present today and I suspect that diligent searching would find the remaining stones.
In 1769 the inhabitants of the chapelry of Romford, in the parish of Hornchurch, were presented
before the Court of Attachments for attemptingto alter the boundary of the Forest by 'setting a new
stone as the boundary between the Common and the Forest which new Stone stands within the Old
Forest Stone and by that means takes near 60 acres of Forest' (CA II p.96).
The north-eastern side of the Forest boundary followed a rather complex route but again followed
lanes, hedges, part of the River Roding and Thornwood and Broadley Commons (both now gone). A
feature also of this side of the forest were the 'Purlieus': these were areas that were once afforested
(i.e. put under Forest Law), but subsequently disafforested (i.e. no longer subject to Forest Law).
Purlieu = pure (i.e. free from Forest Law) place. Although certain laws relating to the deer were still
applicable, in 1717 a stag was presented before the court of attachments killed 'within the purlews of
ye fforest by Sr Jno Tyrrells and Lady Peters Hounds'. The 1641 perambulation mentions a 'Purliew
Hedge' between Theydon Bois and Epping. Georgina Green suggests the purlieu hedge runs along
Little Gregories Lane at Theydon Bois and continues as the eastern margin of the golf course. The
Little Gregories Lane hedgerow contains four Oak pollards, also Hornbeam. Holly, Elder, Hazel,
Common Hawthorn, Hybrid Thorn, Sycamore and Wild Rose, as well as sapling Horse Chestnut and
Beech. Its herbaceous flora includes Ivy, Honeysuckle, Bracken and Black Bryony. The golf course
hedge contains Ash, Hornbeam, Common Hawthorn, Blackthorn, Oak, Elder, Holly, Maple, Sallow,
Elm and Hazel, with herbaceous plants including Arum, Wood Poa. Bracken, Enchanter's Nightshade
and Red Campion. The number of species within the hedgerows indicates they are of some age. Georgina
Green has suggested the hedges may even have been in existence at the time of the 1301 perambulation.
Little Gregory's Farm is shown on the 19th century enclosure map as the 'Purlieu Farm'.
A purlieu bank is also mentioned as part of the boundary on the 1641 perambulation. The bank was
described in the Journal of Proceedings of The Essex Field Club in 1892 (Vol. IV cvii):-
' ... Part of the purlieu bank still remains at Epping and is under the special protection of
the Conservators of the Forest (Epping Forest Act. 1878 s. 7 (3))... In Griffith's Companion
to the Almanack for 1871, the subject is thus alluded to: 'In the reign of Edward 1st
(1272-1307) purlieu banks were erected to mark out the bounds of the forest, one being placed
between Epping and Coopersale ... Part of this purlieu bank is still visible on Bell Common,
and may be traced from the road (leading from the turnpike to Theydon Bois) along the
common to the field situated between Hemnall Street and the High Road, then through this
and adjoining field to the Duke of Wellington, and so on to the bottom of the town, all the
houses on this side of the town being built upon the purlieu bank'.
The purlieu bank was thus the boundary between the Forest and the purlieu and not the external
boundary of the purlieu. The other purlieus were Nazeing, Ongar Park. Stapleford, Weald Side,
Beacontree Heath and Leyton (Fisher, 1887). The boundary of the Forest between Theydon Bois and
up to the Ivy Chimneys Road is of interest as it is the only part of the Epping division of the Forest
where the boundary of the physical Forest runs concurrently with that of the legal Forest apart from
a short length across the north margin of the Lower Forest.
The Boundaries of the Physical Forest
Unlike ancient coppiced woodland, usually owned by a single, private individual. Epping Forest
(the woodland, grassland and heathland components) was technically a vast inter-manorial common
with many 'owners'. The Forest does not have the extensive woodbank that invariably surrounds
coppiced woodland. The boundaries of the physical Forest seem to be very inconsistent and piecemeal,
perhaps reflecting its huge size, which, combined with its irregularity of outline, would have made it
a formidable task defining the Forest by a hand dug ditch and bank. Over the centuries the outer margin
of the Forest has been nibbled away, by enclosures of a greater or lesser size.
1 imagine much of the Forest boundary, particularly where grassland abutted privately owned land
(without common access), was hedged to obviate the problem of straying livestock. Even a hedge
would, of course, under Forest law. not have been a hindrance to the Forest deer.
A feature of at least three sites where the boundary of the physical Forest meets privately owned
land - at North Farm (TQ 414948), Debden Green (TQ 426987) and High Beach (TQ 407986) are a
bank and ditch with Oak pollards on one or other of the sides of the ditch and bank.
At North Farm within the space of 300 ft., there are 10 pollard trees: seven Oaks, varying in girth
from 7 ft. to 9 ft. 10 ins.; two Hornbeam (gbh 4 ft. 10 ins. and 6 ft. 8 ins.), the smaller being half dead
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