The park would have contained not only woods but pasture too. Apart from deer, rabbits
and pheasants would have also been hunted. In 1537 the land was purchased by Henry
VIIl’s first minister Thomas Cromwell, who oversaw the dissolution of the monasteries
(including Alcester) and supported the beheading of Anne Boleyn. By 1540, Thomas
had fallen out with his master and was himself executed! His lands were sold and
Sir George Throckmorton, from nearby Coughton Court, ultimately obtained the manor
on May 28th 1542 for £774.9s 2d plus an exchange of land. For many years the wood
and surrounding fields belonged to the Throckmorton family and they appeared to have
leased it to tenant farmers. In the 16th century they formed a new enlarged park,
built a lodge and employed a park manager. By the mid 18th century, Oversley Park
had been split into four farms. Local records show that in 1600 Richard Bennett cut
staves illegally in Oversley Park Wood and in 1603, Thomas ‘ Kempson paid rent to
use the land for his animals and receive revenue from the sale of wood. In 1657 three
tenants’ leases show arable, pasture and coppice in the Old Park; two show 440 poles
of oak and the other entirely coppice. This relates to a system of forest management
known as Coppice with Standards, which was practiced right up until the Throckmortons
sold the estate in early 20th century. Forest Management ’Coppice with standards’
was a form of forest culture which allowed trees of oak and ash to grow from tiny
seedlings to mature trees (200 to 300 years old in the case of oak) at wide spacing.
Hazel and lime coppice grew between the oak and would be cut regularly every 10 to
15 years. Hazel was used for hedging, thatching, barrel hoops, wattle fencing and
the wattle and daub that very likely filled the spaces between the oak timbers of
the many half-
