Agisters, Archaeology, Forests, History, Hunters, Ironworkers, Miners, Verderers, Woodsmen
The Verderers in the Forest of Dean have been in existence since at least 1218 and are charged with protecting the vert and venison (that is, generally, the vegetation and habitat) of the Forest. They are the last remnant of the traditional forest administration – unlike the New Forest, their structure has been unaltered over the centuries – there are still four verderers just as there has been for the past 800 years. The Verderers are elected by the freeholders of Gloucestershire at the Gloucester Court (an ancient procedure in its own right) and serve for life. Over the years, the deer in the Forest of Dean have fluctuated in numbers and species (they were totally absent for about 90 years from 1855) but today a herd of about 400 fallow deer inhabits the Forest. The Verderers now meet quarterly in their courtroom in the Speech House, close to the centre of the Forest.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Verderer#Forest_of_Dean_Verderers
http://www.deanverderers.org.uk/verderers-history.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reeve_(England)
The Agisters are employees of the Verderers of the New Forest. They are often commoners in their own right, and as such depasture stock themselves, thus giving them an intimate knowledge of the area and the workings of the Forest. The word agist means to take in to graze for payment, and this explains part of their role. The post of Agister is medieval in origin, when they were also known as ‘marksmen’. As officers of the Crown they were required to collect grazing fees from ‘strangers’, those who wished to depasture animals but had no right to do so. New Forest commoners with rights of pasture did not have to pay a fee at that time.
To be an Agister a person must be adept at handling all types of livestock, an excellent rider, and able to work, very often on their own, in the rough and tough conditions found out on the Forest. The hours are long, and they can be called out at any time and in any weather to deal with an emergency. They also have the general public to deal with, and are required to be good ambassadors for the Forest in general, and commoning in particular.
Their work is to assist in the management of commoners’ stock on the Forest, and carry out instructions given to them by the Court of Verderers. Much of their time is spent out on the Forest, often on horseback, observing the conditions of both land and stock. They are on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week to respond to any problem involving the stock on the Forest. In the spring, they collect the ‘marking fee’, which is the payment a commoner has to make for each animal he wishes to turn out onto the Forest. This helps to offset the cost of their employment. They are also required to report to the Verderers any breaches of the Verderers’ byelaws, which could include such things as unbranded or unpaid for animals.
Another important aspect of their work is the monitoring of the welfare of the livestock on the Forest. During the winter and spring the stock will lose some body condition. The Verderers, in conjunction with various welfare organisations, set a condition standard below which the animal must not fall. If it does the Agister will arrange its removal from the Forest back to the owners holding so it can receive supplementary feeding
There are currently five Agisters, one Head Agister, and four colleagues. Each one is responsible for a specific area of the Forest, but many of the tasks they carry out require them to work as a team. Much of the day to day routine will involve contact with both the animals and the people on their ‘patch’ and an Agister will develop an uncanny ability to identify animals and to whom they belong. In the late summer and early autumn the Agisters organise the ‘drifts’ or round-ups of the Forest ponies. At this time the ponies are ‘tail marked’, a certain cut of the hair of the tail of the pony is put in to show the pony has been paid for. Each Agister has his own mark, and this is to signify in which Agisters’ area the owner of the pony lives. Any foals that are to be kept are branded with the owners individual brand, a register of which is held by the Verderers. Commoners may take this opportunity to remove any ponies they want to sell or take in for the winter, and the rest of the ponies are given a good check over before being released back out onto the Forest. The Agisters are called out to deal with all sorts of problems. Animals stuck in bogs, ditches, fences or cattle grids, straying into people’s gardens or onto fenced roads, ponies with colic after eating lawn mowings or other garden refuse, or cows choking on discarded plastic bags. Sadly one of the more common call-outs is to road accidents. Despite speed limits and much publicity there are still a large number of animals being hit and killed on the Forest roads. It is often the Agister’s unpleasant but necessary duty to put the animal out of its suffering, and then inform the owner of their loss.
http://www.verderers.org.uk/Agisters.pdf
Agistment originally referred specifically to the proceeds of pasturage in the king's forests. To agist is, in English law, to take cattle to graze, in exchange for payment.
