Ch. IX. 



GL O UCESTERSHIRE. 



195 



A deer park is marked at Southatn near 

 Cheltenham in Saxton's. Survey, engraved 

 in 1577. It has been long disparked. 

 More modern and existing parks are at 

 Dowdeswell and Colesbourn, in the same 

 neighbourhood. 



Nearer Gloucester were the ancient 

 parks of ' Prinkash^ Painswick, and 

 Brimsfield. The first belonged to the 

 Abbot of St. Peters at Gloucester, and is 

 characterised by Leland as ' a.fayr parke 

 3 miles from Gloucester by East.' Whit- 

 comb Park, where there were deer in 

 1717, nearly adjoins it. To the north of 

 Gloucester two ancient parks, disused be- 

 fore the time of Saxton, are mentioned in 

 Leland's ' Itinerary ; ' one at Boddington, 

 '4 miles north from Glocester, a fair 

 Manor place and a park, it cam to one 

 Rede, Servante to the Lord Beauchamp, 

 that married his Lordes Daughter, the 

 eldest of 3, and the Redes have it still.' ' 

 Of the other near Tewksbury^^yt observes : 

 ' There is a parke bytwixt the old plot of 

 Holm castelle & it (Deerhurst), but it 

 longgid to Holme the Erles of Gloces- 

 ter's House, and not to it. There is a fair 

 Manor place of tymbre and stone yn 

 this Theokesbyri Parke, where the Lord 

 Edward Spencer lay, and late my Lady 

 Mary." 



Highnam, once a seat of the Guises, 

 and now of Mr. Gambler Parry, is on the 

 western bank of the Severn near Glou- 

 cester. Here there was a very extensive 

 park, now disused. A more ancient park 

 was, in the time of Elizabeth, at Pantley 

 or Pauntley, directly north of Highnam on 

 the bounds of the county of Worcester. 



' Itin. vol. vi. p. 74, fol. 78. 

 ■" lb. p. 75, fol. 79. 



' Whitemead Park contained 227 acres, i r. 

 9 p. and timber worth 11,736/. This was in 



In recent times one has been established 

 at Stancombe near Gloucester, and an- 

 other is in course of -completion at Fre- 

 therne on the eastern banks of the Se- 

 vern. 



It remains to notice the district which 

 intervenes between the Severn and the 

 Wye, well known as the Forest of Dean, 

 and which appears from the earliest time 

 to have contained more than one ancient 

 park. Saxton's Map, indeed, marks one 

 without name about the centre of the forest. 

 ' Whitemead Park; and ' Park End ' 

 still attest the site.' Another, also given 

 by him, still exists at Lydney, a seat of 

 the Bathurst family, on the western banks 

 of the Severn. There were deer also at 

 Clearwell, the ancient seat of the Wynd- 

 hams in 1717, on the opposite side of 

 the forest, and they still remain there. A 

 more modern park exists at Flaxley, in 

 the north-eastern frontiers of it. At dif- 

 ferent periods there have been, no doubt, 

 many other parks within this extensive 

 county. The foregoing notes will be suffi- 

 cient to show that Gloucestershire has at 

 all times been noted for their number and 

 variety. 



Existing Deer Parks in Gloucestershire. 



1. Whitecliff Park, Lord Fitzhard- 



ing. 



2. Badminton . . Duke of Beaufort. 



3. Dyrham . . . Mr. Blathwayte. 



4. Knowle . . . Colonel Master. 

 J. TORTWORTH . . Earl of Ducie. 



6. Cherington . Rev. Mr. George, 



7. Oakley Park . Earl Bathurst. 



8. Ampney . . . Mr. Blackwell, 



1809, when Lord Berkeley applied unsuccess- 

 fully for a new lease. See Appendix to 4th 

 Report of Surveyor-General of Land Revenue, 

 p. 210. 



