Ban Forests. 313 
Germans, under which territory for the king’s special 
pleasure in the chase was set aside as ‘forest’, and this 
exclusive right and privilege was on other territory 
extended to the vassals, while the commoners were 
excluded from the exercise of hunting privileges on 
these grounds. 
The Normans not only increased the lands under 
‘ban’, but they increased also in a despotic manner 
the penalties and punishments for infraction of the 
forest laws, and enforced them more stringently than 
was done on the continent. The feudal system was 
developed to its utmost. Besides ‘forests’, in which 
the king alone had exclusive rights, and in which a 
code of special laws, administered under special courts, 
was applied, there were set aside ‘chases’, hunting 
reserves without the pale of the forest laws; ‘parks’, 
smaller, enclosed hunting grounds; and ‘warrens’, 
privileged by royal grant or prescription as preserves 
for small game. Whole villages were wiped out, or 
lived almost in bondage to satisfy this taste for 
sport. In the ‘forests’, of which in Elizabeth’s time 
not less than 75 distinct ones were enumerated, with- 
drawing an immense area from free use, both ‘vert’ 
and ‘venison’,—wood and game,—belonged to the 
king; a host of officers,—stewards, verderers, forest- 
ers, regarders, agistors, woodwards,—exercised police 
duties, and oppressed and ground the people by 
extortions, while special courts,—‘ woodmote’, ‘swain- 
mote’, ‘court of justice seat’,—enforced the savage 
and cruel laws. The first of these laws was supposed 
to date from Canute the Great, in 1016, but was event- 
ually found to be a forgery perpetrated by William I 
