Monument record 1561/3 - Macclesfield Deer Park

Macclesfield Deer Park lay to the south-west of the Borough, near Park Lane, between the roads to Knutsford and Congleton. It belonged to the Earl of Chester. Names are given of keepers from 1287. In 1357 William de Chorlegh was made keeper for life, for service in Gascony. In 1397/8 Sir John Savage and Piers Legh of Lyme were appointed keepers. In 1408 the herbage and pasturage was let to Sir John for 20 years. In 1439 he and his son and heir were appointed keepers for their lives and from this time the office remained in the family for many generations. Ultimately, the park was purchased by them and in 18th century it passed to the Cholmondeleys, who sold it by auction in numerous lots in 1787. Macclesfield Park had a stud farm for the breeding of war horses which was the most important in the County Palatine. Deer Parks were used to house deer, which were an important source of fresh meat. A royal licence was required to create a park and only the very wealthiest could afford to create one. The deer were kept in a fenced and ditched enclosure and could be released to allow hunting. Some parks had a system of ditches and banks known as deer leaps which allowed wild deer (the monarch's property) to enter the park but not escape, so increasing the herd. Deer Parks were expensive to maintain and many were disparked from the 15th to the 17th centuries. Those that were retained reinforced the high status of their owners. The widespread park landscaping of the 18th century often incorporated surviving deer parks. These new gardens were a contrast to the formal gardens of previous centuries with their carefully designed "natural" appearance.