IZAAK WALTON S ASSOCIATION WITH THE RIVER LEA. 1 93 



Elizabeth frequently stayed there, and it was the favourite hunting 

 seat of James I., who, on his way from Scotland to London, was 

 nobly entertained there by Sir Robert Cecil (afterwards Earl of 

 Salisbury). So pleased was the king with this place that he gave 

 Hatfield in exchange for it. He then enlarged the park, and 

 enclosed it with a brick wall ten miles in circumference. Here 

 he kept not only red deer and fallow deer, but also elk, which 

 were presented to him in 1612 by the Marquis of Brandenburgh. 

 They were still there in 1624. The red deer were imported from 

 Denmark in 1612. There were still wild red deer, however, as well 

 as fallow deer outside the park walls, in Epping Forest, Enfield 

 Chace, and Hoddesdon Woods. It is probable that he also turned 

 out in this park some of the wild boars which he imported from 

 France and Germany. At Theobalds he had a heronry, and a large 

 pigeon-house wherein he kept pigeons for his hawks, and he also 

 kept silkworms. On a large pool with an island in it, he kept wild 

 fowl which were netted for him in Lincolnshire. 



It does not appear that he cared much for fishing, except by 

 proxy with trained cormorants, with which he sometimes amused 

 himself.- His chief delight was in hunting and hawking, and to 

 these sports while staying at Theobalds nearly all his time was 

 devoted. It was here that the king died on the 27th March, 1625. In 

 1650 the greater portion of the building was taken down, and what 

 remained of the place in 1765 was demolished in that year, when 

 the park was converted into farms. ^ 



The inhabitants of Edmonton formerly had right of common 

 upon Enfield Chace, and when the Chace was divided in 1777, a 

 tract of some 1,200 acres was allotted to the parish. Upon part of 

 the Chace a fair, known as " Bush Fair," was held twice a year. 

 James I. threw this part of the Chace into his park of Theobalds, 

 but granted a patent for holding the fair elsewhere, and under the 

 name of "Beggar's Bush Fair," it continued to be held until about 

 five-and-twenty years ago. 



Before quitting Theobalds, it may be of interest to mention that 

 the owner of the modern house upon this ancient site, Sir Henry 

 Meux, having purchased the old "Temple Bar" u[)on its demolition 

 in Fleet Street, caused it to be removed and re-erected as an entrance 

 gate to his park. 



2 Harting, " Essays on Sport and Natural Historj'," p. 430. 



3 Harting's edition of Walton's " Angler," vol. i., p. 38 note. 



