Monument record MDR6252 - Elmton medieval deer park and/or monastic grange, Elmton

A deer park is recorded in Elmton parish in 1317 in the ownership of Edmund Deyncourt although the earliest date for Elmton Park recorded by Cameron is 1604. (1, 2, 3) At the end of the 19th century Elmton Park was a stud farm containing 500 acres. Bulmer notes that it formerly belonged to Thurgarton Priory. (4) Elmton Park was originally a grange belonging to Thurgarton Priory, and represented a large scale intake from the waste. (5) A number of 'Park' field names are shown on a map of Elmton and Creswell dated 1722, while the area immediately to the east consists of 'Lawn' fieldnames. It is likely that this represents at least some of area of the medieval park/grange. (7) It appears that Walter de Aincourt created the park that was in place at Elmton at least by the early 13th century. This is one of the few Derbyshire Parks with documentary evidence of a deer leap. This alienation of land from the villagers caused friction and so upset some local people that Edmund Deyncourt was forced to complain to the Crown about them breaking in to his park in the 14th century. Joseph Dickenson mapped Elmton and Creswell for Sir John Rodes in 1722, marking on it Great Park, Old Park, Great Lawn and other similar field names. Built after the making of this map, Elmton Park Farm now lies to the south end of a triangle of roads, which formed the boundaries of the medieval park. At the present time [2009] the landscape is hedged fields, mainly arable, with little evidence of its earlier paled enclosure separating it from the village open fields. (8)