Warner's contemporary Edward Forster, a city merchant and amateur naturalist,
had three sons and a daughter, the sons all taking an interest in botany and the father
provided each with a copy of 'Plantae Woodfordienses'. Benjamin Meggott Forster's
annotations to this work provide us with the record of "Serapias latifolia [more
familiarly known today as Epipactis helleborine the broad leaved helleborine] found on
a hill called the Hawk nr Chingford Green, also near the Bald Faced Stag in the wood
there" (65), Sadly this record is of historical interest only, this orchid no longer occurs in
the now built up area of Buckhurst Hill. Benjamin's brother Edward was perhaps the
best known of the Forster brothers (giving his name to the woodrush Luzula forsteri), he
found the now nationally rare all-seed (Radiola linoides) near the Bald Faced Stag (66)
(in Essex now found only on Tiptree Heath) and also provided the only record of the
moss Antitrichia curtipendula for Epping Forest "between the Bald Faced Stag and
Monkhams" (34). This could well be the first bryophyte record for Lords Bushes, but
sadly this moss is no longer to be found in Epping Forest nor indeed in the county of
Essex. Other historical records of interest, because they are of species typically found on
heaths and bogs, include heath woodrush (Luzula multiflora) and ivy-leaved bell-flower
(Wahlenbergia hederacea) recorded in Gibson (29) as being found near the Bald Faced
Stag. Pettifer (55) records the finding of the moss Sphagnum plumulosum near the Bald
Faced Stag by Edward Forster in 1800.
With the formation of the Essex Field Club in 1880 a number of excursions were
made to the Lords Bushes area. An early field trip describes the flora of the now virtually
non-existent Squirrels Lane; this extract is from a field excursion made in July 1882
(25):
"The guides led the way through the pretty isolated portion of Epping Forest known
as "Lords" or "Lodge" Bushes and so into a lane (commonly, but we understand from
Mr D'Oyley, erroneously called "Squirrel's Lane") refreshingly rough, untrimmed and
unimproved, with tangled grass and sedge, amid which many wild flowers nestled and
hid their modest charms. Betony and Woundworts, Self-heal (Prunella), Skull-cap,
Veronica, plenty of Trefoils, Clovers and Vetches, flourished everywhere whilst with
more vigorous growth the giant Umbelliferae thrust themselves into notice, the bran-
ching heads of small white flowers contrasting well with the dark green hedgerows of
maple, nut and ash, in which the Black and Red Bryony, Convolvulus and Bed-straws
lovingly twined and blossomed. Here were noticed Vicia hirsuta and the delicate little
Vetch, Vicia tetrasperma, many of the pods of which contained only three seeds,
provokingly defiant of its learned name. Also many splendid plants of the ever-welcome
St John's wort (Hypericum perforatum), the slender woodland beauty (H. pulchrum)
having been already noticed in Lords Bushes; and to crown the whole, tall plants of
Meadow-sweet waved masses of yellowish white flowers above their fellows and gave the
charm of odour."
A year later following a trip aimed at producing management plans for the whole of
Epping Forest, Professor G. S. Boulger in the company of E. N. Buxton gave the
following description of Lords Bushes (6):
"Entering it (Epping Forest) at Lords Bushes, close to Buckhurst Hill Station, we
had an example of the felling of Pollards that has already been done. Though not here,
perhaps, excessive in the proportion of trees removed, there was not much judgement
evinced in their selection.
There is here a valuable and picturesque undergrowth largely composed of Holly,
which being evergreen, flourishes under shade too dense for the Hawthorn, and might
well be planted in many other parts of the Forest. It was generally agreed among our
party that the underwood should be preserved in every part of the Forest, if only for the
sake of the birds; and that, though it was desirable to gradually eliminate the most
decayed and hopelessly-deformed Hornbeams, no pollard Oaks, and perhaps hardly any
Beech need be felled, these species making fine trees even after pollarding."
19