FOREST-COURTS, courts instituted for the government of the king's forests in different parts of the kingdom, and for the punishment of all injuries done to the king's deer or venison, to the vert or greensward, and to the covert in which such deer are lodged. These are the courts of ATTACHMENTS, of REGARD, of SWEINMOTE, and of JUSTICE-SEAT. 1. The court of attachments, woodmote, or forty days court, is to be held before the verderers of the forest once in every forty days; and is instituted to inquire into all offenders against vert and venison: who may be attached by their bodies, if taken with the mainour (or mainœuvre, à manu) that is, in the very act of killing venison, or stealing wood, or in the preparing so to do, or by fresh and immediate pursuit after the act is done; else they must be attached by their goods. And in this forty-days court the foresters or keepers are to bring in their attachments, or presentments de viridi et venatione; and the verderers are to receive the same, and to enrol them, and to certify them under their seals to the court of justice-seat or sweinmote: for this court can only inquire of, but not convict, offenders. 2. The court of regard, or survey of dogs, is to be held every third year for the lawing or expeditation of malfills; which is done by cutting off the claws of the fore feet, to prevent them from running after deer. No other dogs but malfills are to be thus lawed or expeditated, for none other were permitted to be kept within the precincts of the forest; it being supposed that the keeping of these, and these only, was necessary for the defence of a man's house. 3. The court of sweinmote is to be held before the verderers, as judges, by the steward of the sweinmote, thrice in every year; the sweins or freeholders within the forest composing the jury. The principal jurisdiction of this court is, first, to inquire into the oppressions and grievances committed by the officers of the forest; "de super-ovatione forestariorum, et aliorum ministrorum foreste; et de eorum oppressionibus populo regis illatis" and, secondly, to receive and try presentments certified from the court of attachments against offences in vert and venison. And this court may not only inquire, but convict also; which conviction shall be certified to the court of justice-seat under the seals of the jury, for this court cannot proceed to judgment. But the principal court is, 4. The court of justice-seat, which is held before the chief justice in eyre, or chief itinerant judge, capitalis iusticiarius in itinere, or his deputy; to hear and determine all trespasses within the forest, and all claims of franchises, liberties, and privileges, and all pleas and causes whatsoever therein arising. It may also proceed to try presentments in the inferior courts of the forests, and to give judgment upon conviction of the sweinmote. And the chief justice may therefore, after presentment made or indictment found, but not before, issue his warrant to the officers of the forest to apprehend the offenders. It may be held every third year; and 40 days notice ought to be given of its sitting. This court
Fore-staff may fine and imprison for offences within the forest, it being a court of record: and therefore a writ of error lies from hence to the court of king's bench, to rectify and redress any mal-administrations of justice; or the chief justice in eyre may adjourn any matter of law into the court of king's bench.