From this dictionary the reader will not only learn the meaning of such terms as pismires, perambulation, furlong and quaking ash, but will find brief histories of the forest courts of the Middle Ages, and the lawing of dogs. Long entries describe such complex procedures as bark-stripping, dishing and dressing, and the care and exploitation of coppice. Many words and practices described here survived until the recent past and some are still in use today.

This unique book will be welcomed by everyone interested in the history of English rural life in which woodlands and forests have played, over the centuries, such a vital role.

The entries are fully referenced and illustrated where appropriate with line drawings.