The removal of the legal status of land as forest. Although Henry II was still afforesting land, this changed in his reign's latter years. Permission was given to change land's legal status for a *fine. Henry's sons, Richard I and John, both allowed extensive changes - for suitable fines. Indeed, it was not uncommon for groups of freemen and knights to come together and contribute to the king's fine for large tracts of land. In 1204 Cornwall and Devon were disafforested; Middlesex followed in 1227, while in 1230 it was the turn of the forest of Kesteven in Lincolnshire. All were freed for suitable fines. -
Cf.Afforestation; Chase
Dictionary of Medieval Terms and Phrases. Christopher Coredon with Ann Williams.