The names of some of the stewards and other officers of the forest are preserved, together with their tenures and other privileges. By an inquisition in the reign of Henry III., it was found that Robert, son of Nicholas, and others were seized of “Morffe Bosc.” {28} In the 13 Hen. IV., “Worfield had common of pasture in Morffe.” Besides many tenures (enumerated in Duke’s “Antiquities of Shropshire,” p. 52), dependent upon the forest, the kings (when these tenures were grown useless and obsolete) appointed stewards and rangers to take care of the woods and the deer; in the 19 Rich. II., Richard Chelmswick was forester for life: in the 1 Henry IV., John Bruyn was forester; and in the 26th Henry IV., the stewardships of the forest of Morfe and Shirlot were granted to John Hampton, Esq., and his heirs. Again, we find 9 Henry VII., rot. 28, George Earl of Shrewsbury, was steward and ranger for life, with a fee of 4_d._ per day. Orig. 6 Edward VI., William Gatacre de Gatacre, in com. Salop, had a lease of twenty-one years of the stewardship; and in the 20th Elizabeth, George Bromley had a lease of twenty-one years of the stewardship, at a rent of 6_s._ 8_d._, et de incremento, 12_d._; and 36 Elizabeth, George Powle, Gent., was steward, with a fee of 4_d._ per day. One of the descendants of George Earl of Shrewsbury sold at no very distant period the old Lodge and some land to the Stokes family of Roughton, and the property is still in their possession. The remains of the old Lodge were then more extensive, but they were afterwards pulled down, with the exception of that portion which still goes by the name. As we have said, these places have about them interesting forest associations, reminding us that early sportsmen here met to enjoy the pleasures of the chase, with a success sometimes told by red-deer bones and wild-boar tusks, dug from some old ditch or trench. Where the plough-share now cleaves the sandy soil, the wild-boar roamed at will; where fat kine feed in pastures green, stout oaks grew, and red-deer leaped; where the Albrighton red-coats with yelping hounds now meet, the ringing laugh of lords and ladies, of bishops and their clergy, hunting higher game, was heard. Then, as good old Scott has said,— “In the lofty arched hall Was spread the gorgeous festival, Then rose the riot and the din Above, beneath, without, within, For from its lofty balcony, Rang trumpet, shawm and psaltery. Their clanging bowls old warriors quaff’d, Loudly they spoke and loudly laugh’d, Whisper’d young knights in tones more mild, To ladies fair, and ladies smiled. The hooded hawks, high perch’d on beam, The clamour join’d with whistling scream, And flapped their wings and shook their bells, In concert with the stag-hounds’ yells.” CHAPTER III. ROYAL CHASE OF SHIRLOT.