FORESTRY 



A distribution of fat venison, made by order of Charles I in 1639 to 

 the foreign ambassadors, included three bucks to the French ambassador, 

 one of which came from Hyde Park." 



In the reign of James I Westminster Palace was supplied with water 

 from springs in Hyde Park ; a grant was made by the king in 1617 to 

 the Earl of Suffolk of liberty to have a small pipe for the conveyance of 

 water to Suffolk House inserted in the main pipe from Hyde Park to 

 Westminster Palace." 



In the same year the crown granted to one Hector Johnson, for 

 service to the Electress Palatine, a lease of the waste ground called Hay 

 Hill, near Hyde Park, and of another plot near Hyde Park Corner, with 

 power to build thereon. 68 



In 1619 the park was the scene of a serious poaching affray, when 

 two or three poachers were caught shooting the deer at night. They 

 were executed at Hyde Park Gate ; even a poor labourer who had been 

 hired to hold their dogs for 1 6d. shared their fate." 



The deer of Marylebone Park suffered much from great rains in the 

 winter of 16245 > on 12 January a warrant was issued to the keepers of 

 Hyde Park to cause three brace of bucks to be taken and conveyed to 

 Marylebone on that account. At the same time another warrant was 

 served on the master of the toils to cause the toils (nets) to be sent to 

 Hyde Park for that service." 



Londoners may be thankful to Charles I for the initiation of one 

 great boon, namely, the opening of Hyde Park as a pleasure ground to 

 the public, an act of grace which was not extorted by any pressure. 

 The exact date of this concession is not known, but it was certainly 

 before 1635. On 23 April of that year two Leicestershire gentlemen, 

 John Prettyman and John Havers, agreed to run a match with their 

 horses for 100 each, between the hours of 9 and 10 in the forenoon. 

 They were to start ' at the upper lodge and to run the usual way from 

 thence over the lower bridge unto the ending place at the Park Gate.' 

 The words ' usual way ' show that races were at this date common on 

 this course. A comedy produced in 1637 by James Shirley, under the 

 title ' Hyde Park,' has a race as the principal incident. The author 

 states that this play was written at the suggestion of Henry, Earl of 

 Holland, the keeper, and that he had been ' made happy by his smile 

 when it was presented after a long silence upon first opening of the 

 park.' From this play it is obvious that considerable crowds gathered 

 at this period to see the horse-racing and other sports in the park. One 

 of the episodes is a foot-race. A milkmaid goes round amongst the people 

 crying ' Milk of a red cow,' whilst the more fashionable company par- 

 take of syllabub laced with sack. Other parts of the play show the rural 

 character of much of the park ; birds are singing * on every tree,' whilst 

 the nightingale and the cuckoo obtain particular mention." 



!1 Cox, Royal Forests, 78. 



" S.P. Dora. Jas. I, xc, 123. Three years later the dean and chapter of Westminster obtained a 

 like permission. " Ibid. 142. M Ibid, ex, 133, 149. 



* Ibid, clxxxi, 48. " Larwood, The Story of the London Parks, 21-3. 



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