The daily morning journal and courier., 1902-07-10
HAINAULT FOREST.
4 HISTORICALLY INTERESTING
 SECTION
Of the Thames District to Be Reclaim
 ed for 8 Public Park.

Few have ever heard of Hainault Forest, except the people who i've about there and the gypsies, who come and go. Nor will any one be much wiser for being told that it is on the east side Of the river Roding. Epping Forest being on the west; for few have heard of the Roding either. It IS a stream which there are none to praise and very few to love. But Barking ana Barking Creek are better known. Ihe creek is the tidal mouth of the Rodlhs where it enters the Thames, few miles below Woolwich on the opposite or Es- sex shore. The little river rises near Dunmow, flows more or les from east to west as far as Loughton, and then turns nearly due south towards Bark- ing. Thus it forms an angle opposite Loughton, and it runs between the tor~ ests of Epping and Hainault, the for" ner lying on the north and west. the latter within the angle to the south ana east. This will give some idea ot the situation of the proposed new play ground.
 As for the forest, only two patches of it remain: but formerly it was an ex- tensive affair. The word forest does not necessarily imply trees; it means wild, uncultivated land. Under the Saxon and Norman Kings nearly the whole of the county of Essex was still kept in this state; chiefly for the pur- pose of royal sport; but the oppressive character of the forest laws led to com plaints on the part of the people, and from time to time portions were disaf- forested. The movement began in the reign of Stephen with the hundred of Tendring; then John was forced to dis afforest all the northern portion of the great forest of Essex: and further cur tailment were made by Edward l. under the Carta de Foresta. Eventually the only portions left were Epping and Hail nault. How the latter came by the name, which is also spelt Henhault, does not appear to be known. In 1640 the "metes and bounds of the whole forest were determined by an inquisi- tion and perambulation in pursuance of an act passed by the Long Parliament, and were estimated to contain 60000 acres, of which. however, only one-fifth was unenclosed land. The Haipault portion then and for long after extend- ed as far as Barking and Dagenham.
 In 1908 there were still 1,410 acres in the Chadwell and Ilford wards of Bark ing parish, and in 1851 the whole of Hainault was reckoned at 4O00 acres. The destruction of this virgin forest. which stood as it stood in the days of Boadicea, was the deliberate act of the Legislature in the middle of the glorious nineteenth century. Here is the history of it in dry terms. Under the act of 1851 GA and 15 Vict.) Hainault Forest was disafferested. Of the 4,000 acres 1917 were allotted to the Crown in lieu of forestal and other rights, and the residue was left open for commoners. Under the act of 1858 part of the residue was allotted to persons entitled to fuel rights, and what then remained was ap- portioned as connlonable land among the several parishes in which the in- habitants were entitled to rights of common. Certain of the lands so ap- portioned to the parishes of Barking, ChigweH, Dagenhan, Stapleford Abbots and Lambourne were subsequently, en- closed under the provisions of the En- closure Acts and allotted in severalty among the persons entitled. Thus 1t happened that Hainault. which rivalled Epping in extent and beauty, was re- duced to some 300 acres, of which less than 200 are unenclosed. All the rest, with the exception of some bits of par ish common, is under cultivation.
 The present scheme is to reverse the former process and reclaim a substan- tial portion of this lost forest. The au- thor of it and the conductor of the ne- gotiations-with the moral support of the Commons Preservation Society-is MT. Buxton, who has long been vigil lant and generous champion of the preservation of nature for the benefit of the people. The extent of his success and the amount of land reclaimed will depend on the public response, which has so far been very encouraging. Typographical details without map would be merely confusing, but some idea of the plan can be given. The me- gotiations already entered into cover two separate areas, one of about 800 acres. and the other of 70 acres. The nucleus of the first is Lambourne Conn., mon, which consists of 1SS acres of vir- gin forest land. It is here that the gypsies camp. Their number varies, but, as rule, runs into several hun dreds. On Saturday they had between sixty and seventy vans on the green, besides tents. They help themselves to the trees for fireweod, and their depre- dations, which are painfully visible, have long exercised the mind of the Commons Preservation Society. In fact, the necessity of getting rid of the gypsies has considerably stimulated the scheme. It is proposed to acquire the timber and the manorial rights of the common, and to add to it three adjoin- ing plots of enclosed land. One of these is still in a forestal state, the others are cultivated. The most important is an area of 475 acres belonging to the Crown, The ground is high and hilly and commands view right across the Thames. The remaining and separate portion is known as Grange Hill For est. It lies near Woodford Bridge, and is beautiful piece of pure forest. In all there will be 346 acres of forestal and 527 acres of cultivated land. MT. Buxton's idea is not to plant the latter with trees, but to lay it down in grass, and SOW trees, or let them SOW them selves, which they do in a very inter- esting manner. Thorns and briers soon spring LID and afford protection to the