A HISTORY OF HERTFORDSHIRE 



not give him any drink but ale he broke down the 

 door of the buttery, miking a great tumult, swearing 

 and using evil language. He drew out the taps from 

 the casks, spilling a great quantity of choice wine, 

 and when he had drunk enough distributed the same 

 amongst hi; grooms, as if it had been water or common 

 ale. Having drunk their fill they departed with 

 ribald laughter and derision. When these things 

 were related to the bishop, he said with a serene 

 sse fuit rapere et praedan, 

 abundanter postulantibus 

 tur tot in uno regno reges, 

 sed tiranm.'^ 



The Innings Park, a little park of loo acres, seems 

 to be of later origin than the two former, as it is not 

 mentioned in the register of 1277. There was, how- 

 ever, at that date a grove of oaks of 5 acres, 97 which 

 was perhaps the nucleus of the 10 acres of great 

 oaks included in the Innings Park in the time of 

 Henry VIII.** This park lay near the manor-house 

 on the north-east, and in I 538 contained five deer of 

 antlers and thirty-five raskells. There were then 

 8 acres of great timber in two places, which could 

 not be spared for the shadowing of the deer. There 

 was also ' 3 warren of coneys conveniently stored with 

 game, and most part of the game black.' The pas- 

 ture was then said to be very bare and mossy, and 

 scarcely enough to feed the deer, M and in 1578 it 

 was found to be so much overgrown with moss that 

 the deer 'had been corrupted and wanted sufficient 

 feeding whereby many had died.' It was recom- 

 mended that, in order to remedy this, portions of the 

 park should from time to time be inclosed, ploughed 

 and sown with corn, and afterwards thrown open 

 again. But the queen's hunting was not to be im- 

 paired nor her walks in the said park, ' wherein she 

 took great pleasure.' 10 ° Either the proposed remedy 

 was successful or the Cecils found some other means 

 of providing pasture, for deer were not only kept as 

 late as 1735, but seem to have been in a flourishing 

 condition, as the Earl of Salisbury sent a supply of 

 red deer from his own woods to Windsor Forest in 

 that year. 1 



Hatfield Park was improved by the first Earl of 

 Salisbury after the manor of Hatfield had been 

 granted to him by James I in exchange for Theobalds. 

 He apparently formed it from part of the Great 

 Wood, for he was designated in a local epitaph 

 'Not Robin Goodfellow, nor Robin Hood, 

 But Robin the encloser of Hatfield Wood.' * 



In 161 I the cottagers consented to the 'improve- 

 ment' of Hatfield Wood. 3 In a letter 4 of George 

 Garrard describing a house party at Hatfield in July 

 1636 we read of Lord Salisbury killing a deer in his 

 woods, but Lord Cottington, who had attracted 



"Mat 



l, Ckr 



, My: 



■■'■), ", 344- 

 • : Cott. MSS. Claud. C »i. 

 M Rentals and Sun. R Hei 



(Rol 



s Lord Burghley had made John Ger 



attention on his arrival by ' hi* white beaver with 

 a studded hatband/ was at first less fortunate. 

 When a bow was placed in his hands he bungled 

 and shot thrice before he killed, all the ladies 

 standing by.* 



The Hatfield parks no longer retain the old names. 

 Hatfield Park, which surrounds the house and it of 

 the greatest extent, is very finely timbered, and 

 includes Coombe Wood. This wood is mentioned 

 in the Survey of 1 538 as having an extent of 

 21 acres, and as having been replenished with oak, 

 hornbeam, sallow and hazel, 8 but is not said to be 

 within a park. North of this is the Home Park, much 

 more thickly wooded, at the edge of which stands 

 the oak under which Queen Elizabeth is said to have 

 been seated when she received the news of her acces- 

 sion. This was the Innings Park and includes the 

 warren, which ts separated from it by the River Lea, 

 in this part artificially widened. On either side of 

 the water is a vineyard, which was planted by the 

 first earl/ who, like his father/ took a keen interest 

 in plant cultivation. This vineyard was considered 

 by John Evelyn, who saw it in 1643, 'the most 

 considerable rarity next to the house.' ■ This was an 

 expert's enthusiasm ; his fellow diarist Pepys, who 

 visited Hatfield in 1659, was more delighted by ' the 

 gardens, such as I never saw in all my life ; nor so 

 good flowers, nor so great gooseburys, as big as nut- 

 megs.' lu Probably ' Mr. Looker my Lord's gardener ' 

 would have found Evelyn a more interesting if less 

 lively visitor ; he certainly seems to have been a safer 

 one, for Pepys' second visit is thus recorded: 'At 

 Hatfield we bay ted and walked into the great house ; 

 and I would fain have stolen a pretty dog that fol- 

 lowed me, but could not, which troubled me.' " 



South of the main park, and extending from it to 

 the Great North Road, is a large wood, traversed by 

 manv paths. This is the old ' Middle Park/ which 

 was 'later called 'Miller's Park/ 12 and so became 

 'Millward's,' by which name it is known at the 

 present day. 



The manor of JS1W1CK (Alswyk, Halcwyk, 

 xiii cent. ; Alstwyk, xvi cent,) was held of the Bishop 

 of Ely as of his manor of Hatfield by military 

 service/ 3 and afterwards of the Earls of Salisbury 

 when Hatfield came into their possession. The lords 

 of the manor had the right of feeding their pigs in 

 the Great Park of Hatfield, belonging to the Bishop 

 of Ely/ 4 as tenants in chief of the bishop. Together 

 with the manor of Woodhall it was assessed at one 

 knight's fee, and was held from an early date by the 

 family of Bassingburn. The first actual mention of 

 the manor occurs in 1 274/° but as early as 1 198 a 

 John de Bassingburn held Woodhall," so it is possible 

 that he held Astwick also at that date. In 1274 

 John de Bassingburn and Agnes his wife made a 



:ed m exceedingly . . . a shining 

 I in the air in ihape resembling i 

 d, the point reaching to the north j 



'Cat. Trw.Bh. 1725-38, p.m. 



■ C.E.C. Camplttt Puragt. 



' Cal. S.P. Dam. 1611-1S, p. 11. 



'Ibid. i6;6-7, p. 75. 



* Ibid. 



'Land Rev. Misc. Eks. ccivi. 



■ Brayley, BtaxiU* of Engl, and fj'a 



te (Co!. S. P. Dom 



' Diary and Co 

 i*4» (ed. Bray), i 



./ John 



10 Ptfiyi' Diary (ed. Wheatley), ii, 69. 



11 Ibid. 77- 



11 P. F. Robinson, Vttrwiui Brim- 



"Cott. MSS. Claud. C »i. " Ibid. 

 >'' Feet of F. HerU. : Edw. I, no. 17. 

 '■ Ibid. 9 Ric. I, no. it. 



