14
EPPING FOREST.
"Description of England" written in the 16th cent-
ury—"Certes, if it be not one curfe of the Lord, to
haue our Countrie conuerted in fuch fort from the
furniture of mankind, into the walks and fhrowds
of wild beafts, I know not what is anie. How
many families alfo thefe great and fmall games
haue eaten vp, and are likelie hereafter to deuoure,
fome men may coniecture * * * they fhall
faie at the laft, that the twentith part of the
realm is imploied vpon deere and conies alreadie,
which feemeth verie much, if it be dulie con-
fidered of." The development of this idea is the
dark page in my history, when the Forest was
despoiled of many a beautiful glade. Let us
pass over the bad quarter of an hour as rapidly
as possible.
The machinery of the Forest laws existed in full
force until near the end of the last century, and
was effective in preventing encroachments. Such
enclosures as were allowed were all recorded in
the Court Rolls, and were exceedingly minute both
in number and in quantity. But Mr. Wellesley
Pole, who, in his wife's right, became Lord Warden,
saw that more profit was to be made in breaking
his trust than in keeping it, and by refusing to
support the authority of the verderers, but on the
contrary by his example encouraging persons to
defy the Forest law, and in other ways, designedly
brought the Forest laws into abeyance so that
he might himself infringe them with impunity.
This he proceeded to do by selling the rights
he was appointed to guard. At the final settle-
ment of the Forest question, the office was
abolished by Act of Parliament, which directed
that compensation should be given to its then