56 



DEER AND DEER PARKS. 



Ch. III. 



are represented in Kip's view of St. James's 

 Palace in 1714, in the park beyond the 

 mall.' The deer in Hyde Park remained 

 there in the memory of many of the pre- 

 sent generation ; they were removed about 

 1 83 1, ' in consequence, as it is said, of the 

 number of pet dogs which were shot by 

 the keeper, and which occasioned a great 

 many complaints." Norden, in 1572, 

 describes Hyde Park as ' substancially 

 impaled, with a fayre lodge and princelye 

 ■standes therein ; it is a stately parke, and 

 full of fayre game.'^ 



Maryburne Park, which occupied the 

 site .of the present ' Regent's Park,' con- 

 itained 543 acres and 17 perches. It was 

 disparked during the Usurpation,and never 

 afterwards restored.* 



William, Earl of Pembroke, was keeper 

 -of the Royal Park at Hanworth in the 

 £rst year of Queen Mary I. (iSS3-4). and 

 here Queen Elizabeth dined and hunted 

 in September 1600.* 



Kenton or Kempton Park was granted 

 to Sir. Robert Killigrew (October 27, 1631) 

 in fee form, at the yearly rent of 18/. is., 

 with the condition, 'that he shall main- 

 tain the said park stocked with 3oo deer 

 for his Majesty's disport.'^ There were 

 deer here about thirty years ago. There 

 had been once two parks here, as appears 



' Of the Park of St. James's the well-known 

 anecdote is told, that Caroline, Queen of 

 George II., had wished to shut it up, and 

 asked Sir Robert Walpole what it would cost 

 to do it? he replied, 'only a crown, madam," 



^ Mr. E. Jesse, in ' Once-a-Week, ' part 68, 

 p. 156. 



» MS. Harl. 570. 



• At that time there were 124 deer of several 

 sorts, sold for 130/. 1,774/- ^- °d. was re- 



' Lord Orford's Memoirs of the last ten years 

 of George II. Vol. ii. p. 61. 



by the custody of them being granted to 

 Christopher and Edmund Water, in the 

 year 1461.' 



Of Hampton Court Norden says, 

 ' There were two parkes, one of them for 

 deere, the other of hares, both invironed 

 with walls of bricke, the south side of the 

 deere park excepted, which is paled, and 

 invironed with the Thamise.'* There were 

 afterwards three parks at Hampton Court, 

 ' Bushy Old Park, The Middle or North 

 Park, and the New Park :' two of these 

 have been joined, and go by the name of 

 '■Bushy Park.' Timothy Bennett, of Hamp- 

 ton Wick, tried and achieved the right of 

 free passage through this park about the 

 year 1752.' There are said to be 1,100 

 acres, well -stocked with deer. Evelyn men- 

 tions it in 1662, that 'it was formerly a 

 flat, naked piece of ground, now planted 

 with sweete rows of lime trees.' ^^ Of En- 

 field Chase he also observes, ' A solitarie 

 desert, yet stocked with hot less than 3,000 

 deere."" 



Speed's map of Middlesex, engraved in 

 1610, adds only two to this list of parks ; 

 ' Osterley Park,' and another at ' Dor- 

 man's Well,' a little north of it. The 

 house at Osterley was erected by Sir 

 Thomas Gresham, and finished about 

 the year 1577; ' and standeth,' says Nor- 



ceived for the timber. See Lyson's Environs, 

 vol. ii. p. S42. 



'^ Nichols's Progresses of Queen Elizabeth, 

 vol. iii. p. 513. 



• S. P. O. Domestic, Cal. 1631-3, p. 172. 



' Lyson's Middlesex, p.' 273. 



" Norden's Middlesex, p. 26. 



» Lyson's Middlesex, p. 72. The fee of 

 Keeper of Bushy Park is 4^. per diem ; Paler 

 of the Park, i is. yi. per annum ; Moyer of 

 the Brakes, 4//. per diem. There was a lodge 

 in Bushy Park as early as 1628. 



'» Evelyn's Memoirs, vol. i. pp. 336, 456. 



