As Chairman of the Epping Forest and Commons Committee at the City of London Corporation, which owns Epping Forest and is the appointed Conservator under the Epping Forest Act 1878, I often get asked the question ‘what is a Verderer?’. Below I will attempt to share some of the background to this role and how it’s practically applied today.
Verderers are forestry officials in England who deal with common land in certain former royal hunting areas which were the property of the Crown. The office of Verderer was developed in the Middle Ages to administer forest law on behalf of the King. Verderers investigated and recorded minor offences such as the taking of timber, venison, and dealt with the day-to-day forest administration of issues such as encroachment. In the modern era, Verderers are still to be found in the New Forest, the Forest of Dean, and Epping Forest, where they serve to protect commoning practices, and conserve the traditional landscape and wildlife.
Verderers were originally part of the ancient judicial and administrative hierarchy of the vast areas of English forests and Royal Forests set aside by William the Conqueror for hunting. The title Verderer comes from the Norman word ‘vert’ meaning green and referring to woodland. These forests were divided into provinces each having a Chief Justice who travelled around on circuit dealing with the more serious offences. Verderers investigated and recorded minor offences and dealt with the day to day forest administration.
Verderers in the former Royal Forest of Epping have been appointed since the early 13th century. The office was preserved by the Epping Forest Act 1878, which named the foundation Verderers of the new regime: Sir Fowell Buxton, 3rd Baronet, Sir Antonio Brady, Thomas Charles Baring, and Andrew Johnston. They are nowadays elected at septennial elections among the registered commoners, two for the northern parishes, two for the southern. The verderers act as representatives of the users of the Forest, meet the Superintendent and other officials regularly, and are members of the Epping Forest and Commons Committee of the City of London Corporation.
Verderers are elected every seven years by the commoners of the Forest. The Act makes no provision for by-elections allowing the Committee instead to appoint a replacement to serve until the next septennial election where a vacancy is “caused by death, resignation, disqualification or otherwise”. The number of active commoners is very limited and the Verderers have increasingly broadened their role to facilitate the better management of the Forest, not only on behalf of the commoners but also for both visitors and residents living around the Forest.
Below I have included:
1. An Epping Forest Verderer Role Description written in 2018
2. An extract of the Forth Schedule from the Epping Forest Act 1878 relevant to Verderer elections
3. Answers to Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about Epping Forest Verderers
4. An extract of the Returning Officer’s decision following Epping Forest Verderer elections in 2013
5. Biographies / Profiles on each of the 4 serving Epping Forest Verderers
If you’d like any more information about the Epping Forest Verderers, you can drop an email to epping.forest@cityoflondon.gov.uk