Little is known about the earliest history of the Park. In 1822 the Wiltshire antiquarian and historian Sir Richard Colt Hoare wrote that he believed it to have been a royal residence. On the other hand, the 19th century historian T H Baker, who recorded much of the history of Mere (some of it about my family), wrote in 1896 that Mere Park was never actually occupied by royalty, but that the ancient residence, now destroyed, was occupied by a steward of the Park. It is believed that this residence was probably situated at Higher Park in the immediate vicinity of the present farmhouse which was originally moated. There is little doubt that the Park was kept well-stocked with deer for many generations for the use of the King or the Duke of Cornwall. During the 13th century the Manor of Mere was kept in demesne by the Earl of Cornwall who resided at Berkhamstead in Hertfordshire to which place a man and a horse were sent with a buck from Mere Park. The carcase had to be salted for the journey to prevent putrescence. The Park itself was chiefly used as a place for the Earl of Cornwall's brood mares and for hiring out chargers.

    The following are some of the events recorded during the long history of the Park.

1300. Some land was let to tenants. Richard of Burton was charged 1/6d (7.5p) rent.

1399. A grant was made by Henry IV as Duke of Cornwall to William Stourton on a repairing lease for five years at 66s.0d. (£3.30) per annum of 'our lodge and herbage of our Park of Mere, our beasts of chase to be reasonably kept up'.

1577. Mr Francis Zouche was keeper of Mere Park. Queen Elizabeth I granted to Sir Walter Raleigh and Carew Raleigh for their lives, office of Keeper of Her Highness' Park of Mere with all fees, profits etc., to the office belonging.

1586. Sir Walter and Carew Raleigh granted the office to Francis Zouche.

1591. Francis Zouche assigned the herbage, pannage and keeping of the Park to William Ley and Thomas South.

1592. William Ley, Thomas South and Francis Zouche granted the office of Keeper to Jasper Moore who assigned it to Henry Willoughby and John Budden.

1594. Henry Willoughby released to John Budden all his rights to the herbage, pannage and keeperage of the Park Lodge, game of deer etc., which was assigned again in the October to Edward Wood and John Rowie for 31 years.

1595. Baron of the Exchequer Matthew Evans bought Mere Park with John Strowd Esq., by Robert, Earl of Essex, Lylley Merrick and Henry Lydney Esqs. But in the September it was conveyed by Evans and Strowd to Matthew Arundell Kt., and his heirs forever.

1602. The Park was valued at £100.

1603. James I ascended the throne and took the Park back to the Crown.

1611. The Park was re-annexed and united to the Duchy of Cornwall.

1619. Thomas Bannister was probably Keeper of the Park.

1624. On 1 December Mere Park was leased by the Crown to Sir Matthew Arundell and in the same year, demesnes and bartons were leased to Robert Gouldesborough and Stephen Aubrey Gent.

1627. Deverill Longwood and Knoll Wood in the vicinity were granted on three lives to Jasper Bannister on 5 May. Later, the demesnes, Park and residue of the Manor with the rights and appurtenances were granted to Robert Phillips Esq.

1633. A John Sheppeard of Mere Park is mentioned.

1640. Sir John Zouche was charged £5 per annum for a herbage of Mere Park.

1650. A Parliamentary Survey was made of the Park and the following is an extract:

A survey of all that parcel of ground called or known by the name of Meere Park, with tenement thereof, lying and being in the County of Wiltshire, late in the possession of Charles Stuart, late Prince of Wales and Duke of Cornwall of the reversion of the Dutchy of Cornwall made and taken by those whose names are hereunto subscribed, by virtue of a commission, (grounded upon an Act of the Common's assembled in Parliament), for sole of the Honours, Mannors and lands heretofore belonging to the late King, Queen and Prince, under the hands and seales of the honourable the trustees in the said Act named and appointed.
All that parcel of land called and known by the foresaid name Meere Parke, being about sixtie yeares since disparked invironed with poles hedges and ditches lying and being within the Parrish of Meere within the foresaid County of Wiltshire and now divided into thirty foure severall fields or closes vist.
Six closes of meadow, eleavon closes of pasture and seveanteen of arrable and is bounded in part of the East with Knahill common and the lands of Hugh Grove and with the lands of John King of the parish of Sedgwick or Segell, and in part on the South with the lands of Robert Bannister called the purchase and with Gillingham Forest on the West and with the common belonging to the town of Meere called Conwich marsh and the common called Knowle common towards the North, conteyning in the whole by a measurement Fower hundred and ninety five acres three roodes upon improvement to bee worth eleavon shillings [55p] per acre and cometh to the sum of £272.0s.0d. All that messuage and tenement situated and being in towards the South West and within the said Park of Meere commonly called or known as the lodge, consisting of a citchen, a hall and two other roomes below stayres and three chambers above stayres, worth 13/4d [66p] per annum with one hovell and one foulde yarde conteyning about half an acre more or lesse, together with one cottage situate towards the North West side of the said Parke.
This said disparked parke wee find in the tenure or occupation of Jasper Bannister who claymeth to hould the same by vertue of Indenture of Assignment for 26 years paying £200 per annum and £5 every ten years for a heriot from the now Thomas, Lord. Arundell of Wardour in coun. Wilts bearing date the 20th Augusti quarto caroli.¹ The said Lord Arundell claiming to hold from Prince Charles by Indenture. dated 21 January for 31 years.

