Westbury Deer Park Survey

8/14/2019 Westbury Deer Park Survey

1/10

Westbury Deer Park Survey

Veteran Trees

WSM 2008/6

Barry Lane


2/10

A Survey of Veteran Trees in Westbury Deer Park, Somerset

Summary

Ancient oaks are commonly found in medieval parks and Royal Forests and a field survey of

old trees was therefore undertaken in the winter of 2007/2008 in the bishops deer park in

Westbury-sub-Mendip by members of the Westbury Society. Over 90 trees, mostly sessile

oaks, were visited and recorded. Using the formula proposed by White (1998) the likely agesof the trees were calculated. The results were then analysed in two ways. Firstly, an age

profile of all oak trees over 3m girth was calculated and secondly, they were all mapped

geographically onto a plan of the park. There were no oaks more than 300 years old.

Presumably all the oaks had been felled before the park was leased out by 1700. From that

period new oaks germinated or were planted in the newly created pasture landscape with field

hedges and trees to provide shelter for stock. The distribution of the veteran oaks indicated

that different farmers or landowners may have had quite different management regimes for the

trees on their land. One group of trees along the park boundary supported the idea that the

stone walls on the southern park boundary may have been demolished to provide hard core forthe two drove roads across the Moor that were constructed after the Parliamentary Enclosure

Act for Westbury of 1791.

Site location and description

The medieval deer park of Westbury enclosed an area of approximately 500 acres and lay to

the south west of the village of Westbury-sub-Mendip, near Wells in Somerset. It is included

in the Somerset Environment Record with PRN 24861 and has the grid reference ST 49 48.

Figure 1. Aerial view of Westbury with the deer park boundary indicated by the green line.

The location of each veteran tree surveyed is marked.

1


3/10

The southern boundary approximately follows the Ordnance Survey 10m contour which

defines the edge of Westbury Moor. The northern boundary in places reaches up to 25m at the

foot of the Mendip Hills. Within the park there are three small hills - Lodge Hill, Windmill

Hill and Chalcroft Hill - that rise to a maximum of 65m. These hills are outliers of Black

Rock Limestone, which is surrounded by Mercia Mudstone, except on Westbury Moor, where

it is covered by alluvium from the River Axe that flows about 1.5km further to the southwest.

Historical background

The medieval deer park in Westbury was first identified by local archaeologist Chris Hawkes

in 1976 (Somerset PRN 24861) and was later the topic of a MA Dissertation by History

teacher and local documentary historian Tony Nott (1996). The park was probably

created by Bishop John of Tours in the mid-12th century and was managed directly by his

parkers and stewards until the late 16th century. After that it became leased out to Sir John

Rodney and his successors until 1660. Most of the area covered by the medieval park later

became known as Park Manor and was first mapped in 1759 (SRO DD/CC/11686) just prior

to a renewal of the lease to Charles Woodnoth Esq. of Maids Morton, Bucks in 1760.

Westbury Moor, outside the southwestern boundary of the park, was enclosed by an Act of

Parliament of 1791. The Moor was drained by a series of rhynes and two new droves

constructed - Long Drove and Short Drove - to provide access to the freshly drained fields.

The low-lying land beyond the park boundary to the south and east had probably been drained

in the 13th century by the bishop to create overland pasture that he could lease out to tenants

in separate fields (Lane 2004).

Survey aims

Initial fieldwork had identified a number of large old trees within the park and along its outer

boundary. It was decided to survey all these trees and to assess whether their locations and

approximate ages might illuminate any particular phase of the parks life. The size of a tree

that warrants the description veteran or ancient varies but a general guideline is that its girth

should exceed 3m. The aim of the fieldwork was to complete a survey form for every veteran

tree with a girth of over 3m within the former deer park or along, or close to, its outer

boundary.

Figure 2. Measuring the girth of a veteran willow on the bank of a rhyne.

2


4/10

Fieldwork

Permission was obtained from the landowners and/or tenant farmers to carry out the survey

which was undertaken by members of the Westbury Society on Monday mornings from 26

November 2007 to 7 April 2008. Apart from the practical difficulties of putting a tape

measure around a tree deep within a thorn or bramble hedge, or across a waterfilled ditch, no

problems were encountered.

A recording sheet, based upon the model provided by English Natures Veteran Trees Form

(for the Veteran Trees Initiative), was first devised by botanist Lin Carter. An example of the

survey form that was used to record each tree is given on page 9. Lin then trained an initial

group in the field explaining in detail how to use the survey form. Additional guidance was

provided by the Specialist Survey Methodpublication (English Nature 1997). The field teams

varied in composition and number from two to six people. A hand-held GPS was used as

close to each tree as possible to record an eight figure grid reference.

