Assarting is the act of clearing forested lands for use in agriculture or other purposes. In English law, it was illegal to assart any part of a Royal forest. This was the greatest trespass that could be committed in a forest, being more than a waste: for whereas waste of the forest involves felling trees and other shrubbery, this vegetation can grow again; assarting involves completely rooting up all trees — the total extirpation of the forested area.
The term "assart" was also used for a parcel of land assarted. Assart rents were those paid to the British Crown for the forest lands assarted.
Many Northern French places called Les Essarts or ending with -sart refer to that practice.
References
This article incorporates content from the 1728 Cyclopaedia, a publication in the public domain. [1]
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