KING Charles the First of ever blessed Memory , in the Tenth Year of His Reign , was seized of the Forrest of High Peak in the County of Darby , then and before , plentifully stored with Red Deer , that there were Forresters there , and the Forrest Laws continually put in execution ; that the Freeholders and Tenants of the several Towns within the said Forrest , viz. of Bowden , Middle-cale , Chappel in la Frith , Shalcross , Fairfeild , Fernaly , Castletan , Mellor , Hope , Bradwell , and Wormhill , finding themselves much aggreived , not only with the Deer by eating up their Corn and Grass , but also with the Severity of the Laws of the said Forrest , did Petition His said Majesty to destroy the said Forrest , and improve his Wasts and Commons there , which were very large , whereupon the King was most Graciously pleased to condescend to the destruction of the same , to which purpose he iss●ed forth his Commission out of His Dutchy , to enquire as well of His as of the Tenants claimes within the said Forrest , with power to the Sheriff to Impanual Juries , and likewise Power to swear them to that purpose , and instructions were annexed to the said Commission , what particulars should be given in Charge to the Jury ; and one Jury did present that the King might reasonably imploy one Moyety of the Wasts within the said Forrest , after which Presentment Mr. Woodroff a Counceller at Law of the Inner Temple , who lived in Hope aloresaid , and had Land in Hope and Bradwell aforesaid , worth 400 l. per Annum , was entrusted by all the other the said Towns , as well as Hope and Bradwell , to mannage all their Affairs concerning their improving the said Commons , with the Lord Newburgh then Chancellor of the Dutchy ; and in the Year 1639 as appears by the said Mr. Woodroffs Letter , the Lord Newburgh directed Agents should be sent up , to Treat and Agree with his Lordship for the Commons , which accordingly was done , and all the said Towns sent up their respective Agents , and the Towns of Hope and Bradwell , did then particularly Employ and Entrust for the purposes aforesaid , the said Mr. Woodroff , and one Thomas Eyre of Shatton , whose Charges were born by the said Towns , and the Town of Wormhill did send up and entrust one Bandoll Brock then Servant to Rowland Eyre Esq ; and one Thomas Harrold whose Charges were likewise born by that Town , and all the several Agents for the respective Towns within the said Forrest for which they were entrusted , did Consent and Agree , that His then Majesty should have a Moyety of their Wasts , at which time the Agents for Bowden , Middle-cale , did Contract and Agree for the Kings Moyety within them for a Fine and Yearly Rent , all the said Commons were Surveyed , and most of them divided into Two equal parts , one for His then Majesty , and the other for the Tenants ; before the said Agents were sent to treat with the then Chancellor for the purpose aforesaid , and the Agents for the Towns within the said Forrest having all Agreed and Consented that the King should have one Moyety of the Commons , and Bowden Middle-cale having Contracted for the Kings Moyety within them , His then Majesty being on His part to destroy the said Forrest , accordingly did destroy the same , and any Person after the first Days Hunting had liberty to kill Deer there , and the Forresters from the remote parts of the said Forrest did fetch in the Deer into the Campain or the plain part of the Forrest that they might the more easily there be killed and utterly destroyed , and so His Majesty had then performed what on His part was to be done , and presently after that the late horrid Rebellion broke out , which put a stop to His then Majesties Improving or Farming His Moyety of the said Commons , and the now Appealants ever since that time do enjoy all the Profits of the said Commons , as well the Kings as their own part , so that His said late Majesty never received any Profit or Compensation for the destruction of His Forrest , all which proceedings as aforesaid being transacted at the then Chancellors House , most of the Records relating to that matter , are either lost or mislaid .

And to prevent all just Accusations of a project or surprize of the Country , the restored Fourteen Years , and then obtained Grants from the Queen Dowager , of the said Moyety belonging to the Grown , being part of Her said Majesties Joincture under a Yearly Rent , with a clause of Determination in theGrant for non-payment of the Rent , and likewise obtained a Grant of the reversion from His said late Majesty King Charles the Second , and then the Relator Eyre entred upon the same , and the Freeholders in all as well as in these Towns of Bradwell , Hope , and Wormhill , did deny the Kings Right , and claimed all to be their own but the Soyle , Whereupon the late King and Queen Dowager by their Attornies the now Lord Privy Seal , the Earl of Chesterfeild , the Lord Chief Baron Mountague , the King and Queens surviving Trustees , the Relator Eyre , and George Shaw , in the Year 1674 exhibited an Information , &c. the Inhabitants of Bowden , Middle-cale , and after a long Suit upon very good proof of all the matter before recited did obtain a Decree for the Kings Moyety whithin that Town , and on re-hearing the same Cause the Decree was confirmed , after which another Information was exhibited against all the Freeholders in the Towns of Castletan , Mellor , Chappel in la Frith , Shalcross , Fairfeild , Fernaly , Hope , Bradwell , and Wormhill , which Information was to the same effects as the former , and after another long and tedious Suit , upon the very same proofs as in the former Suit obtained a Decree , which upon a re-hearing was likewise confirmed , and the now Appealants William Ing , Thomas Eyre , Henry Balgay , &c. were all served with Privy Seals out of the Dutchy Court but did not appear , but stood in contempt till after the Decree upon the said last mentioned Information wherein they were named parties , and then came and prayed that they might be heard , whereupon a Third Information was exhibited against them , and after several hearings obtained a Decree for the Kings 〈◊〉 within the Towns of Hope , Bradwel , and Wormhill , which Decree last mentioned upon re-hearing was confirmed ; These Three Towns which now complain are the best Land , and did lie in most of the spoyle of the Deer , would have all those Towns as Bowden , Middle-cale , Mellor , Shalcross , which are very Barren and Boggy Land to be bound by the Agreement , and theirs being the best Land to be unconcerned , and would after Forty six Years , the Deer being destroyed as aforesaid in execution of the said Agreement on the Kings part , and the King having performed His part of the said Agreement , they endeavour to compel His Majesty to try this Agreement at Law made Forty six Years since , and by such Tryal design to overthrow the said Decree so solemnly made in a matter properly examinable and determinable in equity , in the said Court of Dutchy , being the Kings Court of Revenue as well as a Court of Equity , having proper Jurisdiction of the said Cause , and having so deliberately heard and determined the same .