Enfield Old Park was an ancient deer park located in Enfield (today a suburb of London). It is mentioned in the

Domesday Book Domesday Book ( ; the Middle English spelling of "Doomsday Book") is a manuscript record of the Great Survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 at the behest of William the Conqueror. The manuscript was originally known by ...

. The Domesday Book mentions only one other Park in Middlesex, at Ruislip, and according to Historic England both are therefore considered to be "rare and important historical sites". Today part of Old Park is built over as part of the suburb of Grange Park, but large areas also remain open and undeveloped.

Early history

The Park was situated around the site of an

Iron Age The Iron Age () is the final epoch of the three historical Metal Ages, after the Chalcolithic and Bronze Age. It has also been considered as the final age of the three-age division starting with prehistory (before recorded history) and progre ...

hill fort A hillfort is a type of fortification, fortified refuge or defended settlement located to exploit a rise in elevation for defensive advantage. They are typical of the late Bronze Age Europe, European Bronze Age and Iron Age Europe, Iron Age. So ...

, the remains of which can still be seen in the vicinity of the building of Old Park House (now belonging to the Bush Hill Golf Club). These constitute the largest present-day hill fort remains in the old county of

Middlesex Middlesex (; abbreviation: Middx) is a Historic counties of England, former county in South East England, now mainly within Greater London. Its boundaries largely followed three rivers: the River Thames, Thames in the south, the River Lea, Le ...

. The Domesday Book (1086) records the Manor of Enfield as being held by Geoffrey de Mandeville and mentions 'there is a

park A park is an area of natural, semi-natural or planted space set aside for human enjoyment and recreation or for the protection of wildlife or natural habitats. Urban parks are urban green space, green spaces set aside for recreation inside t ...

there'. The word 'park' in this sense refers to a preserve for

game A game is a structured type of play usually undertaken for entertainment or fun, and sometimes used as an educational tool. Many games are also considered to be work (such as professional players of spectator sports or video games) or art ...

, and the park was reserved for this use until the 18th century. As the manor of Enfield had been held in

Anglo-Saxon The Anglo-Saxons, in some contexts simply called Saxons or the English, were a Cultural identity, cultural group who spoke Old English and inhabited much of what is now England and south-eastern Scotland in the Early Middle Ages. They traced t ...

times by Asgar, Master of the

Stud Stud may refer to: Animals * Stud (animal), an animal retained for breeding ** Stud farm, a property where livestock are bred Arts and entertainment * Stud (band), a British progressive rock group * The Stud (bar), a gay bar in San Francisco * ...

Edward the Confessor Edward the Confessor ( 1003 – 5 January 1066) was King of England from 1042 until his death in 1066. He was the last reigning monarch of the House of Wessex. Edward was the son of Æthelred the Unready and Emma of Normandy. He succeede ...

, it is very possible that the area was already a game-park before the

Norman Conquest The Norman Conquest (or the Conquest) was the 11th-century invasion and occupation of England by an army made up of thousands of Normans, Norman, French people, French, Flemish people, Flemish, and Bretons, Breton troops, all led by the Du ...

John Norden John Norden (1625) was an English cartographer, chorographer and antiquary. He planned (but did not complete) a series of county maps and accompanying county histories of England, the '' Speculum Britanniae''. He was also a prolific write ...

's map of Middlesex (c. 1593) clearly shows the fenced-in Old Park, with Salmons Brook flowing through it. Adjacent to Salmon's Brook within Enfield Golf course are the earthwork remains of a medieval moated house, which is considered to be the site of the Park Ranger's lodge, and according to Historic England's description of the scheduled monument, "The association of the moated site with a medieval deer park, probably as the site of a park lodge, enhances its importance".

Royal property

In the

mediaeval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and t ...

era the Park was recorded in documents as 'Parcus Intrinsicus' (

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

, 'the Inner Park') to distinguish it from the much larger, and unenclosed, Enfield Chase. The name 'Old Park' seems to have been applied from the 15th century. Around this time, the Park, together with the Manor of Enfield, became royal property as part of the

Duchy of Lancaster The Duchy of Lancaster is an estate of the British sovereign. The estate has its origins in the lands held by the medieval Dukes of Lancaster, which came under the direct control of the monarch when Henry Bolingbroke, the then duke of Lancast ...

