POLITICAL HISTORY was so outrageous that the modified view that he only afforested all royal demesne in Surrey may be entertained. 1 Be that as it may, Richard I. in his second year agreed to disafforest everything in the county east- ward of the Wey and south of Guildford Down, in return for 200 marks of fine. This left the parishes and townships of Chobham, Bisley, Horshill, Byfleet, Pirford, Wanborough, Pirbright, Ash, Windlesham, Tongham, Worplesdon, Woking and Stoke, and Guildford Park of course, exempt from the jurisdiction of the sheriff, and subject to a bailiff, as the Surrey bailiwick of Windsor Forest. In the same district Chertsey, Egham and Thorpe, belonging to Chertsey Abbey, were free of the bailiff's jurisdiction. The concession of Richard was not appar- ently carried out. In 1205 Surrey had to pay 100 marks more for the confirmation of Richard's charter, 2 and in 1207-8, as noted, the county paid 500 marks, in addition perhaps to what had been paid already, for disafforesting. The great charter stipulated for the disafforesting of all forests made by Henry II. and Richard I., which should have included most of the Surrey bailiwick. But it was not till 1226 that, in return for a subsidy, Henry III. agreed that the charter of the forests should be carried out with regard to all land not in royal demesne. 3 This practi- cally disafforested west Surrey, for all the royal demesne there had been alienated except at Guildford. A perambulation was made, which seems to have followed the county boundary, fixing that as the limit of the royal forest of Windsor. Whether the county boundary was known already and followed deliberately, or whether the line taken for other reasons, of ownership or natural features, was adopted as the county boundary, cannot be determined. For once perhaps the Crown suffered a slight injustice. The land belonging to Pirford which was in the king's forest in 1086 was not newly afforested land, yet it was excluded now from the forest. The abbey of Chertsey however allowed the king hunting rights, but not forest jurisdiction, in Egham and Thorpe. The boundaries fixed were as follows From Tussholt to Wulpit Wulpit to Werebourn Werebourn to Glorney Glorney by Glambrugge to Lillford Lillford to Colford Colford to Bredeford Bredeford to Bagsete Bagsete to Bromhull Bromhull to Sorbeshull Sorbeshull to Harpesford and la Knappe la Knappe to Loderslake and the Thames Close Rolls, 9 Hen. III. m. 6. 1 In the Red Book of the Exchequer, sub annis 1207-8, it appears that ' in Surreia finem (fecit) de D.m. (500 marks) pro deafforestatione tota Surreia ' (Rolls Ed. ii. 748). Commissioners meeting before the chief justice of the forest in 8 Edw. I. found that Henry II. died seised of the whole county as forest. On the other hand, the ordinary civil government of Surrey seems to have gone on continu- ously under Henry II. There was always a sheriff, and there appears no sign that the whole county was administered as forest.
- Mag. Rot. 5 ; John Rot. 1 8. 8 Charter of the Forests, 9 Hen. III.
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