Description of results

A total of 91 trees were surveyed; 74 oaks, 12 ash and 5 willows. Subsequently the data for12 trees with a girth of less than 3m was discarded for all the analysis that followed. This

reduced the dataset to a total of 79 trees. Fig. 3 shows the location of all these trees; a number

lay a short distance outside the park boundary.

The ages of the oak trees were calculated from their girth measurements by using the formula

devised by John White (1998) Fortunately one oak, number 55 surveyed, had been recently

felled (see fig. 4) and the opportunity was taken to check the accuracy of the girth/age calcula-

tion. Its girth was measured as 3.90m which gave an estimated age of 208 years; a total of

about 200 tree rings were counted.

Figure 2. Map of Westbury deer park with the location of all veteran oak, ash and willow

trees plotted.

3


5/10

Figure 4. Felled oak aged about 200 years from a count of its rings.

As it is not possible to date willows and ash trees securely from their girth measurements they

were not included in the age analysis that followed.

Firstly, the measurements for the 66 veteran oaks were grouped by girth within bands of 20 cm

from 3.00m to 6.00m, e.g. 3.00-3.19m, etc. The predicted age for a tree with the mid-pointmeasurement in each band, e.g. 3.10m, was then calculated. The results were graphed using

Excel showing the number of trees within each age band. See fig. 4. The number of trees

rises to a maximum of 10 with an age of about 150 years then falls off to zero at about 320

years with only one tree surviving beyond that age, and that lay just outside the park boundary.

There also appears to be a dip at about 220 years.

Figure 5. Graph of the numbers of trees of ages 150-360 years.4


6/10

Discussion

Veteran oaks of over 400 years are commonly found in parks and Royal Forests (Rackham,14).

It is therefore surprising that the oldest sessile oak within Westbury deer park is only about

300 years old. This suggests that all the oaks within the park were felled and cleared by 1700.

There is only one specimen (number 79) that appears to have survived longer. It stands in an

open pasture field just outside the park at ST 4918 4884. With a girth of 5.44m it has an

estimated age of 360 years. In other words it was planted or germinated about 1650 AD.

It would seem that the responsibility for clearing the oaks may rest with one of the bishops.

Leases to tenants of the park from the 16th century to at least 1764 commonly include the

phrase excepting all the timber trees.

In the lease of the manor house of Wookey granted to Thomas Clerke in 1544 large timber

which might be needed for repairs to the house was to be provided from Westbury Park

(SRS 83, 2). Sales of wood were also a significant element in the income derived from the

manor of Westbury: 7 9s was received in 1527 against a rent total in 1555 of 39 1s 8d.

(Hembry 1967, 16-17).

In 1622 instructions were issued by the Crown to Abbot, archbishop of Canterbury, for the

observance of all the bishops of his province. Three of these instructions concerned the care

of their estates. One of these three was not to waste woods (Hembry 238)! Less than 10 years

later Charles I sent even more forceful instructions on the conservation of estates to all the

bishops, including one to Bishop Piers of Bath and Wells on 22 June 1634. No doubt it was

these instructions of the king which prompted Bishop Piers to draw up, at the front of his new

notebook, a comprehensive rental of all his manors, including Westbury (SRO DD/CC/13324).

The 16th century lease of the Park to Sir John Rodney is first recorded here.

The bishops of Bath and Wells were one of the four Lords Royal of Mendip who were in

control of the lucrative lead industry. The bishops minery at St. Cuthberts, Priddy was

thriving in this period and would have demanded considerable quantities of wood and timber

for the smelting process.

Whether Bishop Piers did conserve the timber in his park is not known. However it would

appear that sometime before 1700, perhaps under bishops Creyghtone (1670-72), Mews (1673-

84), Ken (1685-91) or Kidder (1691-1703) Westbury park lost all of its oaks. Unfortunately

none of their account books record any sale or use of timber from the park.

Another explanation may also be suggested; that is that it was one of the bishops tenants thatwas responsible. Sir Edward Rodney, leaseholder of the Park, died without a male heir in

1657 and his two daughters Anna (wife of Sir Thomas Bridges of Keynsham) and Jane (wife

of Sir John Stawell) inherited his estates. The lease of the park shortly came into the hands of

Robert Bagnell, a Bristol merchant. It may be that he changed the economy of the Park by

creating the fields and enclosures that were shown on the 1759 map of Park Manor, as it came

to be known, all sub-leased to over 30 different farmers. Hedges were planted and occasional

hedgerow oaks and ash trees planted or encouraged to provide animal shelter in each field.

See fig. 6 over the page.

No explanation can be offered for the dip in the graph of fig. 5 around 220 years. As only 4trees are involved it may only be a statistical error. It is also possible that around 1790 there

were years of poor germination or neglect of planting.

