6
EPPING FOREST
Forest laws. One end which the kings had in
view, in enacting these laws, and which embodied
a policy natural to a conquering people, and
found in all the countries subjugated by the
Germans, was to keep weapons out of the hands
of the people. Another reason was the extortion
which severe laws enabled the Crown to practise.
But the primary object, to which everything else
had to bow, was the preservation of the Forest
animals, especially the deer—the King's right of
"vert and venison," as it was called. Not only
were these animals forbidden to be killed, under
penalties of mutilation and even death, but the
fences were kept down to such a height that a doe
with her fawn could readily jump them,1 and the
owners could not even drive the deer from their
crops, on which they fattened; nor could new
houses be erected, because of the "increase of
men and dogs and other things, which fright the
deer from their food " ; or the cultivation changed,
or trees cut down in enclosed lands without special
leave granted by the Forest Courts. Dogs were
"expeditated" that is, three claws of the fore-feet
were cut off close to the ball of the foot to prevent
their chasing the deer, and one writer says that
only such dogs were allowed " as would go through
the Lord Vesci's stirrup, who was Justice in Eyre
in Edward II.'s time." The severity of these
penalties and restrictions, originally enacted by
King Canute, was somewhat mitigated by a
charter, " Carta de Foresta," which formed part
of Magna Charta extorted from King John, who
had been forced to abandon large tracts of Royal
Forest; but in their main lines they continued to
be recognised and enforced for many centuries
since his time. The following are specimens of
extracts from the clauses of these laws, lenient
by contrast with some others which might be
quoted, and fairly show their character :—
" For the offence of Venison or hunting, not
unworthely haue bene accounted amongest the
1 This condition has had an important legal bearing on the
fate of the Forest, even in modern times.