The Boundary of the Forest of Hayden

‘A Copy of the Boundary of the Forrest of Hayden’

Alnwick, –

 The Burgesses or Burrowmen of the Towne of Alnwicke have by grante of one of the lords of Alnwicke, called William Lord Vessy, Common of pasture and fireboot, viz : – moorleave of Turfe, Peate, and hather or heath in a large wast ground called the Forrest of Hayden, lying nigh and aioyning on the west of the said borrow and towen of Alnwicke, the metes and bounders is as followeth, viz: – beginning at the head of Clayporte on the south side at the west nooke  or corner of the dike, being late the lands, parcell of the possessions of the late dissolved house of St. John’s of Jerusalem, and from thence goeing southward along the same dike which goeth about Robert Greene’s land untill you com to the wall or palle of Grenesfield, now parcell of Cawledge Parke, and soe alonge the said pale  till you come to a kerne of stones at Cadmacrooke gate, and soe up the dike westwards to Heberlaw to the corner of the house theird from thence along the dike to Rugley loning end, and up the within at the foote of the longing end, and soe fare as the ground of the dike of Hallgarth of Rugley goeth, and then over at the stre loneing end to the south dike nook, and thence along the said dike to St. Margaret’s, from thence as the dike and wall goeth to the goeing down to Snepehouse and soe downe the said dike until you come to mention of an old dike, along that old mention to ane old house sted, from thence right out southward to a well called Hesley Well, as the old mencion of a dike goeth from thence right southward to Swinalee foarde in the boorne, from thence southwest by the forkings of  the boorne right up to an ancient kerne of stones at Bowten Strete, from thence right up to another kerne of stones, from thence right up to another kerne of stones, from thence north west to a great round hill, from thence by kerne and kerne to the south side of a hill where a great thorn tree grew between two great cragges, from thence to the top of the hill, and soe to the kerne by West Bowten Streate, and soe kerne to kerne along Bowten Streat, and from kerne to kerne eastward along the edge of the hill and as the water falleth from thence northwards to a kerne on the east side of Oxen Heughe, and from thence partly northeast to one kerne above Lamden foote roode, from thence right on to a great kerne on the west nooke of Twinlaw hill, from thence northward as the water falleth from the top of the hills along  the Reedside to the far beacon, from thence as the water falleth along the top of the hill to the west wicket at the west end of the parke, and from thence eastward as the pale and wall goeth by north of Coliergate to Freeman Gap, and so along the said parke wall to the west park gate, from thence as the wall leadeth to the Quarrell Hills, to Wykes Well, and from thence upon the west side of the said hills to Stocken dike, and soe along the said dike to Canongate longing, and from southwards to the head of said dike, and from thence down the dike to the west end of ratten row to the north end of the house which standeth southwest and northwest in ratten row, and from thence to the boorne.’

See Tate (Vol. 1 p. 99 – 101).