Monument record 4022 - Deer Park in Aston by Budworth

2 hays (enclosures for deer) in Aston by Budworth are recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086 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.1 hay (enclosure for deer) recorded in Domesday in Weston, Runcorn (1)