a1821 T. D. Whitaker (1823) I. 7 A regular process of ‘essarting’ was uniformly carried on.
1861 C. Nicholson (ed. 2) 396 The ‘essarting’ of woods.
1931 41 303 Fines ten to twenty times greater than any hitherto exacted for essarting.
1986 P. Southgate & T. Williamson tr. B. Gille I. 234 The clearing was done by essarting.