EPPING FOREST. 121 
who was also the Lord of four or five of the 
Manors within the Forest. He reduced the Ver- 
derers’ Court to impotence by appointing his own 
solicitor to be its steward, and in lieu of maintain- 
ing the Forest as he was bound in duty to do, he 
led the way to its destruction by inclosing and ap- 
propriating a great part of its waste within his own 
Manors. 
It was to be expected that his example would 
quickly be followed by others of the Lords of Manors. 
By the year 1851 the area of the Forest was reduced 
to 6,000 acres. In the years which ensued further 
large inclosures of the Forest were made by many of the 
Lords of Manors, some of them by arrangement with 
such of the Commoners as they were willing to recog- 
nise as having rights; others without any regard for 
the Commoners ; some of them in respect of land where 
the Crown rights had been bought; others where 
the land was still subject by law to these forestal 
rights. 
Meanwhile, the fate of Hainault Forest, and the 
increasing inclosures of Epping Forest, began to 
disturb the public mind, and to raise the question 
whether it was really tor the interest of the people of 
acquired through his wife a property with a rent roll of £70,000 a 
year. By reckless extravagance he dissipated the whole of it in a 
very few years. He fled the country to avoid his creditors, and 
became a pensioner on his brother, the Duke of Wellington. His 
wife died of a broken heart ; his children were taken from him by 
the Court of Chancery. His mansion at Wanstead was pulled 
down. 
