Magna Carta
(Reference: Magna Carta or The Great Charter of King John granted June 15th, A. D. 1215.)
"John, by the Grace of God, King of England, Lord of Ireland, Duke of Normandy and Aquitaine, and Earl of Anjou, to his Archbishops, Bishops, Abbots, Earls, Barons, Justiciaries, Foresters, Sheriffs, Governors, Officers, and to all Bailiffs, and his faithful subjects, - Greeting "
(44)
"Men who dwell without the Forest, shall not come, for the future, before our
Justiciaries of the Forest on a common summons; unless they be parties in a plea, or
sureties for some person or persons who are attached for the Forest."
(47)
"All Forests which have been made in our time, shall be immediately disafforested;
and it shall be so done with Water-banks, which have been taken or fenced in by us during
our reign."
(48)
"All evil customs of Forests and Warrens, and of Foresters and Warreners, Sheriffs
and their officers, Water-banks and their keepers, shall immediately be inquired into by
twelve Knights of the same county, upon oath, who shall be elected by good men of the same
county; and within forty days after the inquisition is made, they shall be altogether
destroyed by them never to be restored; provided that this be notified to us before it be
done, or to our Justiciary, if we be not in England."
(53)
"The same respite will we have, and the same justice shall be done, concerning the
disafforestation of the forests, or the forests which remain to be disafforested, which
Henry our father, or Richard our brother, have afforested; and the same concerning the
wardship of lands which are in another's fee, but the wardship of which we have hitherto
had, occasioned by any of our fees held by Military Service; and for Abbies founded in any
other fee than our own, in which the Lord of the fee hath claimed a right; and when we
shall have returned, or if we shall stay from our expedition, we shall immediately do
complete justice in all these pleas."