8 ENGLISH ESTATE FORESTRY 



crops. They could not cut down woods upon their freeholds 

 without the consent of the king's forester, and the latter had 

 the right of cutting the boughs of ash and other trees upon 

 freehold lands within the forest, to serve as food for deer 

 when required. The penalty for killing deer in a royal 

 forest was death, while the cutting down of an oak carried 

 with it a fine of 20 s. In return for the conditions im- 

 posed iipon them, the freeholders had rights of pasturage 

 and fuel in the forest, although certain animals, such 

 as sheep, swine, goats, etc., were not allowed, and certain 

 seasons of the year were regarded as closed periods with 

 respect to all animals. Those having parks within the 

 forest had to prevent the deer from entering them, or they 

 were considered as belonging to the forest when this 

 occurred. 



The severity of these laws is said to have been one of 

 the causes which brought about the passing of the Magna 

 Charta, with which was associated the Charta Foresta. This 

 latter did away with a great many restrictions which had 

 so far been imposed upon the freeholders of the forest, 

 and threw out a great deal of land which had hitherto been 

 regarded as within the boundaries of the forests. About the 

 year 1300 surveys were made of aU royal forests., and the 

 land which had been appropriated and added to existing 

 forests at an earlier period again restored to its owners. 

 These surveys were known as Perambulations, and copies 

 of them are still preserved in the Forest EoU. 



About this period the greatest clearance of woodland 

 generally appears to have taken place. In the reign of 

 Edward III. great strides in the social and industrial condition 

 of the country took place. Houses which had hitherto been 

 constructed of mud or " wattle or daub," as it was termed, 

 began to be built of timber, and agriculture was making 

 greater demands upon the land of the country, and the 

 increase of population required the increased utilisation of 

 land for various purposes. In the reign of Henry m. the 

 Statute of Merton was passed, by which lords of the manors 

 were enabled to enclose portions of their waste, provided 

 sufficient was left for the needs of the commoners. No 

 doubt, the provisions of this Act were taken full advantage 



