74
EPPING FOREST.
other offycers be commytted to warde or letten to bayll
onles he be examyned by the lieu tenant, Rydynge for-
ester, Ranger, and Steward or two of them.
'' It. That the obligacions for the bayll remayn with
the Steward of record.
"It. That every keper observe ther articles upon
peyn of the forfetur of his offyce, and that upon dew
examynacion and dew proof hadde byfore the lieu tenant,
Rydyng forester, Ranger and Steward of the Swany-
mote, the sayd offender to be dischargyd of the exer-
syng of his sayd office, tyll the kyngs plesure be further
knowyng.
'' It. Thees fee deer to be alowed as here after folow-
yth :—
'' ffyrst, the Justices of the Forest.
"It. The Lieu tenant.
"It. The Steward.
"It. The Rydyng Forester.
'' It. The Ranger.
'' It. Every Keper.
"It. My Lorde of Waltham.
" It. My Lady of Barkyng.
"It. Theffreholders."
Red-Deer—the largest and handsomest of the deer tribe in
Great Britain—had free range of Epping Forest (along
with the fallow) until the early part of the present century.
The lord of the manor of Loughton has some heads taken
from the Forest, which have been in the possession of his
family for several generations, and which adorned what
would certainly be accounted grand stags in Scotland at
the present time. This was to be expected, as woodland
red-deer always attain the largest size. From a state-
ment made in 1871 by a very old inhabitant, and written
down from his lips, it appears that the herd was of con-
siderable size within his recollection. "There was a
kennel at Loughton Bridge, kept by a man named
Dean, and the dogs and horses for the hunt were kept
there. A paddock was enclosed with high palings, and
in this enclosure the deer, caught wild from the Forest,
were kept, and hunted as required, but not killed. The
black-deer (fallow) were hunted two or three times a
week, killed, and used as required also. The method
of taking the red-deer was by fixing a net (kept at Lough-
ton Bridge for the purpose, and about a mile long) from
the milestone in the Forest down to Monk Wood. The
deer were driven up from Monk Wood into it. Two or
three were then selected, and the rest, with the young