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This is now the headquarters of the Conservators of Epping Forest.
© Loughton & District Historical Society
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Your Story: The Verderers of Epping Forest. |
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The royal forests were administered by two sets of officials. Each forest had a Lord Warden, also known as the Steward, under whom the Master Keepers, Under Keepers, Woodwards, Reeves, Regarders and Rangers of the Purlieus, were responsible for the day to day management of the forest. Parallel to these officials a judicial system of forest courts operated to bring to justice the offenders against the forest laws. The King appointed two Chief Justices, one for all the forests south of the Trent, and the other for those forests to the north.
An Iron Camp (c 300-500BC), situated in the middle of forest
© Loughton & District Historical Society |
Initially two levels of courts were introduced. The Court of Attachments, or Verderers Court, met every 40 days, and was the equivalent of the local magistrates court under common law. This court was presided over by the Verderers who were elected by the freeholders of the county, following a writ issued by the Lord Chancellor to the Sheriff. The office of Verderer is one of the oldest judicial bodies in England and the first appointments are lost in time, although for Epping Forest we have the names of most of the Verderers since 1250. The appointment was considered to be one for life, but any Verderer could be removed by the Crown for incapacity, or lack of due property qualification within the forest. The Verderers symbol of office was an axe.
In Manwood's Treatise on the Forest Laws, published in 1598, he states that a Verderer should be an esquire or gentleman of good estate and learned in the laws of the forest. They varied in number, in the small forests there were only two, but four seems to have been the average. It was the Verderer's duty to view, receive and enroll all manner of attachments for vert or venison trespass, and to attend all forest courts.
Words: Richard Morris OBE
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