THE ESSEX FIELD CLUB.
111
INSPECTION OF THE BOUNDARY STONES OF THE
OLD FOREST OF WALTHAM, AND VISIT TO
PYRGO PARK, HAVERING-ATTE-BOWER.
Saturday, 31ST July 1909.
After centuries of controversy between the Crown and the People as to the
limits of the Royal Forests in England, it was signified during the first few
months of the "Long Parliament" (in 1640), "That His Majesty, understand-
ing that the Forest Laws were grievous to the subjects of this kingdom,
His Majesty, out of his grace and goodness to his People, is willing to lay down
all the new bounds of his Forests in this kingdom; and that they shall be
reduced to the same condition as they were before the late Justice Seat held."
An Act of Parliament was passed ("For the certainty of Forests," 16 Car. 1. c. 16)
to give effect to this undertaking. Immediately afterwards a Perambulation
of Waltham Forest was made by virtue of a Commission under the Great Seal,
directed to the Earl of Warwick and forty-four other Commissioners. In
accordance therewith, an Inquisition was taken at Stratford Langthorne on
Wednesday, 8th September 1641 (17th Charles I.), the Commissioners being
"sworn and charged to enquire into the metes and bounds, which were the
metes and bounds of the Forest in the 20th year of King James" (1622-3).
The full text of this Perambulation is given in the Essex Naturalist (vol. vi.,
pp. 12-16). The boundaries thus ascertained were shown in a map reproduced in
the programme of the present meeting, and they agreed almost exactly with
those laid down in the Perambulation made in the 28th year of Edward I.
(1301), except the omission of the Liberty of Havering and the demesnes
of King's Wood, Writtle, and Hatfield, which had become only Royal Chases
and Warrens, and were, therefore, "out of the Forest."
And thus ended (as Mr. Fisher remarked in his monumental work) a
controversy about the extent of the Forest, which had been a constant source
of quarrel between the Crown and the people, and had lasted from the time
of King John.
The limits of the Forest of Waltham thus determined on the north, west,
and south, were fixed by natural or artificial boundaries already in existence;
but, on the east side, where no such indications existed, the Commissioners set
up stones to indicate important points. In the text, these erections were alluded
to in words similar to the following, which were applied to the first stone at
"Beames-Land Lane, at the head of which lane is now placed and erected a
certain stone, or Mear stone, sculptured and named Havering Stone"; and so
on to the last, "sculptured and named Richard's Stone" on Courtmill
Green.
It is very remarkable that, in spite of their historical and forestal interest and
of the fact that they were laid down on the finer and more accurate early maps
(such as Chapman and Andre's and Carey's), these boundary stones escaped the
notice of later county topographers and historians until, in 1894, they were
re-discovered and identified by our Vice-President, Prof. R. Meldola, F.R.S.,
in conjunction with the late Rev. S. Coode Hore, Curate of Navestock. Prof.
Meldola wrote a very interesting paper on his discoveries for the Essex
Naturalist for 1895 ("The Eastern Boundary Stones of the Forest of
Waltham," E.N., vol. ix., pp. 1-10), which was illustrated with original
drawings of most of the stones by Mr. H. A. Cole; and subsequently he