FOREST LAWS, the restrictive laws applicable to land con verted by exercise of the royal prerogative into a "forest," in which game was preserved. But, whereas an offender against the ordinary game laws was punishable by the courts of common law, an offender against forest laws was punishable in special courts. Trials took place in the swainmote, held three times a year, where freeholders within the forest did suit and of which the verderers were the judges, on charges presented by the forest ers in the woodmote, held every 4o days. Judgment, however, only took place in the justice seat, held by one of the two chief justices for the forest every three years. The land within a forest might be owned by anyone, but rights of ownership were so re stricted by the forest laws that constant complaint of hardship was made by landowners in and near the forests. The forest laws were among the grievances which united the barons and people against John. They were dealt with by Magna Carta but the first forest charter was Henry III.'s, in 1217, by which land afforested under Richard and John became purlieu, subject to forest law as it affected non-owners of the land, but (subject to certain protec tion for the king's wild beasts) disforested for the landowners. Charles I. revived the forest laws to extort revenue, but in 1640 parliament confined forests to their limits as in 1623. Since the Revolution the forest laws have fallen into complete disuse.
See Manwood, On the Forest Laws (4th ed., 1717) .