THE WOODLANDS OF ESSEX.
107
but the slaves and bondsmen appear to have lived and worked as
for their former masters. We find Saxon place names through-
out the county, as well as Saxon churches.8 The villages of
this period contained similar classes to those we find in the
present day. There was the Theign or Landlord, the Priest,
the Yeoman, and the Peasants. These latter consisted of the
Cotter or Copyholder, and the Farm Employees, such as the
Bee-keeper, Cheesewright, Barn-keeper, Swine-herd, Ox-herd,
Shepherds, Woodward, Hayward, and others. There were also
the village tradesmen, the Hunter, the Keeper and Fowler, the
Craftsmen (Smith, Carpenter, Leatherworker, and Potter),
Merchants, and others.9
Thus the form of the modern village had been established, and
although no doubt the county possessed large tracts of woodland,
it was also thickly populated by an agricultural community, and
could not possibly have consisted of the dense forest pictured by
some writers. We find, however, that the woodlands were at
this time valued for game, for Waltham was established
as a Hunting-settlement by Canute's Standard-bearer, and
Essex was the favourite hunting ground of Edward the
Confessor.10 
Although the first Code of Forest Laws has been attributed
to Canute, some authorities contend that this code was forged by
a later king. There is no doubt that it was under the Norman
rulers that the Forest Laws were first enforced with barbarous
severity. Then districts including agricultural land were placed
under Forest Law ; in fact, during this period nearly the whole
of Essex was made "forest" in the legal sense. There is no
reason, however, for assuming that the county was depopulated,
or that the agricultural land was reduced in extent, for it was
during this period that nearly all the Essex churches were first
built. We must picture the land, even during Norman limes, as
an agricultural county with large tracts of woodland, which
served as cover for game. By the sixteenth century these
woodland tracts had, as we shall find, become a mere
tradition,11 and we are forced to the conclusion that in spite of
8 Chickney, Greenstead, Trinity (Colchester), and Mersea Churches afford examples of
Saxon building.
9 Social England. Trail. 1893. vol. I, p. 122.
10 Forest of Essex. Fisher. 1887, p. 12.
11 Elisabeth's England. Scott's Library, p. 196.