Monument record MDR6306 - Eckington Park, Eckington

SK 4160 8004 Eckington Park. Mentioned in 1570. (1) Eckington Park has its origins as a medieval deer park. Its distinctive oval boundary is easily identifiable on early maps, with much of it surviving to the present day. The earliest references are from the 13th and 14th centuries when arrests were made following attempts to steal some of the deer; for example, in 1297 several men broke into the park of Eckington to hunt there. In a Parliamentary survey of 1650, Eckington Park was recorded as being 472 acres and 2 roods, of which 23 acres was made up of the Park Meadow and the 'Park Dyke' and the remainder was 'coppice ground'. There were almost certainly no deer remaining by that time. It appears that the Park Dyke was the River Moss, as the survey also refers to a 'Grinding Wheele used for the grinding of Knives upon the Park Dyke of the said Park of Eckington'. The park was surveyed again in 1772 and the surviving plan shows that approximately half the area had been cleared and enclosed, although the remainder was still wooded. In the later 18th and 19th centuries the area within the park was increasingly used for industry, with the development of further water-powered sites and of coal mining (see separate SMR records). (2) Still clearly marked on the Enclosure Map is the well-documented medieval park to the north of the village of Eckington. It has numerous footpaths and is well worth investigation. This hilly, largely wooded area is drained from west to east by a main stream known as the Moss, but there are also several steep side valleys. Within the park are open areas of rough grazing, possibly the sites of former 'launds'. A park mill was situated on the Moss stream, which was used in later industrial activity, evidence of which is seen throughout the park. Various types of entrances to this park were noted in field work and are plotted on the map [see source for more details]. The park is first documented in 1356. (3)