English Coppices Alvd Copsewoods. 



295 



usually at least be only partial, because young shoots of all 

 kinds, and more especially the " young spring" consisting of 

 stool-shoots and suckers full of sap, are dainty morsels for all 

 such animals. The necessity for protection of this sort 

 appears to have been tacitly recognised even within the 

 boundaries of the royal forests during the fifteenth century. 

 Indeed, that enclosure for natural regeneration and reproduc- 

 tion of stool-shoots and stoles had then long been practised 

 as a common custom in woods unfortunately forming parts of 

 the afforestations seems very clear from the preamble to the 

 first Arboricultural Act passed in England — that of Edward 

 IV. in the year 1482. This preamble declareth how, " Item, 

 our said Lord the King, considering that divers subjects 

 having woods growing in their own ground within the forest 

 of Rockingham, and other forests and chases within his realm 

 of England, or purlieus of the same, which have cut their said 

 wood, because the same subjects might not before time cut 

 nor inclose their said ground, to save the young spring of 

 their wood so cut, any longer time than for three years ; (2) 

 the same young spring hath been in times past, and daily is 

 destroyed with beasts and cattle of the same forest, chases 

 and purlieus, to the great hindrance, as well of his said 

 subjects, as of his deer, vert and venison in their covert, and 

 otherwise likely to be the destruction of the same forests, 

 chases and purlieus, etc." Hence enclosure of coppices and 

 copsewoods for purposes of regeneration and reproduction 

 was by this Act of 1482 legally extended from the customary 

 period of three years to one of seven years after each time of 

 cutting the coppice or underwood. 



It will be noted that this first Arboricultural Act had refer- 

 ence mostly to woods situated within the royal forests ; and 

 it was not in any way compulsory. It granted a boon, the 

 liberty to enclose the " young spring" of the woods for a 

 considerably longer period than had previously been 

 customary. We have no record as to the customary 

 period of enclosure against cattle and other stock in woods to 

 which the prohibitions of the forest laws did not apply ; but it 

 was probably also not less than seven years, even though 

 such coppices were not browsed on by herds of royal deer. 