Agistment originally referred specifically to the proceeds of pasturage in the king's forests in England, but now means either:
1. the contract for taking in and feeding horses or other cattle on pasture land, for the consideration of a periodic payment of money;
2. the profit derived from such pasturing.
Agistment involves a contract of bailment, and the bailee must take reasonable care of the animals entrusted to him; he is responsible for damages and injury which result from ordinary casualties, if it be proved that such might have been prevented by the exercise of great care. There is no lien on the cattle for the price of the agistment unless by express agreement.
Under the Agricultural Holdings Act of 1883, agisted cattle cannot be distrained on for rent if there be other sufficient distress to be found, and if such other distress be not found, and the cattle be distrained, the owner may redeem them on paying the price of their agistment. The tithe of agistment or "tithe of cattle and other produce of grass lands" was formally abolished by the Act of Union in 1707, on a motion submitted with a view to defeat that measure.
In England, Agisters were formerly the officers of the forest empowered to collect the agistment. They have been re-established in the New Forest to carry out the daily duties of administering the forest.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agistment
https://www.forestry.gov.uk/forestry/infd-6a4kq7
http://www.verderers.org.uk/court.html
http://www.verderers.org.uk/
https://www.newforestmemories.org.uk/rules/agisters
regard inspection of a forest by regarders with foresters and woodwards, presented to the swanimote court next before and preparatory to an eyre, included vert, eyries, mines and forges, ports, harbours and the wood they shipped, dogs, nets and weapons; swarms of bees, wax and honey were also included in the charges of the swanimote and eyre where regards were enrolled (M 227 (v) and 242 (v)). The king might exempt private land and woods in a forest from regards (M 58 (r) and (v), 196 (r) and (v))
regarder officer responsible for making triennial inspections of forests to discover trespasses (P 205); ministerial rather than judicial officer appointed by royal letters patent under oath, twelve per forest, to hold a regard and enrol all offences discovered for presentation through a swanimote to an eyre. Duties specified in the Charter of the Forest (1217); called lespegend in Canute’s Forest Charter (1016) (M 1(v), 6 (r) and (v) and 191 (r) – 200 (r))
http://info.sjc.ox.ac.uk/forests/glossary.htm
http://www.deanverderers.org.uk/glossary.html
https://books.google.ca/books?id=i2bRCgAAQBAJ&pg=PA86&lpg=PA86&dq=medieval+verderer&source=bl&ots=ZEYV1hLApd&sig=Yrveuqx4wgl4aaxC6eYVJSbrTjQ&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiKs7ba78fZAhVYzWMKHXkRAdYQ6AEIQDAC#v=onepage&q=medieval%20verderer&f=false
13th century (later not available)
Regarders (like the Verderers in being independent of the foresters = 12 general inspectors = checking for assarts, buildings (purprestures), cut trees, royal demesne woods and pastures, eyries of hawks, forges or mines, seaports, transporting timber, honey, bows and arrows or dogs for hunting
Gifts of venison or oak made by the king, straying domestic animals, conduct of foresters, Agisters, sellers of wood
Forest courts & eyres sometimes held as infrequently as 24 years.
Essoins by death
In the United Kingdom a chase is a type of common land used for hunting to which there are no specifically designated officers and laws but instead reserved hunting rights for one or more persons. Similarly, a Royal Chase is a type of Crown Estate by the same description, but where certain rights are reserved for a member of the British Royal Family.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chase_(land)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_forest
https://books.google.ca/books?id=H7guAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA11&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q&f=false
https://play.google.com/books/reader?id=H7guAAAAIAAJ&printsec=frontcover&output=reader&hl=en&pg=GBS.PP1
Apis - Bee evolution, distribution ⇝
Pannage was a common right for peasants who were allowed to graze their pigs in the woods of the forest when the acorns fell and for a period of time after. This season was decided at the Verderers Court (see Forest Law page for more details) and the numbers of pigs were monitored by Agisters who acted as tax collectors.
This entry shows that with the demise of the Forest Eyre Courts by the time of 1440 (see 1287 Sherwood Forest Eyre Court and 1334 Sherwood Forest Eyre Court entries); how breaches of the forest law were dealt with.