1653. On the 30 July Nicholas Green bought Mere Park with the Lodge when the property of Henry, Lord Arundell of Wardour was sequestrated. This followed action taken by the Committee for Compounding set up by Cromwell after his successful rebellion, when supporters of Charles I paid the price of defeat by having their estates and property confiscated.

1660. When the Park was restored to the Duchy, the Manor with lands and tenements belonging, it realised the sum of £8393.00.7d. It was described as 'all that parcel of disparked land cum park called Mere Park within the parish of Mere, County Wilts, now divided into several closes of arable, pasture and meadowe with messuage called the Lodge with another in the said Parke with all the other appurtenances with several grants which were in the possession of King Charles I'.

1670. The demesne, barton, Park etc. were granted to Henry North Esq.

1716. John Nuttall and Robert Pitman took the whole of Mere Park from Henry Andrews Esq., and the Higher Park was sub-let to Deborah Morrice, whilst the Lower went to Thomas Butler.

1722. William Taylor rented the Park, then Thomas Butler who died and was succeeded by Thomas Toogood.

1726. The present house was built at Lower Park.

1736. Thomas Toogood renewed his lease for a further year.

1758. The John Merryweather who had married Mary Uphill of Motcombe died and in his Will described himself as 'Gent of Mere Park'.

1760.² A description of the Demesnes of the Manor of Mere reads:


J Mereweather Lower Park. House, barn, stable and 252 acres of arable and pasture land all enclosed and lying around the farm house. Annual Value £155.

Jeremiah Morris Upper Park. House, barn, stable. and 248 acres of arable and pasture and all enclosed and lying around the farm house. The farms are subject to the tithes of corn, grain and hay, but £1.16.8d [£1.83] per annum is paid to the vicar in lieu of a buck and a doe and this is in lieu of all vicarial tithes over these lands.

1765. Part of a Report on Mere Park taken from a Survey prepared by one Simpson.

The Park though stocked with deer was not poled, or at least but in part, being fenced with quick. The herbage was granted by the Letters Patent, [1. Edw.VI], to the High Steward John Zouche Esq., 1547 master of the game for 100/- [£5.00] per annum, over and above the maintenance of the Park. It was then reckoned to be worth £16 per year. There was then no house upon it save the Keeper's lodge which was in bad repair then and is since down. About 200 years ago it was disparked, enclosed and improved by the Parliament Survey, (before any house was built), the enclosures were valued at £272 a year. It does not however, appear by any rental etc., that the Park was ever let for any such sum until lately.


In 1602 it was valued to be rated to the poor at £100 a year and the whole Parish at £562.11.8d. (In 1735 they were let for £196 and in 1754 for £200 per annum.) Within about half a century the rents have been advanced £100 a year and with the addition of 2 farm houses and suitable offices, the whole is let in 2 farms for only £305 a year, in my humble judgement its full value - for part is wet and heavy which makes it difficult to get the arable lands in order and the whole is both for sheep and without any Right of Common. It is likewise tithable in kind to the Dean of Sarum, but it pays at Modus of £1.16.8d [£1.83] to the Vicar of Mere.

1794. John Merryweather who had married Grace Broadway was tenant and with his brother,³ occupied the whole Park.

1819. John was tenant of Lower Park and Edward, his son who had married Sarah Collins, was tenant of the Higher.

1822. In his book The Hundreds of Mere, Colt Hoare devoted a chapter to Mere Park: There are two houses at Mere Park, one very ancient and originally moated around, the other built only 96 years ago.

1828. Edward Merryweather died in the July, the farm assets were sold and William White was granted the tenancy.

1844. William White quitted and John Mitchell took it for his son-in-law, who married Sophia Mitchell. The Park remains in the hands of the Mitchell family.

¹ The fourth year of the reign of Charles I.
² The exact year is not known.
³ Perhaps the 'missing' Edward?