Event    From 1878 

Epping Forest Act 1878

Categories: Gardens / Agriculture, Law

Event

The Epping Forest Act placed all the commons and forest in the parish of Epping, except Rye Hill, under the protection and management of the City of London, thus ensuring their preservation.

We learnt the background from Lopping Hall. Briefly: the inhabitants of Loughton had an ancient right to go into the forest at certain times of the year and lop (cut off) branches above a certain height, for firewood. In the 19th century William Whitaker Maitland who was Lord of the Manor and also rector of Loughton, threatened this right by enclosing common land. In 1866 labourer Thomas Willingale (1799–1870) decided to continue loping and launched a legal challenge on behalf of the residents.

It was all resolved in 1878 by the Epping Forest Act which stopped the enclosures and also ended lopping rights (hence the compensatory building of Lopping Hall). Some individual compensatory payments were also made. The City of London took on responsibility for the Forest which was to be ".. an open space for the recreation and enjoyment of the people".

Comments are provided by Facebook, please ensure you are signed in here to see them

This section lists the memorials where the subject on this page is commemorated:
Epping Forest Act 1878

Commemorated ati

Epping Forest

The photograph we have found for Sue Roe and Robert Finch just happens to be ...

Read More

Other Subjects

Hilary Peters

Hilary Peters

Peters took our a lease on the derelict wharf and a house on Ballast Quay in 1963.  Here she created a communal riverside garden from which grew a landscape business, Union Wharf Nursery Garden. Pr...

Person, Gardens / Agriculture

1 memorial
Onyx Environmental Trust

Onyx Environmental Trust

We think this group is now (2015) called Veolia.

Group, Community / Clubs, Gardens / Agriculture, Philanthropy

1 memorial
Sir John Sinclair

Sir John Sinclair

Founder and president of the first Board of Agriculture. Born Scotland into family of the Earls of Caithness. 1780 entered the House of Commons. Promoted a scientific and statistical approach to ag...

Person, Gardens / Agriculture, Politics & Administration, Science, Scotland

1 memorial