314 Great Britain. 
in order to lend historical color to his assertion of 
‘forest’ rights. 
A partial reduction of forests, and a modification of 
the cruelty and unreasonableness of the laws was 
obtained by the Charta de Foresta, in 1225, which 
formulated the laws into a code, and again by the 
Forest Ordinance of 1306. But not until 1483, under 
Edward IV, were the people living within ‘forests’, 
permitted to cut and sell timber, and to fence in for 
‘seven years, portions of the reserved territory. The 
last territory was ‘afforested’, i. e. withdrawn for 
purposes of the chase, under Henry VIII, but he had 
to secure the consent of the freeholders. The Long 
Parliament in 1641 stopped at least the extension of 
forests, and modified the application of the laws to a 
more reasonable degree. 
The forest laws are still on the statutes, but have 
fallen into desuetude; the last ‘forest court of justice 
‘seat’ was held under Charles I. The ‘forests’ them- 
selves have also almost entirely vanished, some being 
abolished as late as Queen Victoria’s time, by act of 
parliament, but the last action under the ‘forest laws’ 
was had in 1862 when the Duke of Athole tried to 
-establish his right as ‘forester’ for the crown. 
+» In Scotland the same usages and laws existed, only 
very much less rigorously enforced, until in 1681 the 
extension of ‘forests’ was discontinued by parliamen- 
tary act. 
It will be understood that the term forest did only 
distantly refer to woodland and that no economic 
policy had anything to do with the laws. Only 
incidentally was forestgrowth protected and preserved 
