A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE 



who had been attached for the forest ; also all the foresters and verderers of his bailiwick, that they 

 should have there all their attachments both of vert and of venison which had arisen since the last 

 pleas of the forest and were not yet ended, and also the regarders of his bailiwick that they should 

 ha\e there all their regards (or reviews) sealed with their seals, and the agisters, that they should be 

 there with their agistment rolls.'' 



In 1237 Roger Gernet was directed to deliver 100 oak trees in his bailiwick near Lancaster 

 to William de Lancaster for the work then in progress upon Lancaster Castle.'^ The year follow- 

 ing the king found it necessary to address letters to the sheriff directing attention to the abuse 

 of the royal charter permitting earls and barons to take one beast of the chase in the royal forests 

 when going to the king at the royal simimons, in that they were taking beasts of the chase when 

 not summoned by the king and sometimes lingering three and four days hunting in the royal forests. 

 Instructions were therefore given to make proclamation in boroughs and markets prohibiting this 

 abuse of the royal favour. '' Deer seem to have been plentiful at this time, before the con- 

 version of the forests to stock-breeding uses. In 1244 the chief forester had a mandate to 

 permit William de Lancaster to take thirty harts in Wyresdale for the king's use." In 1245 

 representation was made by Roger Gernet that having of his own will resigned to the king the 

 herbage and pannage of the forest of Wyresdale in the same state as Hubert de Burgh had held 

 it in order that vaccaries might be made there, also honey, nuts, and half the eyries of hawks there, 

 retaining the other moiety, so that he and his heirs should keep the eyries for the king's use, and 

 also retaining the attachments of the forest and the issues, dead wood, cablish, pasturage of the 

 herbage, and common of mast-fall for his own cattle and swine and those of his men dwelling near 

 the forest, the rent of j^i2 was still exacted from him contrary to the king's intention. The sheriff 

 was therefore directed to summon twelve knights to ascertain the value of the profits which Roger 

 retained, and to certify the barons of the Exchequer in that behalf. The return has not been pre- 

 served, but the following issues were returned in 1248 for the preceding eighteen months : — 



£. '■ '^• 

 Of herbage, pannage, cock-glades, and smithies in Wyresdale, Lonsdale, and 



Amounderness . . . . . . . . . . .13156 



Of pleas and perquisites of the same forests . . . . . . . 4 17 8 



Of 8 vaccaries put to farm for one whole year . . . . . .2868 



Of the milk of cows ...........346 



Of 87 oxen of four years old sold . . . . . . . . 34 16 o 



Of 45 poor cows sold . . . . . . . . . . .ioc6 



Of bulls sold 30/. ; hides of 6 cows, 1 1 bullocks, 4 heifers and 13 stirks, 21/. 2 J*/. 211 2^ 



showing that the forests were now being dealt with for profit and not for the pleasures of the chase 

 alone.'' In 1252 the stock-keepers were reported to be very poor and inefficient, their places being 

 taken by more competent men.'* This year the king granted permission to the burgesses of Preston 

 to plough within a purpresture, ascertained by inquest to contain 324 acres, which the burgesses had 

 made beneath the covert of Fulwood by the stream of Eavesbrook at Ribbleton Scales to where 

 that stream falls into the water of Savock and thence to the old ditch which formed the boundary 

 between Preston and Tulketh." 



In 1 25 1 the knights and free tenants of the county holding lands within the metes of the 

 forest gave /lOO to be heard before the king touching certain articles, whereof they claimed liberties 

 by charters of the king's predecessors.'"' This fine was probably connected with the issue of instruc- 

 tions in March, 1250, addressed to the sheriffs with reference to the taking of the regard of the 

 forest. Inquiries were directed to be made of all riddings {fssarta) made after the commencement of 

 the second year of the king's first coronation ; of purprestures made in the woods, or outside in 

 launds, heathy grounds, marshes, turbaries, pools, vivaries, fences, ditches, and glebes ; of purprestures 

 of arable land ; of houses and buildings and inclosures ; of all waste of the woods ; of all stumps of 

 oak and beech trees in the king's demesne woods, and of the deterioration of those woods ; of the 

 strict keeping of the king's demesne hays, where no one was allowed to have common right • of 

 eyries of goshawks, sparrow-hawks, and falcons ; of forges and mines ; of the seaports where vessels 

 ply for the carriage of timber ; of honey ; of those having bows, arrows, crossbows, brachets or harriers 

 or any other engine for ill-doing in the king's forests, and of the vills which came or came not at the 

 call of the foresters, when they proclaimed malefactors in the king's forests.*^ The regard of 1 25 1 was 



- C./ Cto 1227-31, p. 585. - Close, 2. Hen. Ill, No. 49, m. 7. 

 " Ibid. 22 Hen. Ill, No. 50, m. 12 ^. « Ibid. 28 Hen. Ill m 3 



" K.R. Memo. R. 29 Hen. Ill, m. s J. ; Lams. Inq. (Rec. Soc. xlviii), 170 

 '^ Close, 36 Hen. Ill, m. 26. ' ' ' 



^ Duchy of Lane. Forest Proc. bdle. I, No. 17, m. 2 </. 5 </ 



- Pipe R. 35 Hen. Ill, m. 16. " Qose, 34 Hen. Ill, No. 64, m. ,4^. 



440 



