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The Royal Hunt
By the time James the First ascended the throne of England the forest and parkland of Somersham had been providing good hunting for England's monarchs for the best part of 400 years. By the early 17th century the forests were in retreat and being replaced by parks and cleared grazing lands, but the hunting carried on exactly as it had in earlier centuries. As is apparent from the papers below, James not only visited
Note also in the last item the reference to the building of a new lodge. This is most likely all that was left of the old Somersham palace buioldings after the Civil War when Anthony Hammond took over the lease.
Item 1
Domestic Papers series
James I Addenendum – 1603
Note of things of which the writer has notice which are in the King’s power to grant viz the manor of Somersham, Cambridgeshire with seven towns thereto belonging which was lately the set for sale by the late queen, but had no purchasers, as being too great except for royalty and for which Oliver Cromwell, who married Sir Horatio Pallavinci’s widow offered a large sum as well as the release of 30,000 l owed to him by the queen, the manor of Soham, Cambridgeshire containing 10,000 acres of wastes besides woods and lately let to ???
Item 2
1 May 1604
Grant to Sir John Cutts senior during the lives of Sir John Cutts Junior, John Smyth and Fras. Cutts of the chace, park, mansion, certain closes and mastership of the game at Somersham co Buckingham (sic) with the bailiwick and woodwardship of the manor.
Item 3
30 April 1604
Petition of Sir John Cutts to the King for renewal of the office of Master of the Game and keeper of the park, chace and manor of Somersham co. Huntingdon which have devolved to the crown by a recent exchange with the Bishop of Ely.
Item 4
2 August 1604
The King to Sir John Cutts. Sorry that sickness prevented his attendance on himself at Somersham. The place is much to his liking and he greatly regrets the waste of game and woods there. Orders his to restock it with such deer as can be spared by himself or his neighbours that it may be ready for spot the next summer and to appoint careful gamekeepers.
Item 5
6 August 1604
Enclosed is a letter to Sir John Cutts touching the park at Somersham which his Majesty commands to be written and sent presently to him. I send it to you to be sealed and sent away at your pleasure.
Item 6
9 August 1604
Sir John Cutts to Lord Cecil (from the Salisbury Papers)
He has received His Majesty's letters concerning the increase of game and preservation of woods at Somersham. He is ready to perform all that he has commanded. He was no more guilty of the spoils there than the child unborn. One Mr Clifford, Mr Hyde late of the Privy Chamber and a lewd keeper held in wrongfully by the olf Lord Hunsdon (notwithstanding Cecil's father stood Cutts's good lord in staying it for him a long time) were the spoilers of it by a warrant procured. The park having no fence from the chace, whatever he bred in the park yearly was killed in the chace by the keepers opposite.
Item 7
6 January 1605
Sir Arthur Capel to the earl of Salisbury (from the Salisbury Papers)
Upon the 13th of this month I received the King's letters of privy seal dated October 20th wherein His Majesty's pleasure is I should give him such reasonable number of deer as my grounds may afford for the replenishing of the park and chase of Somersham, to be delivered to such persons as Sir John Cutts, keeper of the said park, shall appoint. My two grounds being both of them small and in truth not sufficient to discharge mine own use, I have had within the space of two years great death of deer in them, so as at this time they are much decayed. I beseech you that I may be freed from this demand, which if I should be forced into I shall not in many years reap the benefit of mine own grounds, for mine own use, or the pleasure of my friends. From my poor house at Haddham.
Item 8
From Collections of Private Papers in the British Library
Lord Salisbury manuscripts Volume XIX 1607
Sir Thomas Lake to the Earl of Salisbury
I write to his Lordship also of another matter by His Majesties commandment concerning Sir Oliver Cromwell’s suit for an exchange of his house and a park in Huntingdonshire with his Majesty for Somersham, where his Lordship will acquaint you, for so he is directed, with his Highnesses resolution therein.
From Newmarket 21 November 1607
Item 9
20 Nov 1610
Warrant for payment of 210 pounds to Thomas Castle of Haddenham co Cambridge for pasture ground at Gunnersley in Somersham co Huntingdon purchased to erect a lodge for preservation of deer.