- Chase (land)
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In the United Kingdom a chase is a type of common land used for hunting to which there are no specifically designated officers and laws, but there are reserved hunting rights for one or more persons.[1] Similarly, a Royal Chase is a type of Crown Estate by the same description, but where certain rights are reserved for a member of the British Royal Family. Chases and Royal Chases are beneath the status of forests and Royal Forests respectively.
A chase to which are attached particular officers and laws are properly called forests; The so-called deer forests in Scotland are properly speaking chases, and Cannock Chase in Staffordshire is properly a Royal Forest.[2] Examples of chases in England include the Wyre Forest that straddles the border of Worcestershire and Shropshire, Malvern Chase in Worcestershire, and Pensnett Chase near Dudley.
The Victoria County History describes a chase as:
like a forest, uninclosed, and only defined by metes and bounds; but it could be held by a subject. Offences committed therein were, as a rule, punishable by the common law and not by forest jurisdiction.[3]
See also
- Ancient woodland
- Hunting in the United Kingdom
- List of forests in the United Kingdom
- Medieval deer park
- Surveyor General of Woods, Forests, Parks, and Chases
References
- ^ Parrish, J. M.; Crossland, John R., eds. The Diamond Dictionary. London: Odhams Press Ltd. p. 93.
- ^ Staffordshire Forest Pleas: Introduction, Staffordshire Historical Collections. 5. 1884. pp. 123–135.
- ^ Page, W.H., ed (1911). A History of the County of Middlesex. Victoria County History. 2. pp. 223–251.
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