BERNWOOD ANCIENT HUNTING FOREST PROJECT AN ASSESSMENT OF THE DOCUMENTARY AND CARTOGRAPHIC EVIDENCE RELATING TO THE MEDIEVAL LANDSCAPE AND SOCIETY OF THE BERNWOOD FOREST PROJECT AREA MARK PAGE CENTRE FOR ENGLISH LOCAL HISTORY UNIVERSITY OF LEICESTER JUNE 2002 2 CONTENTS 1. Bernwood Forest Records in the Public Record Office 3 2. Vills summoned to inquire into breaches of forest law, 1255 5 3. Buckinghamshire Forest Eyre, 15 November 1255 6 4. Bernwood Forest Regard, 11 November 1342 12 5. Bernwood Forest Regard, 11 September 1363 14 6. Oxfordshire Forest Eyre, Easter 1272 16 7. Bernwood Forest Perambulation, 1228 19 8. Bernwood Forest Perambulation, 1298 20 9. Manorial Records of the Bernwood Forest Project Area 22 10. Maps and Plans of the Bernwood Forest Project Area 29 11. Assessment of the documentary and cartographic evidence 30 3 1. Bernwood Forest Records in the Public Record Office The Public Record Office holds a large number of documents which relate to the visitation of the royal forests of England by the king’s justices of the forest in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries. The documents record the names of those individuals who were accused of breaches of forest law and the nature of their offence. The two most common offences were the killing of deer and the felling of trees. In the thirteenth century breaches of forest law were usually investigated by justices on eyre. In the fourteenth century these were generally replaced by inquests. Throughout the Middle Ages the local forest officials made periodic inspections of the woodland in their forests known as regards. Perambulations of the forest were conducted whenever changes to the boundaries of the forest were being considered by the king. All these documents were written in Latin on parchment rolls. Those surviving for Bernwood Forest are listed below and a sample have been translated. The number and variety of these records is not sufficient to make Bernwood one of the best documented royal forests in England. Nevertheless, enough survives to enable a relatively detailed study to be made of the impact of the forest on the settlements within its bounds. In particular, it is possible to determine which vills were most frequently summoned to investigate breaches of forest law (see section 2). This evidence can be interpreted in one of two ways. Either these places represent the parts of the forest where offences were most likely to occur, or they reveal the practical limits of the jurisdiction of the king’s forest officials, whatever the theoretical extent of the forest may have been. E32/2 Plea Roll of the Buckinghamshire Forest Eyre, before William le Breton, Nicholas de Romsey, Geoffrey de Lewknor and Simon de Trop, begun at Buckingham on 15 November 1255. m.1 Essoins; pleas of venison in Bernwood and Whittlewood. m.4 Amercements for defaults and for trespasses against the venison. m.6 Enrolment of the regard for Bernwood made in 1255. m.7 Essoins. m.8 Names of the woodwards in Bernwood and Whittlewood. m.10 Enrolment of the regard for Whittlewood made in 1250. E32/3 Regard Roll of Bernwood made at Martinmas 1342. E32/4 Regard Roll of Bernwood made at Brill on 11 September 1363. E32/137 Plea Roll of the Oxfordshire Forest Eyre, before Roger de Clifford, Matthew de Columbariis, Nicholas de Romsey and Reginald de Akle, begun at Oxford at Easter 1272. m.10 Pleas of vert and venison in Bernwood. E32/292 Special inquest concerning Bernwood taken at Brill, 21 February 1290. 4 E32/293 Inquest concerning the state of the forest of Bernwood taken at Brill, 29 June 1363. E32/294 Inquest concerning the state of the forest of Bernwood taken at Brill,19 September 1364. E32/295 Inquest concerning the state of the forest of Bernwood taken at Brill, 18 September 1365. E32/296 Inquest concerning the state of the forest of Bernwood taken at Headington, 21 April 1371. E32/297 Inquest concerning the state of the forest of Bernwood taken at Forest Hill, 16 October 1372. E32/344 Inquest concerning the state of the forest of Bernwood taken at Oxford, 15 February 1376. E146/1/8 Fifteenth-century copy of a perambulation of the forest of Bernwood made in 1298 by Master John Gylberd and Roger de Hegham. E146/1/10 File of the forest eyre of Bernwood, begun at Brill on 21 August 1489, before Sir John Ratcliff, Lord Fitzwalter and Sir Reginald Bray. m.1 Presentments of the verderers and regarders. m.6 Swanimote court rolls, 1487-9. m.8 Claims to liberties. m.9 Writs, jury panels, etc. C47/11/1 [14] Perambulation of the forest of Bernwood, 1228. C47/11/1 [15] Perambulation of the forest of Bernwood, 1228. C47/11/3 [22] Inquest as to trespass in Bernwood for which John de Sortele and Robert Tripelard have been imprisoned, 1280. C47/12/10 [13] Perambulation of the forests of Shotover and Bernwood, Oxfordshire, 1300. C47/12/10 [14] Perambulation of the forests of Wychwood, Shotover, Bernwood and Whittlewood, Oxfordshire, 1300. C47/12/11 [7] Inquest as to the perambulations of Yorkshire, Buckinghamshire and Warwickshire, 1316. 