Syston Common and Hunting Lodges
According to Wiki “ Robert Walerand gained huge landholdings
throughout the kingdom, largely acquired as forfeited lands and is recorded as
holding on his death, among many other manors;
“Siston, the manor with the advowson of the church including
pasture in Kingewod held of Sir Henry de Berkele, by service of knights fee.
Clearly the escheator of Gloucestershire was in error about Siston still being
held from the Berkeleys. Walerand
seemingly had a vast choice of residences but was apparently in residence at
Siston when he was gifted by the King
eight breeding Bream fish to establish a vivarium or larder pond at
Siston.
At the time those fish were received Walerand was employed
on important business, raising money for Henry’s second son Edmund to take up
the crown of Sicily, offered by the Pope in 1254. This was one of the causes of
the Baron’s war. So in 1265 possibly as
a personal reward for his assistance the King gave an order to his forester in
Melkesham, Wilts to let Walerand have 6 live buck and 5 live doe fallow deer
for the establishment of his park at Siston.
This was possibly the nucleus of the 1000 strong herd still there in
1607”.
At that time the King and his entourage would hunt from one
lodge to the next. So say they began at
the place now known as Lodge Farm at breakfast time, the servants would be left
to clear away (no dishwashers at that
time! ). Then the servants had to rush
through the forest to the next lodge to prepare and light fires to be generally
ready for the hunters arrival later that same day. Would that next lodge have been Shortwood
Lodge, Shrubbery Lodge or maybe even Blue Lodge at Abson?.
It really seems impossible to think now, that luxury could
be found with every home comfort in the woods.
Surrounded by nature at her loveliest though, with similar arrangements
to home, good hunting, good food and plenteous drink they were out for a grand day.
By the mid 1400s the use of Kingswood Forest as a hunting
ground was diminishing as the mineral resources began to be mined. Early mines were shallow or Bell Pits with
no above ground structures which came later.
By the 18th and 19th Century there were widely scattered groups of houses, successors of the miners shacks on Syston Common.