Monument record 2591/0/1 - Brereton's Duck Decoy

<1> Friends of the Meadows, 1984-2013, Friends of the Meadows Newsletter, Stephens R, Chester's Duck Decoy, January 1996 (Newsletter). SCH1248.

Built after 1633 by Sir William Brereton and following the fashion for Duck Decoys in East Anglia. Although it is uncertain exactly when the decoy fell into disuse, it was definitely out of use by 1846, when the Chester-Wrexham Railway drove their line through the centre of the pond. The remainder was infilled with rubbish from the farm.

<2> Ordnance Survey, 1871-1882, Ordnance Survey County Series (Epoch 1) 25 inch to 1 mile - Cheshire, SJ3762 1873-1888 (Maps and Plans). SCH2462.

Depicted as a marshy area bisected by the railway.

<3> See map for surveyor, c.1837-51, Cheshire Tithe Maps and Awards, EDT 261/1 & 2 (Maps and Plans). SCH3266.

Recorded as 'Decoy Meadows'. The map depicts a sub-rectangular area within the field which roughtly corresponds with the marshy area depicted on the later Ordnance Survey map (see 2).

<4> Royal Air Force, 1944-1947, 1940s RAF Aerial Photographs from Operation Review (Aerial Photograph). SCH8041.

Aerial photographs from the late 1940s clearly show the show the decoy very clearly. The decoy is the shape of a Mermaids Purse; however the eastern end has three pipes, rather than two. On the western side a network of parallel banks and depressions lie at ninety degrees to, and between, two pipes.

<4> The GeoInformation Group, 2005, 1940s RAF Aerial Photographs from Operation Review (Aerial Photograph). SCH4608.

Aerial photographs from the late 1940s clearly show the show the decoy very clearly. The decoy is the shape of a Mermaids Purse; however the eastern end has three pipes, rather than two. On the western side a network of parallel banks and depressions lie at ninety degrees to, and between, two pipes.

<5> Huntings Surveys Ltd, 1971-1973, 1971-1973 County Survey, Run 12 No.284-285 (Aerial Photograph). SCH4881.

<6> JA Story & Partners, 1985, 1985 Story & Partners Survey, Run 4 No. 170-171 (Aerial Photograph). SCH2993.

<7> National Remote Sensing Centre Ltd, 1992-3, National Remote Sensing Centre County Survey (1992-1993), Run 7 No. 125-126 (Aerial Photograph). SCH5297.

<8> Coward, T A And Oldham, C, 1910, The Vertebrate Fauna of Cheshire and Liverpool Bay (Book). SCH1219.

<9> Lancashire & Cheshire Antiquarian Society, 1883 -, Transactions of the Lancashire & Cheshire Antiquarian Society, Vol.63 p.4-5 Dore, R N 1954 (Journal/Periodical). SCH3293.

The decoy was built in 1631 by Sir William Brereton. Indentures linked both his father-in-law and brother-in-law into the commercial venture. Its construction caused controversy and protests from more traditional landowners which resulted in a number of lawsuits. These indicate that Brereton was supplying the market towns of Cheshire and South Lancashire with cheaper and better quality fowl than his rivals. His fowl was sold as far away as Coventry and Ludlow.

<10> Various, Cheshire History, No.38 p.35-39 Nuttall D 1998-99 (Journal/Periodical). SCH811.

The decoy was constructed by Sir William Brereton in 1634. A map in the Guildhall library in London, dated 1733, shows the decoy as being on the coastline. It was inspected in 1998 by members of the Dodleston Local History Group after snow and heavy rain. As a result the earthworks were clearly defined. The decoy has dimensions of approximately 300 by 600 feet and is in three sections: a large sub-square lake, three tapering channels, and a complex of rectangular ponds. The function of the latter is not understood.

<11> Bluesky International Ltd, 2005-2006, 2005-2006 Bluesky Survey (Aerial Photograph). SCH5483.

<12> Bluesky International Ltd, 2010, 2010 Bluesky Survey (Aerial Photograph). SCH5444.

<13> Bryant, A., 1831, Map of the County Palatine of Chester (Maps and Plans). SCH2114.

Bryant, as well as depicting Decoy Farm, shows a field enclosing an area roughly the size and shape of the decoy.