The Keeper of the Forest here brought complaint before the Nottingham Court to gain the money back from the accused, caused by the trespass and damage to the park.
http://sherwoodforesthistory.blogspot.ca/2012/03/trespass-in-bestwood-park-in-1440.html
http://sherwoodforesthistory.blogspot.ca/2012/02/1287-sherwood-forest-eyre-court.html
http://sherwoodforesthistory.blogspot.ca/2011/12/1334-sherwood-forest-eyre-court.html
FoD - Deciduous Forest - Ray Mears
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bhnBhObR5QU
Forests, Woodsmen, Hunters, Miners, Ironworkers
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL745-VcJ1xdWc4CiWxovU2RNTVn4FvsOT
Forest & Woodland Resources - LINKS
https://plus.google.com/+SuttonHoo/posts/b4U7svx5moe
Town & Country: Forests, Woodsmen, Hunters - LINKS
https://plus.google.com/+SuttonHoo/posts/i2yvE7kZmEJ
Intensification: Oasthouses
https://plus.google.com/+SuttonHoo/posts/9WF4oELcJr4
Wye Valley Woodland (AONB) Wales - Trees woods & forest gardens - agroforestry arboriculture
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL3hm4LtH_-dogYqTZdrKfhRCUNlwowYmq
Charcoal, coppice, edibles, timber - Tony Blake
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtakTnKQQMCzq3gN7I0H5RaM8_DCFWpPz
Ancient Woodland & Value of Trees - antharch
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLEFMsUiiH110nbFULj5JDl_0nqdm4tbdx
https://plus.google.com/+SuttonHoo/posts/b4U7svx5moe
Bite sized New Forest - New Forest National Park Authority
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLPERa4Ls5ArrEIV-owtlAIcVPAhcbNC2p
The Weald
https://plus.google.com/+SuttonHoo/posts/dU2mRRiPnj6
https://www.youtube.com/user/highwealdAONB/videos
Hunting scene - Archaeology & History of Medieval Sherwood Forest
http://news.experiencenottinghamshire.com/archaeology-and-history-of-medieval-sherwood-forest/
Medieval Forest of Dean
Forest of Dean
https://plus.google.com/103755316640704343614/posts/GPK5jBvrtux
Forest of Dean 1282 = pre-perambulation
https://plus.google.com/103755316640704343614/posts/fNBkJjHTPeV
St Briavels Hundred
https://plus.google.com/103755316640704343614/posts/F2NzWPbjEVH
Westbury Hundred
https://plus.google.com/103755316640704343614/posts/jBCxzoeeLKx
The area's history is obscure for several centuries after Roman period during the so-called Dark Ages, although at different times it may have been part of the Welsh kingdoms of Gwent and Ergyng, and the Beachley and Lancaut peninsulas east of the Lower Wye remained in Welsh control at least until the 8th century.
Around 790 the Saxon King Offa of Mercia built his dyke high above the Wye, to mark the boundary with the Welsh. The Forest of Dean then came under the control of the diocese of Hereford. Throughout the next few centuries Vikings conducted raids up the Severn, but by the 11th century the kingdom of Wessex had established civil government. The core of the forest was used by the late Anglo Saxon kings, and after 1066 the Normans, as their personal hunting ground. The area was kept stocked with deer and wild boar and became important for timber, charcoal, iron ore and limestone.
The Hundred of St Briavels was established in the 12th century, at the same time as many Norman laws concerning the Forest of Dean were put in place. St Briavels Castle became the Forest's administrative and judicial centre. Verderers were appointed to act for the king and protect his royal rights, and local people were given some common rights.
Flaxley Abbey was built and given rights and privileges. In 1296, miners from the Hundred of St Briavels supported King Edward I at the siege of Berwick-on-Tweed in the Scottish Wars of Independence by undermining the then Scottish town's defences in the first step of his campaign to seize Scotland from John Balliol. As a result, the king granted free mining rights within the forest to the miners and their descendants; the rights continue to the present day. Miners at that time were mainly involved in iron mining although the presence of coal was well known and limited amounts had been recovered in Roman times. Coal was not used for iron making with the methods of smelting then in use. Later the freeminer rights were used mainly for coal mining. The activities of the miners were regulated by the Court of Mine Law.
Forest of Dean - Wikipedia