5


7/10

Figure 6. Part of the 1759 map of the Park manor showing the new pasture landscape.

Neither is it possible to explain the origin of the distribution of the veteran trees in two distinct

areas in the western and eastern parts of the park, with none in the central area. See fig. 2. At

the western end of the park, apart from those trees on the park boundary, there appears to be

clear evidence of planting of trees at the centre of many of the hedgerows; this is not found at

the eastern end of the park. There is an apparent gap approximately 1km wide in the centre of

the park separating the trees at either end.

By far the largest number of trees are standing within hedgerow field boundaries and only 13

are growing on the boundary of the park itself. These boundary trees are found in three

distinct places. One group of these trees are actually growing out of the foundations of the

stone park wall along the southern boundary adjacent to the Moor. Presumably these are

naturally seeded and would have started to grow once the wall itself was demolished. The

oldest tree in this group, no.77, may have started growing about 1740 suggesting that robbing

of stone from the wall may have begun by that date. The other 6 trees date from 1780-1860.

The Parliamentary enclosure of Westbury Moor followed an Act of 1791, when considerable

quantities of stone would have been required as foundations of the newly constructed access

roads of Long Drove and Short Drove. A grass covered pile of stones at ST 486 482 may be

material removed from the wall but not used for the drove foundations.

Figure 7. Pile of stones removed from the park wall and probably ready to be re-used as

foundation for one of the new droves across the Moor after 1791, but never used.

6


8/10

One isolated veteran, no.80, dating from about 1740 stands amidst the ruins of the northern

boundary wall, suggesting that robbing there also started in the mid-18th century.

The third group of 5 veteran trees is growing on the earthen bank above the ditch along the

southern boundary. Again the earliest dates from the mid-18th century.

Most of the remaining trees are growing in hedgerows that form internal field boundarieswithin the park. A few that do not may be shown to be on the alignment of hedges now gone.

The oldest of these trees date from 1710-20 providing a date for those boundaries that are

older than the first surviving map of the Park Manor of 1759. Most of the boundaries on that

map still survive today.

The old ash trees show a geographical distribution vary similar to that of the oaks, fig. 2.

All four very large willows are close together on the banks of a rhyne just outside the southern

boundary of the park, fig. 2.

Recommendations

It is recommended that advice is sought on conservation work that might be done to prolong

the life of as many of the veteran trees as possible.

It is also recommended that the guidance set out in English Natures IN13 - Veteran Trees: A

Guide to good management is followed. This document is now available free of charge from

http://www.naturalengland.org.uk/

Bibliography & references

English Nature 1997 Veteran Trees Initiative. Specialist Survey Method

Hembry, P.M. 1967 The Bishops of Bath and Wells, 1540-1640: Social and Economic

Problems, University of London Historical Studies 20.

Lane, B.J. 2004 Gooselandunpublished report. Available at http://www.britarch.ac.uk/cbasw/

Nott, A.G.W. 1996 The Park of the Bishop of Bath and Wells at Westbury Somerset University

of Bristol unpublished MA thesis.

Rackham, O. 1996 Trees and Woodland in the British Countryside London: Phoenix

SRO = Somerset Record Office documents

SRS = Somerset Record Society volumes

White, J. 1998 Estimating the Age of Large and Veteran Trees in Britain Forestry Commission.

Archive deposit

All the original paper and digital records will be deposited with the Wells & Mendip Museum.Paper copies of this report will be deposited with the Wells and Mendip Museum, the

Somerset Environment Record Centre, the Ancient Tree Forum, the Woodland Trust and each

of the landowners/farmers. A pdf version will be available from

http://www.britarch.ac.uk/cbasw/

Acknowledgements

Thanks are due to those landowners and farmers who gave permission for the survey to take

place on their land, particularly Ian Kealey, Dave Limond, Andrew Sealey and Robert Tucker.

Thanks are also due to Lin Carter who helped considerably in the initial stages of the survey

by creating the survey form and training everyone in how to make the observations andmeasurements. Live.maps.com provided the aerial map used in fig.1.

7


9/10

Surveyors

The following members of Westbury Society contributed to the fieldwork - John Ball, Andrew

Buchanan, Chris Hann, Barry Lane, Austin and Hilary Little, Nick Mayor, Stephen and Rachel

Taylor, and Nicky Venning.

Report

This report was written by Barry Lane2 Glencott, The Hollow, Westbury-sub-Mendip, BA5 1HH

[email protected]

Date: 25 November 2008

8


10/10

Figure 8. Sample survey sheet

9

Westbury Deer Park Survey

Documents

Transcript of Westbury Deer Park Survey