Ch. IV. 



SOMERSETSHIRE. 



97 



the parks of Wraxhall, Burton, and Fil- 

 ■wood (also called a Ghase), all marked by 

 Saxton. Leland says of the first, ' Here 

 hath Syr Wylliam Gorge a meane old 

 manor place in a valley, and on eche side 

 of it on the hilles is a fayre Parke.' ' 



Further south a park is marked at 5a«- 

 well, near Axbridge, and near to the east 

 between the sea and the Quantok hills is 

 Siowey, of which Leland writes, ' Stowey, 

 a poore village, standith yn a Botom, 

 emong hilles ; here ys a goodly Manor- 

 place of the Lorde Audeleys, standing ex- 

 ceding pleasantly for good pastures, and 

 having by it a parke of redde Deere, and 

 another of falow, and a faire brooke 

 serving at the offices of the Manor-place.' « 

 In this neighbourhood is Dunster Castle, 

 once the seat of the Lutterells, and here 

 were several parks of that family, which 

 Leland also notices : — ' S. Andres : In 

 this paroche I saw a fair Park and 

 Manor place of the Lutterelles, cauUid 

 " Quantok Ifedde,'' » " Dunster Castel." 

 Ther is a praty park joyning to th' est 

 part of the Castelle.' 'There was a faire 

 park by Minhead, but Sir Andrew Lut- 

 terelle of late tyme destroy'd it.' ' These 

 parks in 1583 were each one mile in com- 

 pass. A park is also marked in Saxton's 

 Survey, at Nettlecombe, the ancient seat 

 of the Trevilian family, at present con- 

 taining 160 acres and 230 fallow-deer, and 

 there was another at Coripole, belonging 

 to Mr. Coles, in 1583, not noticed in that 

 Survey; and at Cothelston, one mile in 

 compass, belonging to Sir John Stawell. 

 Nettlecombe Park, about 150 years ago, in 



' Leland's Itin. vol. vii. p. 105, fol. 76 t. 

 ^ lb. vol. ii. p. 98, fol. 60. 

 •' lb. vol. ii. pp. loi, fol. 62, 102, fol. 63. 

 ' Collinson, vol. iii. pp. 56-62. I 



H 



the time of Sir John Trevelyah, contained 

 but 20 acres, and lay to the north of 

 the mansion about a quarter of a mile 

 distant. The site was altered and the 

 park enlarged and brought nearer to the 

 house by Sir John; and at the same 

 period the new park was fenced with old 

 ship timber, bought at the seaport 

 of Watchet, four miles distant. Some 

 of this ancient timber still exists and 

 does duty in the present park fence. 



Petherton Park, between Bridgewater 

 and Taunton, appears to have been the 

 largest in the county, and was once a 

 royal park, or forest ; a great part of it 

 was disafforested in the 26th of Edward I. 

 It was four miles in compass, and almost 

 decayed in 1583. ' The whole,' observes 

 Collinson,^ ' is now converted into farms, 

 and belongs to Sir Thomas Acland, Bt.' 

 Leland writes, ' There ys a great number 

 of Dere longyng to this park, yet hath it 

 almost no other enclosure but Dikes to 

 let the cattelle of the commune to cum 

 yn : The Dere trippe over these Dikes 

 and feede at about the Fennes, and resort 

 to the Park agayn. There is a praty 

 Lodge moted yn the parke.' » At Hunt- 

 worth adjoining, was a park one mile in 

 compass, which belonged to Mr. Popham 

 in 1583. In the neighbourhood of the 

 forest of Neroche were also several parks, 

 of which that of Meryfield appears the 

 most considerable. It belonged to Mr. 

 Wadham in 1583, and was above one mile 

 in circuit. White Lackington, near II- 

 minster, where in 1583 were two parks 

 belonging to Sir George Speake' and 



56. 



' Leland's Itin. vol. ii. pp. 94, 95, fol. 55 



S. P. O. Domestic, Sept, 30, 1583, 



