Purlieu

In English Law. A space of land near a forest, known by certain boundaries, which was formerly part of a forest, but which has been separated from it. The history of purlieus is this. Henry II., on taking possession of the throne, manifested so great a taste for forests that he enlarged the old ones wherever he could, and by this means enclosed many estates which had no outlet to the public roads; forests increased in this way until the reign of king John, when the public reclamations were so great that much of this land was disforested, — that is, no longer had the privileges of the forests— and the land thus separated bore the name of purlieu.

See Forest Laws.