Epping Forest Act 1878

During the middle of the nineteenth century, a number of initiatives were started to protect the rights of the public to use open spaces and for the areas to be conserved for their specific environmental features. Some notable people of the time devoted themselves to societies such as the Commons Preservation Society, now known as the Open Spaces Society, in order to gain protection for some clearly defined areas . One of these areas was Epping Forest on the outskirts of London. It was an area beginning to suffer encroachments of building development and enclosure. The local people of Loughton were also, by tradition, taking a limited quantity of wood from the forest under what was termed their 'lopping rights'. The enclosure of the lands within the forest bounds was threatening the performance of the annual lopping tradition and thus, a dispute also arose over the removal by private individuals of forest considered to be in public ownership. Following the intervention of a number of bodies and interested parties, some Acts of Parliament were enacted gradually bringing about the desired protections. The Epping Forest Act 1878 brought together the diverse rules and prescribed how the Forest was to be protected. The Act formally records the Crown renouncing rights over the land and the Corporation of London, having bought acres of unenclosed Epping Forest land, named as the official conservators.[1]