The English Forest Law

Timeline

1. c. 1100England · EnglandHenry I issued the Forest Assizes, systematically regulating the boundaries of royal forests, hunting privileges, and the jurisdiction of forest courts, codifying woodland control law after the Norman Conquest; places such as Sherwood were brought into the royal forest system.
2. 1135–1154Sherwood Forest · NottinghamshireDuring the civil war between Stephen and Matilda, the crown traded forest charters for noble support, expanding forest boundaries and increasing fines for violations. Between 1131 and 1140, woodlands such as Sherwood became a focus of royal revenue and local conflict.
3. 1154–1215England · EnglandHenry II and his successors strengthened forest eyres and court operations, while the Magna Carta movement made forest abuses one of the central grievances of the baronial struggle, building pressure for later reform.
4. 1217England · EnglandHenry III issued the Charter of the Forest, reducing the extent of the forests and relaxing restrictions on commoners' use of woodland and hunting, marking the entry of medieval English forest law into a phase of moderation and readjustment.