ts, who seized
their vessels, carried away the corn, threatened their lives if they
resisted, and forbad any complaint being made, on their coming that way
again. The petition caused letters of privy seal to be proclaimed in
those parts to the effect that "no man of the said Forest should be so
hardy to inquiet or disturb the people passing the said river with
merchandise, upon pain of treason." But the account proceeds to say that
"the said trespassers came to the said river with greater routs and riots
than ever they did before, there despoiling at divers times eight trowes
of wheat, rye, flour, and divers other goods and chattels, and the men of
the same cast overboard, and divers of them drowned, and the hawsers of
the same trowes cut away, and mainstrung the owners of the said goods,
who should not be so hardy as to cause any manner of victuals to be
carried any more by the same stream, much or little, for lord or for
lady, as they would hew their boats all to pieces if they did so." More
stringent measures were therefore evidently necessary, and in 1429 the
Parliament passed an act, enforcing a restoration of the plunder, and
amends for the injury done, within fifteen days, and the offenders to be
imprisoned, or else the Statute of Winchester would be enforced against
them.

The singular perquisite of a bushel of coal, worth twenty pence, from
each pit, at the end of every six weeks, was now attached to the office
of "capital forester of all the foresters," held at this period by Robert
Greyndour. The King's lands, manors, castles, and other possessions in
this Forest, were also granted to Henry Duke of Warwick, for one hundred
pounds annual rental.

After the accession of Edward IV., and his unpopular marriage with
Elizabeth Woodville, this Forest was the spot to which, upon the defeat
at Edgecote (26th July, 1469), her father the Earl Rivers and her brother
Sir John Woodville fled, where they were recaptured and carried to
Northampton, their place of execution. A sergeantry, called woodward of
the Lee Baile, was then held by John Throckmorton, Esq.

In the reign of Henry VIII. the office of Bleysbale and forestership of
fee was filled by William Alberton. A rental of sixty-five shillings and
sixpence was paid to the Crown for certain lands in the Forest held by
the priory of Monmouth; and others, called Cley-pitts, Litterfield, and
Hill Hardwell, paid two shillings and four pence. Letters patent granted