i86 



DKER AND DEER PARKS. 



Ch. VIIL 



small existing park, once the inheritance 

 of the Conquest, Arundell and Clifford 

 families. A little to the west of Irn- 

 ham is Easton. Here is a small park 

 enclosed within the last twenty-five years 

 by Sir Montagu Cholmeley, Bart., con- 

 taining about loo fallow-deer. 



A modern and still existing park is at 

 Havei holm Priory, on the borders of the 

 Fen Country, near Sleaford. It contains 

 about 220 acres, and was enclosed be- 

 tween the years 1780 and 1790. There is 

 a herd of 200 fallow-deer. 



Nearly adjoining is North Kyme, ' a 

 goodly House and Park,' noticed by Le- 

 land, and also given in Saxton's Survey. 



Near Grantham are two parks, nearly 

 adjoining, Belton and Syston. The for- 

 mer is an extensive park, said to have 

 been enlarged in 1656, and again in 1824, 

 and which at present contains a herd of 

 800 fallow-deer. 



Syston Park contains 546 acres. The 

 deer (120 fallow and 20 red-deer) are con- 

 fined to 270 acres. Neither of these 

 parks appears in the ancient surveys. The 

 same remark applies to Doddington, in 

 1714 the seat of Sir Thomas Hussey, 

 Bart., and where there was a deer park 

 at that period.^ It lies to the north-east 

 of Syston. More to the north, on the 

 edge of Nottinghamshire, is Norton Dis- 

 ney, where, according to Saxton, there 

 was a park in the Elizabethan period. 

 The same survey notices a group of parks 

 still on the borders of Nottinghamshire, 

 and still more towards the north, at or 

 near Stow, Knathe , and Gainsborough. 

 These parks are also marked in the 

 modern maps. The park at Gains- 



' Kip's Views of Seats. 

 ' Vol. i. p. 35, fol. 36. 



borough, 'longging to the Lord Borow,' 

 is mentioned by Leland in the ' Itinerary.'* 

 Knathe, or Knaythe, was imparked by 

 John Darcy, with the Royal license, in 

 the fourth year of Edward III.' 



In the Isle of Axholm, which occupies 

 the north-western angle of Lincolnshire, 

 were two ancient parks, Melwood and 

 West Butterwick. The last appears to 

 have been disparked before 1610, as it is 

 not noticed in Speed's survey of that date. 

 It was the seat of the ancient family of 

 Sheffield. 



Between Flixborough and Burton is 

 the modern park of Normanby, belonging 

 to Sir. Robert Sheffield, and enclosed 

 about the year 1804. It is a park of 300 

 acres, with a herd of 200 fallow-deer. 

 This park appears to be nearly identical 

 with one which is laid down in the an- 

 cient surveys at ' Canesbye.' In them 

 also, to the east of Glanford-bridge, a 

 park is also noticed at Kettleby. 



But two other old Lincolnshire parks 

 are given in Saxton's Survey, one in the 

 part of Lindesay near Snarford, unno- 

 ticed by Speed, and the other at Kirkby 

 near Bolingbroke Castle, on the borders 

 of the eastern fen country. 



To this scanty' list of ancient parks, two 

 should be added which are mentioned in 

 Leland's ' Itinerary.' ' Lude alias Louth 

 Park,' and the following notice of one 

 near Spilsby ; ' The Lord Wylloughby 

 had a House at Heresby (Eresby), and a 

 parke of blak Dere a 2 miles from Spiles- 

 by, wher, as I heere say, he entendithe to 

 build sumptuously.'* The former was 

 doubtless attached to the Abbey of Louth, 

 and appears to have been imparked in the 



» Cal. Pat. Rolls, p. 109. 



' Itin. vol. vii. p. 40, fol. 50. 