5 2. Vills summoned to inquire into breaches of forest law, 1255 Representatives of the four vills closest to the scene of a breach of forest law were required to make an inquiry into the circumstances of the offence if these were unclear. The distribution of these vills may give an impression of the practical limits of forest jurisdiction at the time of the eyres. Vill Number of appearances Arncott 1 Botolph Claydon 1 Brill 3 Dorton 2 Fieldham 1 Fulbrook 1 Hogshaw 1 Ludgershall 5 Middle Claydon 1 Oakley 1 Piddington 1 Tetchwick 2 Woodham 1 Wotton Underwood 3 6 3. Buckinghamshire Forest Eyre, 15 November 1255 PRO, E32/2 m.1 Pleas of the Venison in the Bailiwick of Bernwood 1 It is presented by the foresters and verderers that on Wednesday before the feast of All Saints in the 38th year [of Henry III, 29 October 1253] Geoffrey de St Martin, William Baynel and William son of Walter Alexander were captured with greyhounds in the clearing of Ludgershall, with whom was found the moiety of one buck. The greyhounds were sent to earl Richard [of Cornwall]. Geoffrey de St Martin, William Baynel and William son of Walter Alexander now come and are detained in prison. Afterwards William Baynel came and fined for himself and William son of Walter, his man, for 100s. by pledge of Walter le Frankel of ‘Chaldeston’, Geoffrey Hervy of the same, John Hutting of the same, Adam le Carpenter of the same, William Faber of the same, Hugh ad Portam of the same. Geoffrey de St Martin made fine for 5 marks by pledge of Henry de Cudelinton in Easington, Senyvus son of Arnold of the same, Gilbert Chop of the same, Adam Cuff of the same, Richard son of Philip of the same, Henry le Franceis of the same, Robert de Icford of the same, Thomas de Echecot and Adam son of Walter. m.1d 2 It is presented by the same and proved that on the eve of St Barnabas in the 34th year [of Henry III, 10 June 1250] William Mathou of Claydon was captured with one fawn in the forest of Claydon, who came and is detained in prison. Afterwards he was pardoned by the king because he is poor. 3 It is presented by the same and proved that on Thursday before the feast of St James the Apostle in the 34th year [of Henry III, 21 July 1250] Thomas Michel and Adam son of Robert of Oakley were captured with one doe, who came and are detained in prison. Afterwards they made fine for 14s. by pledge of Peter le Tailur of Oakley, William Warin and Robert Spark. 4 It is presented by the same and proved that on St Leonard’s day in the 32nd year [of Henry III, 6 November 1247] Alexander Capell’ of Wotton Underwood, and two men with him whose names are not known because they were not captured, fled. Roger Clericus of the same was captured for the same deed. Alexander is dead and was essoined by death, so nothing from his pledges. His chattels of 11s. 9d. were handed over to Richard de la Rokell and Philip de Hornl’ in Wotton Underwood in order that they produce them before the justices and now they do not produce them, so they are in mercy and answerable for the 11s. 9d. and for one bag with relics. Roger does not come because he is dead and was essoined by death, so nothing from his pledges. Afterwards it was attested by William Tuluse, forester, that the said Roger is not dead. … Roger Clericus was attached by Richard de la Rokell of Wotton Underwood, Hugh de Boveria of the same, Philip Sumonitor of the same, John de Wynchedon, Adam Sebon and Nicholas le Synker, so all of them are in mercy. An inquest was made of the malefactors in the company of the said Alexander Capell’ by the four vills of Wotton Underwood, Woodham (Hamme), Ludgershall and Tetchwick, which was 7 able to find out nothing about his company, and because they did not come fully, so they are in mercy. … Roger Clericus is exacted and outlawed. m.2 5 It is presented by the same and proved that on the morrow of the Ascension in the 35th year [of Henry III, 26 May 1251] Hugh Molend’ of Ambrosden was found leaving the forest with one bow which he handed over to Richard his brother going with him, and because he was under suspicion the mill which was in his keeping was searched in which was found one bow with four barbed arrows.