EPPING FOREST.
" Ich, Edward Koning,
Have yeven of my forest the keping
Of the hundred of Chelmer and Dancing
to Randolph Peperking and his kindling
Wyth heorte and hynde, doe and bocke,
Hare and foxe, Catte and brocke,
Wylde fowel with his flocke
Partrich, fesant hen, and fesant cocke,
With green and wylde stob and stocke
to kepen and to yeinen-by al her might,
Both by day and eke by night.
And hounds for to hold
Good and swift and bold
Four greyhounds and six racches
For hare and foxe and wilde cattes ;
And therefore Iche maac him my booke
Witness the Bishop Wolston,
And book ylered many on
And Swein of Essex, our Brother
And teken him many other ;
And our steward Howcelin
That by sought me for him."
It may be asked how it was that any were found
to live within the bounds of the Forest, where they
were subject to the pressure of these Forest laws;
but the answer lies in the fact that they received
very valuable compensation in the commoners'
rights, which they possessed from ancient times,
of depasturing their cattle on the waste ; of the
pannage of pigs; and of lopping the trees for fuel;
and, in addition to these recognised advantages,
there were, if report speaks truly, some illicit ones,
in the shape of an occasional chance of a fat buck
to the man who was not afraid to run the risk.
Certain it is that Woodredon Farm, which was
then, and is now, a favourite resort of the deer,
commanded an excessive rent on account of the
facilities which it offered for poaching.
The right of commoning was limited to horses
and " neat beasts " [cows] " couchant and levant,"