7
a right to depasture their cattle on the open parts of
the Forest, the parts in fact which are popularly called
and known as "the Forest," though strictly forming
but a small portion of the latter.
Waltham Forest originally consisted of two divi-
sions, separated from one another by the river Roding,
and called respectively, Epping Forest and Hainault
Forest. The latter was disafforested by virtue of an
Act of Parliament passed in the year 1851, and as only
4,000 acres of the open woods and wastes were situate
in the Hainault division of the old Waltham Forest,
there remained 8,000 open acres in the Epping part
of that Forest, or more probably 6,000 only as pre-
viously explained.
It will be convenient, having thus shewn that
Hainault has disappeared from Waltham Forest, and
that the Epping part alone remains, to speak hence-
forth of the Forest by its popular name of Epping
Forest, in which as we have seen, there ought
to be 6,000 acres of open wood and waste land
still existing for the use of the Sovereign and her
subjects.
The next public document in point of date after
that which recorded the perambulation of Charles the
First, is contained in the Journals of the House of Com-
mons, under date 28th March, 1793, and is Report
addressed to that assembly by the Commissioners ap-
pointed to enquire into the state and condition of the