A HISTORY OF DERBYSHIRE on 15 September and heard the following witnesses: Hugh Fretham, thirty, deposed that there were five herds of cattle within the forest, whereas aforetime there were but two ; that the five herds numbered 903 beasts last St. Thomas's Day ; and that at the same time there were 4,000 sheep and 16 score ' capilles.' Roger Wryght, deputy to George Barlowe, one of the foresters of fee, said that there used to be but two herds, and now five, and in all other respects confirmed the previous witness. William Bagshawe, thirty-four, Thomas Bewell, forty-six, Thomas Bagshawe, twenty-six, also confirmed the statements of the first witness. The commissioners further reported that they walked through the forest, and saw that same day eighteen score of red deer including calves ; that many of the deer were in very poor condition and scarcely likely to live over the coming winter ; that the grass was much trampled and poor, and that there was no competent sustenance for them ; that it would be well if sheep were kept out of the champagne of the forest as they used to be (for so they were assured by many persons) ; and that such action, if enjoined on the farmer and those under him, would be of the greatest service to the deer. 1 The attempts made by the chief forest ministers to keep down the sheep in the interests of the deer brought them into various conflicts with the tenants, the bolder of whom ventured to appeal to the chancellor of the Duchy. In 1529 Allen Sutton of Overhaddon lodged a complaint, as one of the duchy tenants, that on 22 June, about midnight, one Richard Knolls and William Pycroft, with other evilly-disposed persons, servants of Richard Savage, steward of Peak Castle, came to a little croft adjoining his house, and drove away 70 of his sheep and also three of his neigh- bours, and kept them to ' this day ' within the castle ; and that he could get no redress from the steward, who maintained these sheep and declined to restore them. To this bill William Pycroft, bailiff of the High Peak, replied that the matter contained therein was ' but feigned and only intended to put him to vexation and trouble ' ; and that if it were true, instead of being false, Sutton has his remedy at the common law of the land. To this reply Sutton rejoined that his bill of complaint was good and true in every point, and again prayed for restitution of his goods. 2 Henry VIIL, on 4th March 1531, commissioned Sir Ralph Longford, John Fitz- herbert, Thomas Babington, John Agard, and Ralph Agard to inquire into divers complaints made against Thomas Brown, William Pycroft, Robert Folowe, and Allen Sutton for very heinous and seditious matters. Against Robert Folowe it was alleged that he was outlawed for murder, as maintained by the archbishop of York and others, but yet dwelt in the High Peak ; that felons and murderers were taken by Folowe and set in the castle of the Peak and then for a bribe let go again, of which sixteen examples were given ; that in two of these cases he received as much as 60 sheep apiece from two prisoners ; and that he found treasure trove to the value of 100 marks and appropriated it. Robert Folowe in reply to this bill filed an answer to the effect that he could make no reply to the charge of outlawry, for it was not stated whom he had murdered, nor at what time or place ; and that he denied seriatim every one of the charges of releasing prisoners from Peak Castle for bribes, appealing to God and his country. In his answer to the bill of articles against him William Pycroft denies felling the king's woods in Edale, Ashop, or any other place, or lopping the same for his cattle or fire, or killing the king's deer in the forest of the High Peak. He further stated that he had for some time held the office of bow bearer of the forest, and through the due discharge of his office had incurred the malice of certain persons, and he explicitly denied that he had ever set under him any who had destroyed the king's woods, or hurt the king's deer. Robert Folowe was at this time bailiff of the hundred of the High Peak and acted as deputy to Richard Savage the steward of Peak Castle under Sir George Savage, the custodian. Another charge against Folowe was that he had ' withdrawyn and taken out of the Castell' and appropriated to his own use much furniture, such as tables, forms, bed- steads, lead and iron vessels, and even ' iiij wyndoose.' Some of the evidence taken on behalf of Pycroft before the commission is extant, but the finding of the commissioners is lacking. 3 On 8 December 1547, Robert Palmer was appointed bailiff and receiver of the Peak by Edward VI. ; and in 1554 Robert Eyre succeeded to those appointments on the nomina- 1 Duchy of Lane. Depos. vol. xviii. R. I. 'Capille,' 'capulle,' or ' capul' is an old English term for a horse, chiefly north country. It is used in Piers Ploughman and the Canterbury Tales.
- Duchy of Lane. Depoi. vol. xxiv. S. 3. * Duchy of Lane. Depos., vol. xxiii. R. 5.
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