THE ESSEX FIELD CLUB.
183
Field Meeting in Hainault Forest District and Barkingside.
Saturday, June 2oth, 1891.
A PLEASANT afternoon excursion was made round the Hainault Forest district,
under the direction of Mr. Walter Crouch, F.Z.S., one of the Vice-presidents ; and
the Rev. W. S. Lach-Szyrma, M.A., the Vicar of Barkingside. Over sixty mem-
bers were present, the drive commencing at Woodford Station about 2.30, and
though the day was warm and fine there was a cool breeze which tempered the
heat.
The route taken was by the lower portion of Snakes (Sakes) Lane, and over
the River Roding, through Woodford Bridge, passing the lodges and entrance to
the new Claybury Lunatic Asylum. On the left hand the view is very pretty
over the valley to Woodford Green and Buckhurst Hill. Thence by the new road
through a belt of woodland, a remnant of the Forest of Hainault, disafforested in
1851. Attention was called to the extensive Asylum Buildings on the right, now
in course of erection, close by Toms Wood, and extending over twenty acres ; and
to the view on the left towards Grange Hill and Chigwell Row, and across Fair-
lop Plain (now under cultivation) to the wooded heights of Havering. The view
extends southward, over South Essex into Kent, and in front the spire of Ilford
Church, with Shooter's Hill as a background. The drive was continued by Toms
Wood Hill and Lane, past Fairlop Place, to Fullwell Hatch (named from an old
mansion which formerly stood here, owned by Adam Fullwell ; in the time of
Dorothy Barley, the last Abbess of Barking). Here is the "Old Grey Goose,"
with its motto, "Live and Let Live," and opposite, the "Old May Pole Inn,"
where no doubt the May-pole stood, and the May dances took place in the olden
days.
The party was here joined by the Vicar of Barkingside and his family, and
proceeded to Fairlop Plain, where, close by the site of the famed "Fairlop Oak,"
blown down in 1820, a paper by Mr. W. Crouch on "Hainault Forest" was read
by him from the box-seat of the private carriage of Mr. Green, of Hainault House.
This was compiled mainly from parliamentary reports and acts, and other original
documents ; a contribution towards what the writer regretted was still a much-
needed work, viz., a well-digested history of the Forest of Essex. In this, after a
slight sketch of the "Forest of Essex" and "Waltham Forest," a more detailed
account was given of the portion known as "Hainault Forest," which was mostly
crown land ; of the old perambulations of 1301 and 1640 ; of the three Forest
Courts ; the Verderers for petty offences ; the Court of Swainmote for jury trials,
and the Court of Justice Seat, held by the Lord Chief Justice in Eyre, till abol-
ished in 1777 ; and of the various attempts at enclosure and the litigation which cul-
minated in the act for disafforesting, passed August, 1851. The subsequent spoli-
ation, settlement of claims for rights of pasturage, estovers for fuel, vicarial tithes,
and poor widows' rights were then described ; and a short notice of the ancient
Fairlop Oak was given, illustrated by a number of engravings of the famous tree,
some from Mr. Crouch's and some from Mr. Furbank's collections. In conclu-
And doth with every sort of Grain abound.
The young men there do bear the Bell away
From all the Towns about at Foot-ball play.
Unto a Farmer's house I went out-right,
Who entertained me like to a Knight :
And though at Newport I had din'd before,
Yet here with him 1 must eat one hit more,
Some ribs of Pork, new kill'd, broil'd on a Grid-
iron
Of seven ribs, three on each side, and one mid-
iron.
But ere they laid them on they did them Salt,
A Shoving-horn to draw down juice of Malt.
Yet this much of his Beer's strength I do know
'Twould well go down without helps there-
unto ; "