114
THE WOODLANDS OF ESSEX.
an action against them for waste. He alleged that they had
already cut trees in the park to the value of £2,000. He also
brought a similar action against them for waste in a wood called
Branard's wood, and sometimes Banniards, but now known as
Brannett's."
Notwithstanding this waste, Arthur Young tells us that
"Sir Thos. Lennard, of Bell House, Avely, has some of the
finest trees of their sort that are anywhere to be seen, the abeles
are supposed to be the largest in England. The elms are very
great. The two centuries which had elapsed had allowed time
for the quicker growing trees to attain full growth. Once more,
however, this park was fated to be depleted of its timber, for the
son of Sir Thomas Lennard (Sir Thos. Barrett Lennard) in order
to meet the heavy expenditure upon his elections as member of
Parliament for Maldon had to cut his timber so freely that there
was not much timber standing when the present Baronet came
into his estate.''
The most remarkable woodland remaining in our county is
Epping Forest, which may be described as a great woodland
of Hornbeam, enclosing some woods of Beech, and containing
many Oaks ; these latter are grouped and scattered here and
there. The smaller proportion of Oak in this forest as com-
pared to all other Essex Woodlands may be due to the destruc-
tion of oak trees owing to the forest having been very con-
veniently situated as a source of Navy Timber ; other trees,
such as Beech and Hornbeam, having replaced them. The
Crab-trees, to which special protection was afforded under the
Forest Laws, in consequence of their providing food for deer,
still exist in some numbers.
Our next most extensive tract of woodlands are the Writtle
High Woods, formerly one of the King's Demesnes. These
woods are situated upon the borders of the Boulder-clay, north
of the Stratford and Colchester Road. The principal tree in
these woods is the Oak, with some Elms, Ashes and other trees.
The coppice is mainly Hazel.
In the Rochford Hundred there is a fine stretch of wood-
lands, including the Hockley Wood and Hadleigh Great Wood,
each being more than a mile in length.
The country round Brentwood is well wooded. Thorndon
Deer Park, the seat of Lord Petre, is remarkable for fine timber