Queen Elizabeth I Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was Queen of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. She was the last and longest reigning monarch of the House of Tudor. Her eventful reign, and its effect on history ...

frequently visited Enfield for hunting and stayed sometimes at the Manor House, known as 'Enfield Palace', which stood at the edge of the Park, and sometimes at Enfield House ( Elsyng Palace). In 1596,

Robert Carey, 1st Earl of Monmouth Robert Carey, 1st Earl of Monmouth (ca. 1560 – 12 April 1639) (or "Cary") was an English nobleman and courtier. He was the youngest son of Henry Carey, 1st Baron Hunsdon, Chamberlain (office), chamberlain and first cousin of Queen Elizabeth I, ...

recorded that "The Queen came to dinner at Enfield House and had toils rapsset up in the park to shoot the bucks after dinner". In the early 17th century the course of the New River was laid through part of the Park. In April 1620 a review of the Park's stock gave a total of 207

fallow deer Fallow deer is the common name for species of deer in the genus ''Dama'' of subfamily Cervinae. There are two living species, the European fallow deer (''Dama dama''), native to Europe and Anatolia, and the Persian fallow deer (''Dama mesopotamic ...

, of which 73 were "Deare of Anteleir" (i.e.

antler Antlers are extensions of an animal's skull found in members of the Cervidae (deer) Family (biology), family. Antlers are a single structure composed of bone, cartilage, fibrous tissue, skin, nerves, and blood vessels. They are generally fo ...

ed males). During the

Commonwealth A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from the 15th century. Originally a phrase (the common-wealth ...

period, the Park was sequestered by

Oliver Cromwell Oliver Cromwell (25 April 15993 September 1658) was an English statesman, politician and soldier, widely regarded as one of the most important figures in British history. He came to prominence during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, initially ...

's Protectorate, and a detailed survey was prepared. This assessed the area of the Park as , and its value as £311/10/- (i.e. £311.50 in present-day notation). It also mentions the Park's stock of coneys (

rabbits Rabbits are small mammals in the family Leporidae (which also includes the hares), which is in the order Lagomorpha (which also includes pikas). They are familiar throughout the world as a small herbivore, a prey animal, a domesticated form ...

), and "50 sorts of several deer". The Park was given initially to Parliamentary soldiers in lieu of their overdue wages, but was then granted to

George Monck, 1st Duke of Albemarle George Monck, 1st Duke of Albemarle (6 December 1608 3 January 1670) was an English military officer and politician who fought on both sides during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms. A prominent military figure under the Commonwealth, his support ...

Enclosure and after

At the Restoration the park remained in Monck's family, who began to sell parts of it.Victoria County History However the nature of the park was to change as a consequence of the Enfield Chase Act 1777 ( 17 Geo. 3. c. 17), an

inclosure act The inclosure acts created legal property rights to land previously held in common in England and Wales, particularly open fields and common land. Between 1604 and 1914 over 5,200 individual acts enclosing public land were passed, affecting 28,0 ...

, which divided Enfield Chase amongst several

parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christianity, Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest#Christianity, priest, often termed a parish pries ...

es and owners, including the then owner of the park, Samuel Clayton. This necessitated the establishment of a number of new roads (including the present Green Dragon Lane) and gateways. Over the next century much of the land changed hands and although the area was essentially agricultural, building began in many parts of the Old Park Estate. In 1893/95, two golf clubs (Enfield Golf Club and Bush Hill Golf Club) undertook long leases on parts of the Old Park, and they continue to operate there to the present day. The advent of the railway to the area (both Grange Park station and Enfield Chase station are situated within the original boundaries of the Old Park) meant that the land became valuable for domestic housing, and between 1910 and 1936 most of the present suburb of Grange Park was constructed. The park is still remembered in several road names, notably Old Park Ridings, Old Park Road and Old Park Avenue. Enfield Town Park and Cheyne Walk Open Space are the only publicly accessible remnants of the open space that was once Enfield Old Park.

Sources

*Haigh, Douglas, ''Old Park in the Manor of Enfield'', London 1977. *Pevsner, Nikolaus and Bridget Cherry ''

The Buildings of England ''The'' is a grammatical article in English, denoting nouns that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The ...

: London 4:North'', London 1998 *Victoria Country History: Middlesex, vol.5, London 1976 (als
online
* Weinreb, Ben, ''

The London Encyclopaedia ''The London Encyclopaedia'', first published in 1983, is a 1,100-page historical reference work on London, the capital city of the United Kingdom, covering the whole of the Greater London area. Development The first edition of the encyclopaedi ...

''. London, 1983

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Enfield Old Park 11th-century establishments in England Protected areas established in the 11th century 1777 disestablishments in England Protected areas disestablished in 1777 Enfield, London Parks and open spaces in the London Borough of Enfield History of the London Borough of Enfield History of Middlesex Middlesex Game reserves Hill forts in England Edward the Confessor Elizabeth I George Monck, 1st Duke of Albemarle