CONTENTS EDITORIAL 2 GEOLOGY AND SOILS OF EPPING FOREST (R. G. Sturdy & R. H. Allen) 4 Introduction 4 Physiography and drainage 6 Geology 7 Soils 9 Acknowledgements 14 References 15 ARCHAEOLOGY AND LAND-USE HISTORY (Oliver Rackham) 16 Introduction 16 The Forests of Essex and Middlesex 18 The Epping area before the Forest 23 Epping as a Forest 26 Land-uses, 1200 - 1350 28 Land-uses, 1350 - 1610 36 Land-uses, 1610 - 1800 42 The decline of the Forests, 1800 - 1878 46 Earthworks, roads and buildings 48 History of vegetation 48 Events since 1878 52 Acknowledgements 55 References 56 NATURE CONSERVATION IN EPPING FOREST (C. E. Ranson) 58 The nature conservation status of Epping Forest 58 Chief nature conservation features of Epping Forest 59 Management and nature conservation 60 Changes in structure since 1878 and their impact on wildlife 73 Conclusions 76 Acknowledgements 79 Bibliography 79 3