The Collaborative International Dictionary
Verderer \Ver"der*er\, Verderor \Ver"der*or\, n. [F. verdier,
LL. viridarius, fr. L. viridis green.] (Eng. Forest Law)
An officer who has the charge of the king's forest, to
preserve the vert and venison, keep the assizes, view,
receive, and enroll attachments and presentments of all
manner of trespasses.
--Blackstone.
Wiktionary
n. (context British English) An official in charge of a royal forest; in modern times, still extant in the New Forest and the Forest of Dean
Wikipedia
Verderers are officials in Britain who deal with Common land in certain former royal hunting areas which are the property of The Crown. The office 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 venison and the illegal cutting of woodland, and dealt with the day-to-day forest administration. 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.
Usage examples of "verderer".
From Lydney a drive of a few miles through pleasant ups and downs of woodland and field, brings us to Whitemead Park, the official residence of the Verderer, Philip Baylis.
Before us is the railed-off dais, at the end, where the Verderer and his assistants sit to administer the law.
Here is an old one which the Verderer, Philip Baylis, has kindly sent to Senator Hoar in response to his request for a copy.
Since writing this paper I find that Philip Baylis, the Verderer of the Forest of Dean, has kindly sent three or four dozen of young oak trees from the Government plantations, to Washington, in order that they may be planted there and in some other places in the United States, to begin the century with.
He was a countryman by his ruddy face and the dust on his square-toed boots and leather breeches, but from his dress he might be reeve or steward or verderer or petty squire.
The verderer, John of Milton, who came from the Milton hamlets in the east by Thame side, was all day absent on his own errands, and to Peter, as a cousin of the chief ranger, he behaved as a respectful servitor, sparing of speech but quick to execute his wishes.
He got a glimpse of the first hounds with a verderer riding furiously on their flanks, and then, well behind them, a knot of men.
In my own words you certainly would: and so I propose to relate it just as the verderer told it to me.
He had a fine singing voice and once they had shared their food with the verderer and his family the priest sang some French songs.
Other seats were taken up by several men referred to as Verderers of Epping Forest, and a few members of the community considered important enough to be invited along.
It came with the first hour of twilight, when the royal escort, guided by the verderers, arrived in hot haste below the Barrington dam.
Three or four of the men round the fire were evidently underkeepers and verderers from the forest, sunburned and bearded, with the quick restless eye and lithe movements of the deer among which they lived.
Lodge, and Robert Lee at the Burford Lawn Lodge, and Jack Blackstone, him they called Chuffle Jack, at the Thatched Lodge, and likewise the Verderers, Peg Lee and Bob Jenkinson.
During our return stroll we dropped the subject of Gloria Mundy and talked about the forest itself, its ponies, the gypsies, the rights and duties of the Verderers, the privileges granted to the commoners, the deer, the care of the trees, and on all these topics I found William Underedge far better informed than I was.
Lodge, and Robert Lee at the Burford Lawn Lodge, and Jack Blackstone, him they called Chuffle Jack, at the Thatched Lodge, and likewise the Verderers, Peg Lee and Bob Jenkinson.