The history of the medieval deer park at Knaith is ill-documented and it has been confused with the later park at Knaith Hall but it is clear that there were in fact two quite separate parks in the parish, one medieval and one of the 16th or early 17th century. The medieval park may have been created in 1344 when John Darcy was licensed to empark woodland though this was possibly in another parish. Certainly by 1536 there was a deer park stocked with 38 deer as well as a 'warren of conies'. Leland's reference to the park 'that Mr Henege hath in keeping', made in the context of Lord Burgh's detached Gainsborough Park rather than with the Darcys' manor house, confirms that in the 16th century the Darcys' park was quite separate and lay similarly away from the manor house in the fashion of many medieval hunting parks. The outline of this park, together with a number of significant field names, is shown on the tithe map of 1850 and the modern north, south and central park farms still lie along its edges. {1}