Good hunting in Trent ParkBy Enfield IndependentTRENT Park is a beautiful area of open space but a few hundred years ago it was just a tiny part of thousands of acres of greenery. The ancient area of Enfield Chase, of which Trent Park is a part, was for centuries a hunting ground bordering on Enfield, Cheshunt, Northaw, South Mimms, Barnet and Edmonton. It is not known exactly when the hunting ground was first established, but it was certainly there in the 14th century when the Norman-French word "chase" was used to describe it, and even as long ago as 1086 there is thought to have been some parkland there. The chase had four principal uses in its early days hunting, wayfaring, pasturing pigs and cattle and a source of wood for fuel and house construction. However, by the late 16th century, entrepreneurs were beginning to think of the property value of the chase, with its fine countryside and close proximity to London. For a short while following the Civil War, the previously Crown-owned land became the site of a free-for-all, with commoners hunting deer and cutting down the valuable timber. This changed in 1654 when Cromwell's court ordered that the land be surveyed and divided into allotments to be sold for cash. However, after Charles II retook the Crown, this idea was scrapped and the chase returned to its former state. By this time, though, the seeds of change had been sown and, following further encroachment by peasants who had moved to the area and a higher incidence of poaching, decisive action was taken by King George III in 1777. He passed an Act of Parliament which assigned large areas on the edge of the chase to the neighbouring parishes, farms and tithe owners, while the small central area that remained was divided into lots to be sold off for agricultural improvement. However, a clause in the Act said that the deer from the chase should enjoy the protection of the ancient park laws. Therefore, a miniature hunting park was set up in the centre of the chase on lots 21 and 22. Dr Richard Jebb, the physician to the royal household, took control of these two lots and created the miniature deer park, which is now known as Trent Park. 10:05 Wednesday 6th November 2002
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