154 



Cranhorne Chase. 



where they chose upon your parks and pleasure-grounds. Lord 

 Salisbury was, perhaps, glad enough to get rid of some part of a 

 troublesome property. He sold the Fernditch Walk to Lord Ashley, 

 afterwards Earl of Shaftesbury : and in 1692, Lord Shaftesbury, in 

 his turn, keeping Berwick St. John for himself, sold the rest to 

 Mr. Freke, of Shrewton. Mr. Freke, dying 1698, left his rights 

 of Chase to his grandson, Mr. Pile, of Baverstock, and his wife, 

 Elizabeth Penruddocke, for their lives, and after their deaths to go 

 to his relative, George Pitt, afterward Baron Rivers, to whom it de- 

 volved in 1714, and in whose family it remained to the last—the 

 year 1828. It is said, that whilst Lord Shaftesbury was owner he 

 made no pretence to any rights beyond the smaller inner boundaries; 

 except that of re-chasing, or recovering out of other gentlemen's 

 grounds, deer that had strayed. It is stated that he allowed owners 

 of lands to kill deer at pleasure, and that anybody killed stray deer 

 without prosecution. Mr, Freke also, as it is said, arranged, that 

 if the gentlemen would not kill the deer, he would supply them 

 with any quantity of venison the^ pleased. But, after this time, 

 quarrels revived : and when Mr. Pitt, on becoming owner, attempted 

 to enforce obsolete laws of the forest, the landowners were resolved 

 to make a stand. This brought on a very celebrated case, which 

 ultimately led to the disfranchisement. Being of so much con- 

 sequence, it maj be worth a little closer detail. 



Mr. Thomas King was one of the stout Wiltshiremen I spoke of. 

 Lord Rivers had been persuaded to believe that the Chase retained 

 all the rights of a forest, and in the exercise of those presumed 

 rights notices were sent to gentlemen to throw down fences that 

 were considered too high, farmers were warned not to plough up 

 down-land, and one who did so was served with a law process. At 

 another time hunters and hounds unceremoniously invaded the park 

 at Wardour, and started and killed a buck within it. Some of these 

 outrages, as they were considered, would no doubt be committed in 

 a rough and heedless manner by underlings, who, when they are 

 armed « with a little brief authority," will « play more fantastic 

 tricks" even than their superiors and principals. And it was one 

 of this sort that fired the train. A certain audacious servant, in 



