156 EPPING. FOREST. 
After discussing at length the legal authorities on the 
subject, he said, “Epping Forest is one of the ancient forests 
whose origin is lost in obscurity. All we know is that it was 
a Royal Forest in the time of Edward the Confessor, when the 
Crown was also Lord of the Manor of Loughton. If, therefore, 
the grant we are seeking for was made by Edward the Confessor 
or by one of his predecessors, it would surely have antiquity 
enough to satisfy these authorities. 
“Tf therefore the phenomena are such that they cannot be 
reasonably explained otherwise than by a long-standing belief 
and tradition among the inhabitants, I think that the strict 
rules of law warrant me in finding a legal origin for their prac- 
tice by presuming either a grant of such antiquity as to be prior 
to the rule of law which requires incorporation, or a grant which 
effected corporation for the purpose of securing its due enjoy- 
ment.” 
Lord Hobhouse consequently awarded to the 
inhabitants of Loughton the sum of £7,000 in 
compensation for their rights. He was good enough to 
consult me as to how he should appropriate this fund, 
and at my suggestion he directed £1,000 to be paid to 
those of the cottagers who had actually exercised the 
right and derived profit from it, and the residue to be 
expended in building a village hall at Loughton, to 
be used as a reading-room and a place of meeting for 
the inhabitants, and to be called the Loppers’ Hall. 
It. may be worth while to mention the sequel of this 
award. The day came, some two years later, when 
the foundation-stone of this village hall was to be laid, 
and it was made the occasion of a popular demonstra- 
tion at Loughton. With singular infelicity, the local 
managers responsible for it invited the Lord Mayor of 
