History
In the reign of Henry II the parish of Edmonton and adjoining parishes were for the most part a forest which was then so extensive that it reached from the City of London to about 12 miles (19 km) north. Enfield Chase was part of this forest and also belonged to the citizens of London.
By 1154 what had been known as the Park of Enfield or Enfield Wood had been converted in to a hunting ground, or chase. It appears it was not known as Enfield Chase until the early 14th century. For hundreds of years the chase was owned at first by the Mandeville and then the de Bohun families while local inhabitants of Edmonton and Enfield manors claimed common rights. It is believed that Princess Elizabeth (later Queen Elizabeth I) often hunted on the Chase after she was granted the estate of West Lodge Park by her brother Edward VI in 1547. In a charter of 1166-89 the hamlet of Southgate, sited around what is now the famous Charles Holden Southgate tube station, receives a mention. It takes its name from its location at the South Gate of the old hunting ground, later known as Enfield Chase.
By an act in 1777, the Enfield Chase ceased to exist as an entity. The Chase then covered an area of 8,349 acres (34 km2). By this Act it was cut up and divided among the following authorities:
| To the King | 3,218 acres (13 km2) |
| To the Lodges | 313 acres (1.3 km2) |
| To the Enfranchised | 6 acres (24,000 m2) |
| To the Manor of Old Ford | 36 acres (150,000 m2) |
| To the Manor of Old Park | 30 acres (120,000 m2) |
| To South Mimms Parish | 1,026 acres (4 km2) |
| To Hadley Parish | 240 acres (1.0 km2) |
| To Enfield Parish | 1,732 acres (7 km2) |
| To Edmonton | 1,231 acres (5 km2) |
| To Tithe Owners | 519 acres (2.1 km2) |
It was extensively deforested after the Act, and only a small amount of the original forest remains, although some areas have been replanted.
Read more about this topic: Enfield Chase
Famous quotes containing the word history:
“The history of all hitherto existing society is the history of class struggles.”
—Karl Marx (1818–1883)
“Bias, point of view, fury—are they ... so dangerous and must they be ironed out of history, the hills flattened and the contours leveled? The professors talk ... about passion and point of view in history as a Calvinist talks about sin in the bedroom.”
—Catherine Drinker Bowen (1897–1973)
“... in a history of spiritual rupture, a social compact built on fantasy and collective secrets, poetry becomes more necessary than ever: it keeps the underground aquifers flowing; it is the liquid voice that can wear through stone.”
—Adrienne Rich (b. 1929)