A HISTORY OF SUFFOLK 



entreated payment of his former bills for goods delivered sixteen months previously. 1 His entreaties, 

 however were unheeded. 2 



When John Kirby first published The Suffolk Traveller* based on an actual survey of the 

 whole county, undertaken in 1732-3, he described it as naturally divided into the Sandlands, the 

 Woodlands, and the Fielding. The very considerable Woodland section is named as extending 

 from the north-east corner of the hundred of Blything to the south-west corner of the county at 

 Haverhill, and including part of the hundreds of Carlford, Wilford, Loes, Plomesgate, Blything, 

 Blackburne, Thedwastre, and Thingoe, and all the hundreds of Risbridge, Babergh, Cosford, 

 Sandford, Stow, Bosmere and Claydon, Hartismere, Hoxne, Thredling and Wangford. 



Arthur Young drew up a General View of the Agriculture of the County of Suffolk in 1794 for the 

 consideration of the Board of Agriculture. His remarks on the woods of the county are but scanty 

 and insufficient ; he considered that they ' hardly deserved mentioning, except for the fact that they 

 pay in general but indifferently.' He continued 



By cuttings at ten, eleven or twelve years' growth, the return of various woods, in different parts 

 of the county, have not, on an average, exceeded 9/. per acre per annum ; the addition to which sum, 

 by the timber growing in them, but rarely answers sufficiently to make up for the difference between 

 that produce and the rent of the adjoining lands. There cannot be a fact more clearly ascertained 

 than that of every sort of wood being at a price too low to pay with a proper profit for its production; 

 and nothing but the expense and trouble of grubbing prevents large tracts of land thus occupied from 

 being applied much more beneficially. 



The present deer parks of the county, including several of small area, are eleven in number. 4, 

 Ickworth Park (marquis of Bristol) is one of the largest in the kingdom, as it contains, including 

 the woods, nearly 2,000 acres. It is eleven miles in circumference, lying in the parishes 

 of Ickworth, Chevington, Little Saxham, and Horningsheath ; and is stocked with about 500 head 

 of fallow deer. There has been a considerable amount of planting on the marquis's property in 

 Suffolk of late years, for the most part having in view the desirability of keeping up a supply of 

 timber for estate purposes. 



The next largest of the Suffolk deer parks is that of Livermere (Lord de Saumarez), which has 

 an area of about 550 acres. It is undulating and well wooded, particularly with fine old oaks, and 

 is stocked with about 120 fallow deer. 



Flixton Hal! Park (Sir F. E. Shafto Adair, bart.), near Bungay, has an area of 500 acres. The 

 fallow deer vary in number from 250 to 300. There are numerous old trees, oaks, elms, and 

 chestnuts, in this ancient park, as well as new plantations. There has been a small amount of 

 recent planting on the estate, but only for game purposes. 



Helmingham Park (Lord Tollemache) has an acreage of 306 acres. The hall is approached 

 by a long avenue of oak trees, and in the park of ancient foundation is ' probably the finest clump 

 of oaks of any park in England.' 6 The fallow deer, small and black in colour, now number about 

 150, and there is also a small herd of 35 red deer; it is intended to keep the numbers about 

 the same. There has been practically no recent planting on the estate, save the replacing in the 

 park of old trees that have died or been blown down. 



Shrubland Park in Barham parish (Lord de Saumarez) has an area of 355 acres. It is well 

 wooded, and famous for some singularly fine specimens of old Spanish chestnut trees ; it is stocked 

 with about 150 fallow deer. 



Woolverstone Park (Mr. Charles Hugh Berners) encloses 350 acres, and is stocked with a herd 

 of about 400 fallow deer. The park extends to the margin of the Orwell and contains much fine 

 timber. During the past decade a few acres have been planted for landscape effect, and others for 

 game purposes. The park was enclosed about the time of the erection of the mansion, namely 

 in 1776. 



Somerleyton Park (Sir Savile B. Crossley, bart.), in the north-east of the county, is remarkably 

 well wooded and encloses nearly 400 acres. There is a stately avenue of limes. It is stocked 

 with 40 fallow deer and 30 red deer. Fuller's brief comments on this house and grounds, 

 published in 1662, show that fir trees were at that time regarded as rarities in England. 

 He says : — c Among the many fair houses in this county is Somerleyton Hall (nigh Yarmouth), 

 belonging to the Lady Wentworth, well answering the Name thereof : For here Sommer is to be 

 seen in the depth of Winter in the pleasant walks, beset on both sides with Firr-trees green all the 



1 S.P. Dom. Chas. II. cl, 102. * Ibid, clxxviii, 38. 



1 First edition, 1733 ; second edition, 1764. 



4 Brief particulars are given of these in Whitaker, Deer Paris, 1892. In almost every case these 

 particulars have been brought up to date through the courtesy of the owners and their agents, whose assistance 

 we desire specially to acknowledge. 



5 Whitaker, Deer Paris, 143. 



406 



