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Another survey of the Forest of Sherwood was made in 29th (A.D. 1300) the reign of Edward I. when the bounds already named were confirmed by that sovereign in return, as was usually the case in such grants of privileges to their subjects, for the fifteenth part of their moveable good granted to the king." In the "Forest Book" where this survey is recorded, is found appended the following important note, which should be well observed, inasmuch as it became, in later times, a subject of much complaint and controversy in respect of the injury done by the deer to the crops, in parts without the above-named bounds. The note runs thus: "And yt is to understand that the foresaid walks, by the afore-named walkers, that there are put out of the forest, the wood of Room-wood, the towne of Carburton, with the field of the same; Owthesland, the towneshipps of Clumber, Scofton, Reniton (Rayton), half of the townshippe of Budby, wt" the north fields of the same; the towneshippe of Thoressbie, and all the towne of Skegbie, wth" the fields of the same except a little pcell of the field of the same towards the east. All the towne of Sutton-upon-Ashfield, with the fields of the same; and the hamblets adjoining the townshippe of Bulwell, with the wood adjoining, that is called Bulwell-rise; and the king’s hay of Wellay. Item, the wood of the Archbishop of York, that is called Little Hagh, that be of the king’s demesnes. And yt is to understand that that part of the wood that is called Little Hagh, was disaforested by John of Lithgrows, and afterwards all the towneshipps aforesaid, wth hedges and woods adjoining, were put again into the forest by the foresaid King Edward, son of King Henry III."
This, at first sight, appears an arbitrary proceeding of the king, but we must remember that these places which he again put into the forest were parts of the old demesnes of the crown, even in the time of Edward the Confessor, as appears from the Domesday survey; and as such, according to the Charter of the Forest, were not to be affected by any disaforesting. The worthy freeholders of the county, who, in their petition, in 1708 pray to be relieved "from the intolerable burden of the queen’s deer" which destroyed their crops, while referring to the limits fixed by the perambulation of the commissioners of Edward I. do not take any notice of these exceptional places without those limits, with which it seems their petition had mainly to do; but if they had done so it is to be feared they would have derived but little comfort, from the reply which they received, viz, that they had "bought the land with the incumbrance, and it was past all dispute that the Queen has as much right to it as any man has to his own coat."
Such were the bounds of this Forest; and from an inquisition taken during the time of Robert Everingaham’s Forestorship, in the 35th Henry III., before Geoffry Langley, chief justice in Eyre of the king’s forests north of Trent, respecting the ministers of the forest, we learn "that there were within the forest three keepings, viz, the first between Leen and Dover-beck; the second being the High Forest; and the third Rumwood; and that Robert Everingham, as chief keeper, ought to have a chief servant sworn, going through all the forest at his own costs, to attach trespassers and present them at the attachments before the verderors. In the first keeping he must have one forester riding with a page and two foresters on foot, and there were to be also two verderors and two agisters. In this keeping were three hays or parks, viz. Beskwood Hay, Lindeby Hay, and Welley Hay.
In the second keeping, or the High Forest, Robert ought to have two foresters riding with their two pages, and two foresters on foot without pages; and there were to be also two verderors and two agisters. In this keeping were two hays, viz. Birkland and Billahaugh, and also the park of Clipston. And in these hays and parks two verderors and two agisters.
In the third keeping, Rumewood," Robert ought to have one forester on foot, and there were to be two woodwards, one for Carburton and another for Budhy; also two verderors and two agisters. He ought also to have a page bearing his bow through the forest, to gather chiminage. The same document informs us that the hays of Lindby, Birkiand, and Billahaugh, and the park of Clipston, were often under the immediate keeping of the King’s Justices in Eyre beyond Trent, and that they ought to have one forester riding alone through all the forest. Also that the abbot and monks of Rufford, from the time of King Henry II. who granted them the privilege, had liberty to take vert in their wood, within the reward of Sherwood; and "whatsoever was to them needful to their owne use, and to all their house boote and hay boote, as well to all their granges in the forest and without; and they might have a forester of their own to keep their said wood ;" who, however, was to do fealty before the justices of the king, and to report at the attachments to the foresters and verderors of the crown, what trees were taken by the said monks.
Such was the provision made in these early times for the preservation of the royal vert and venison, within the forest of Sherwood, and for the maintenance of the king’s prerogative under the forest laws. And it appears that a similar staff of officers was maintained, though with some modifications, so long as the district retained a semblance of its forest character.
In the end of the last century, Major Rooke gives a list of the offices then existing, the persons by whom they were held, together with the salaries, fees, and perquisites they received, and the funds from which they arose. From this document we learn that there was, at that time, a Lord Warden (The Duke of Portland), appointed by letters’ patent during pleasure; a Bow-bearer and Ranger, vacant by the death of Lord Byron, appointed by the Lord Warden during pleasure; four Verderors, viz. Sir F. Molineux, Bart., John Litchfield, Esq., E. T. Gould, Esq., and W. Sherbrook, Esq., who were elected by the free-holders for life.
The verderors and clerk of the forest had each a fee tree annually out of the king’s hays of Birkland and Bilhagh, and a fee of two guineas to each verderor attending upon inclosing brecks in the forest.
In King William’s reign the verderors were found to "take the best trees the forest affords," and in lieu thereof His Majesty was pleased by privy seal to order them £5 each yearly to be paid by the surveyor-general of woods out of the "first-fruits and tenths," but in 1716 that fund being otherwise applied, this officer memorialized the Lords Commissioners of His Majesty’s Treasury that it would be "better to pay them out of the Sheriff’s fines, arising in the County of Nottingham.""
There was also a steward appointed by the Lord Chief Justice in Eyre, during pleasure, who had also a fee tree annually out of the same hays; a clerk of the Swainmote and attachment courts, and a beadle.
There were, moreover, nine keepers appointed by the verderors, during pleasure, who superintended the nine walks into which the forest was then divided, and which are thus named:
- Newstead and Papplewick.
- Langton Arbour, Blidworth, and Highwells.
- Kirkby, Sutton, and Annesley Hills.
- Mansfield and Lyndburst.
- Mansfield Woodhouse and Noman’s Woods.
- Birkland, Bilhagh, and Clipston Skroggs.
- Roomwood and Osland.
- Blidworth and Farnsfield.
- Calverton and Arnold Hill.
These keepers were appointed by the verderers, and had each an annual salary of twenty shillings, paid by the Duke of Newcastle out of the fee farm rent for Nottingham castle. Besides these there were annually sworn two woodwards for Sutton and Carlton.