Hyde Park from Domesday-book to Date

John Ashton

John Ashton

Hyde Park from Domesday-book to Date

PREFACE

The only History of Hyde Park, at all worthy of the name, is Vol. I. of “The Story of the London Parks,” by Jacob Larwood. But, its author says, definitely, “What happened in Hyde Park subsequently to 1825, approaches too near to contemporary history to be told in these pages.” This (for Hyde Park has a history since then), added to the inaccuracies and imperfections of the book, has induced me to write a History of Hyde Park from Domesday Book to Date.

В В В В JOHN ASHTON.

CHAPTER I

The forests round London – The manor of Eia in Domesday Book – Its subdivision – The Manor of Hyde – The Manor of Ebury – The Manor of Neate – The Neat houses – Henry VIII. and Hyde Park – Queen Elizabeth and Hyde Park – James I. – The deer in the park – Last shooting therein – Foxes – The badger.

In old times London was surrounded by forests, of which the only traces now remaining are at Bishop’s Wood, between Hampstead and Highgate, and the Chase at Enfield. FitzStephen, who lived in the reign of Henry II., tells us, in his Description of London, that beyond the fields to the north of London was an immense forest, beautified with woods and groves – or in other words, park land – full of the lairs and coverts of beasts and game, stags, bucks, boars and wild bulls. Contrary to what one might expect, these forests were not reserved for the sole hunting of the King and his favourites; but, as we are informed by the same writer, many of the citizens took great delight in fowling, with merlins, hawks, etc. (which showed how wealthy they were at that time), and they had the right and privilege of hunting in Middlesex, Hertfordshire, in all the Chiltern country, and in Kent, as far as the River Cray. And this forest of Middlesex was only disforested in 1218 (2 Henry III.).

If, however, Hyde Park was, primævally, a forest, it must have been cleared and brought into cultivation in the Saxon times, for there is no mention of a forest, or even woodland, in the Domesday Book account of the Manor of Eia – in which Hyde Park was situate: on the contrary, it seems as if it was highly cultivated, as is evidenced by the following translation of that portion of the book relating to this manor: —

“Ossulton Hundred. The land of Geoffrey Mannevile.[1 - Ancestor of the family of Mandeville, Earls of Essex.] Geoffrey de Mannevile holds the Manor of Eia. It was assessed for 10 hides[2 - A hide was 100 or 120 acres – as much land as one plough could cultivate in a year.]/. The land is 8 carucates/[3 - A Carucate was as much arable land as could be cultivated by one plough in a year, with sufficient meadow and pasture for the team.]. In demesne 5 hides, and there are 2 ploughs/[4 - A plough is the same as a Carucate.]. The villans[5 - These were not slaves, but persons used and employed in the most servile work, and belonging, both they and their children, and their effects, to the lord of the soil, like the rest of the cattle or stock upon it.] have 5 ploughs, and a 6th might be made. There is 1 villan with half a hide/ and 4 villans each with 1 virgate,[6 - A Virgate was from 8 to 16 acres of land.] and other 14 each with half a virgate/ and 4 bordars[7 - Bordars were peasants holding a little house, bigger than a cottage, together with some land of husbandry.] with one virgate, and 1 cottager. Meadow for 8 ploughs’ teams, and of hay/ 60s. of pasture 7s. In all the profits it is worth £8/ when received £6. In the time of King Edward £12/. Harold, son of Earl Radulf, held this manor, whom Queen/ Editha had the custody of with this manor, on the day that King Edward was alive and dead./ Afterwards, William, the Chamberlain, held it of the Queen in fee for £3,/ yearly to farm. And after the death of the Queen, he now holds it/ of the King, in the same manner. It is now 4 years since William lost the manor, and nothing has been received from the King’s farm, that is £12.”

This Manor of Eia was