE DOG, 
Of course, in considering the effect of 
these early statutes and the way they 
would handicap the dog owner of the 
period, it must not be forgotten that the 
value of money was very different from 
what it is in the present day. 
The Early The early forest laws of 
Forest Laws. ancient times are again most 
interesting in so far at any rate as they 
relate to dogs. 
Forest Law, which dates as far back as 
the canons of Canute, was the law of “‘ cer- 
tain territorie of woody grounds and fruitful 
pastures, privileged for wilde beasts and 
foules of forest, chase and warren, to rest 
and abide in, in the safe protection of the 
King for his princely delight and pleasure, 
which territorie of ground so privileged 
is meered and bounded with unremovable 
markes, meers, and boundaries either known 
by matter of record or else by prescription.” 
The forest laws which related to dogs, 
however, referred only to the King’s forests, 
and not to chases and warrens. 
For the preservation of game, and to 
ensure to its fullest extent the King’s 
“princely delight and _ pleasure,” these 
laws concerning the keeping of dogs were 
of the most stringent character. Mainwood 
tells us that solely for the safety of men, 
goods, and houses, every gentleman, hus- 
bandman, farmer, and housekeeper of any 
worth dwelling within the forest might 
keep dogs of certain specified kinds, and 
no others; that is to say :— 
(1) Mastiffs, expeditated according to the 
laws of the forest. 
(2) The little dogs, “‘ because it stands to 
reason there is no danger in them.” 
No other dog was allowed in the forest 
except under special grant from the Crown. 
‘Men have claimed,” says the same great 
authority, “to hawk, hunt the hare, and 
keep Spaniels within the liberties of the 
forest, which is unlawful without such 
claim, for it would be in vain to claim the 
keeping of a thing which was lawful to be 
kept without any claim.” 
Canute was undoubtedly a monarch who 
would stand no nonsense, and who had 
