Thomas Willingale, Lopping Rights and the saving of Epping Forest
In this research, I not only give a background of the forest’s history and details of the early forest court rolls, outline Thomas’s involvement up to his death, but go on to detail later events, including the Epping Forest Commissioners, the Epping Forest Acts of 1878 & 1880, the Corporation of London's eventual conservation of the forest, the Arbitrator’s findings and the construction of Lopping Hall, which was built to compensate the inhabitants of Loughton for the loss of their lopping rights. I also detail some of the later reporting of these events and the folklore surrounding Thomas, right up to the present day.
1851 - 1936 (85 years)