The cottages and the village life of rural England . l of the peace of this district of-the Old WindsorForest to have to record that in this same small parish there is,or rather was, another moated house. It was a farmhouse, calledBiggs, which was pulled down a few years ago, and the moat isscarcely visible ; but in order to preserve its memory I havechristened the new substantial little mansion erected on the sitethe Moat House. As late as two centuries ago these moats were needed in thisWindsor Forest district. The country was wild and open, andthere were daring gangs of ruffians roaming thr
The cottages and the village life of rural England . l of the peace of this district of-the Old WindsorForest to have to record that in this same small parish there is,or rather was, another moated house. It was a farmhouse, calledBiggs, which was pulled down a few years ago, and the moat isscarcely visible ; but in order to preserve its memory I havechristened the new substantial little mansion erected on the sitethe Moat House. As late as two centuries ago these moats were needed in thisWindsor Forest district. The country was wild and open, andthere were daring gangs of ruffians roaming through the neighbour-hood, robbing parks and fish-ponds, and demanding money,regardless of all authority. Wild deer roamed the forest; thesethey captured by means of a hook fastened in a tempting apple,or shot with their guns. These lawless desperadoes were called Blacks, and their practices were known as blacking, becausethey used to black their faces when engaged in their maraudingexpeditions. Their lawlessness passed all reason. Gilbert White, 130. Allerford, Somerset. LIFE OF RURAL ENGLAND in his History of Selborne, wrote : All the country was wildabout deer-stealing. Unless he was a hunter, as they affectedto call themselves, no young person was allowed to be possessedof manhood or gallantry. Led by one William Shorter, theWokingham Blacks were a terror to the neighbourhood. LordArran, at Bagshot, killed some of their dogs, and they threatenedto come and burn down his house. Sir John Cope sentenced oneof their number, and awoke next morning to find five hundredpounds worth of his young plantations destroyed. They threatenedto burn the house and farm of one Nunn, an under-keeper of theforest, and shot bullets into his chamber in order to force him topay five guineas and to give them a buck, repeating the attackon other occasions. Magistrates were intimidated. A poacherwas captured, his guns seized, and a fine of £10 levied. Theunfortunate churchwarden who received the money
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1910, booksubjectcottage, bookyear1912
