Charter of the Forest,1225

Partial transcript

Edward by the Grace of God, King of England, Lord of Ireland, and Duke of Guyan, to all to whom these presents shall come, sends greeting: we have seen the charter of the Lord Henry our father, sometime King of England, concerning the Forest in these words.

Henry, by the Grace of God, King of England, Lord of Ireland, Duke of Normandy and Guyan and Earl of Anjou, to all archbishops, bishops, abbots, priors, earls, barons, justicers, foresters, sheriffs, provosts, officers, and to all his bailiffs, and faithful subjects which shall see this present charter, greeting.

Know ye, that we, unto the honour of Almighty God, and for the salvation of our soul and the souls of our ancestors and successors, to the advancement of Holy Church, and amendment of our realm, of our mere and free will have given and granted, to all archbishops, bishops, earls, barons and to all of this our realm, these liberties, following, to be kept in our kingdom of England forever.

(1) First, we will that all forests, which King Henry [II] our Grandfather afforested, shall be viewed by good and lawful men; and if he has made forest of any other wood more than of his own demesne, whereby the owner of the wood has been hurt, forthwith it shall be disafforested; and if he has made forest of his own wood, then it shall remain forest, saving the Common of Herbage, and of other things in the same forest, to them which before were accustomed to have the same.

(2) Men that dwell outside of the forest, from henceforth shall not come before the justicers of our forest, by common summons, unless they be impleaded there, or be sureties for some others that were attached for the forest.

(3) All woods which have been made forest by King Richard our uncle, or by King John our Father, until our first coronation, shall be forthwith disafforested unless it be our demesne wood.

(4) All archbishops, bishops, abbots, priors, earls, barons, knights, and other our freeholders which have their woods in forests, shall have their woods as they had them at the first coronation of King Henry [II] our grandfather. So that they shall be quite forever of all purprestures, wastes, and asserts, made in those woods after that time, until the beginning of the second year of our coronation. And those that from henceforth do make purpresture without our licence, or waste, or assert in the same, shall answer unto us for the same wastes, purprestures, and asserts.

(5) Our regarders shall go through the forest to make regard, as it has been accustomed at the time of the first coronation of King Henry our grandfather, and not otherwise.

(6) The enquiry or view for lawing of dogs within our forest shall be made from henceforth when the range is made, that is to say, from three year to three year; and then it shall be done by the view and testimony of lawful men, and not otherwise; and he whose dog is not lawed, and so found, shall pay for his amercement 3 shillings: and from henceforth no ox shall be taken for lawing of dogs. And such lawing shall be done by the Assize commonly used, that is to say, that three claws of the fore foot shall be cut off [by the skin]. But from henceforth such lawing of dogs shall not be, but in places where it has been accustomed from the time of the first coronation of the foresaid King Henry our Grandfather.

(7) No forester or bedel from henceforth shall made scotal, or gather garb, or oats, or any corn, lamb, or pig, nor shall made any gathering, but by the sight and upon the view of the twelve rangers, when they make their range. So many foresters shall be assigned to the keeping of the forests, as reasonably shall seem sufficient for the keeping of the same.