FORESTRY Ther was taken fallen and sold by the Bowbearer within the sayd forest and parke hanging in the trees wood broysed (bruised) by the waight of Snowe yl'^ij loodes praysed at viij/i. 1569. Fallen and taken by Thomas Holmes, Balyfte of the Quenes mat's mannor of Prestun and Uppingham two trees for the repair of her graces common hall in Uppingham. William Atkyns and John Maydon, kepars of Braunston B.ilywyke did fell and take one tree wherin was traysed one bagar and the same put out of the tree and kylled, vewed at iiij loodes and valued at viij/. I 574. Their was fallen and taken by John GryfFyn, servant to John Eyre gent one tree wherin was kylled a lytter of Cobbes vewed at iiij lodes and preysed at viijs. ; and their was fallen and taken by the said John two trees wherin was traysed a catte and a bagger and killed in the same, vewed at ix lodes and preysed at rviijj. 1579. Fallen and taken by John Norris by the commaundement of the right honorable lorde Burghley highe Tresourer of Englande his master, seven score and tenne trees in the forest and praysed to his lord- shipe by viewe of his owen warrant at xxij/i. xs. 1586. We are to enforme this honorable courte that the unlawful! selling and taking derebrowse wood in Ridlington park, and also the takyng of fyer and fuell wood by John Dyve gentleman in the said parke, and the carrying of grene wood by the corverders and others by the sufferance of the Kepers their, will destroy the said park within shorte tyme unless better order be taken.*' In Wright's History and Antiquities of the County of Rutland, published in 1684, there is a short section as to the ' Forrest of Rutland, com- monly call'd Lifeild.' He cites the perambula- tion of 29 Edward I, and also gives a much later English perambulation of ' the bounds and limits of Lifield and Beaumont Forrest ' accord- ing to a survey in the possession of the late Lord Viscount Camden : — Beginning at Fletterette Corner in the Field of Okeham, it goes westward, taking in all Braunston high meadow, the Wisp and Withcot sail, and so pro- ceeds, taking in Bittlewell sail, and Cockly sale and so to Steerwood, and then taking in Twiford Bridge, it takes in Belton and Wardly towns, proceeds to Beau- mont sale and Preston Underwoods, and so about to Long bridge by Caldecot, taking in Caldecot and Snelston Fields, and so up to Liddington, taking in all Uppingham Brand and the East Field, and so taking in all Ayston Common feilds it proceeds by Ridlington to Breok, and then up to Brook Mill and so to Flit- terish where the circuit or perambulation began. Containing within the said limits the following Towns, viz. Brook, Braunston, Belton, Wardley, the Mannour of Leigh, Ridlington, Uppingham, Ayston, Stoke, Lidington, Snelston and Caldecot. An account of Rutland of the year 1727 makes mention of ' Leigh or Lee, anciently a town and manor, but a lodge only at this time in the forest, '* Forest Proc. Exch. K.R. bdle. 141, no. 20, 9 to 31 Eliz. which was named from it, called Lyfield Forest.'" It is also stated that the forest took up the greatest part of Oakham Hundred and part of Martinsley Hundred.^" Mr. John Crutchley, of Burley, drew up a brief report in 1 794 for the Board of Agriculture, entitled General Fiew of Agriculture in the County of Rutland. He remarked that oak timber was not much raised in the county and that there was very little fit for navy purposes. The best sort was used for building, and recently for canals and navigation, the coarser sort, not required for local fences, was made into gates and hurdles and sold at Spalding and Peterborough fairs, to be carried into the fen country. But little attention was paid to planting of oak or other trees. As to the parks of the county, Flitteris Park, on the northern confines of Rutland Forest, was inclosed by Richard, Earl of Cornwall, in 1250, by royal licence." In Saxton's map it is marked as ' Flytterne Park.' It was no great distance from Oakham and was probably the same as 'Okeham' Park, named in 1374, when William Gambion was appointed keeper during pleasure.^* Ridlington Park, named in forest accounts from Henry III to Henry VII, appears as a park in the maps of Saxton (1576) and Speed (1610). The Bishop of Lincoln's park at Liddington was enlarged by 60 acres in 1332, when it was also inclosed with a stone wall, in the place of the old fence and hedge. In the centre of the county, south of Burley on the Hill, was Barns- dale Park, mentioned in the perambulation of 1269 ; it is shown as a park on Saxton's map. At Burley on the Hill there was, in 1684, 'a princely park and woods adjoining,' purchased from the Harringtons by the famed George Villiers, Duke of Buckingham, ' who made it one of the finest seats in these parts of England.'*" A royal warrant of 30 December, 1634, ordered the advance of ;^I00 to one John Scandaren for bringing forty red deer alive from Hatfield Chase, Yorkshire, to this park as a present from the king to the duke." The park was enlarged and im- proved by the Duke of Buckingham, and it was further improved by Lord Nottingham when re- building the house and laying out the grounds between 1694 and 1708. An agreement as to setting up 'good substantial posts and pailes in ye park of Barleigh ' is cited in the recent History of Burley on the HillP The park was then tenanted by deer. In the accounts for 1708 are particulars as to making 'a rack for foddering the deer,' which was to be 238 ft. in length ; also an entry '* Lysons, Mag. Brit, iv, 529. " Ibid. 590. " Pat. 36 Hen. Ill, m. 4. "Pat. 47 Edw. Ill, m. 12. " Pat. 5 Edw. Ill, pt. ii, m. 2. «° Wright, Rut. 30. " Shirley, Engl. Deer Parks. " Miss Pearl Finch, op. cit. 1 1 1 257
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