The most widely distributed group of fallow deer in Essex was undoubtedly
that based on Hatfield Forest, the animals covering approximately 240 sq. km.
These deer spread from Matching Tye in the south to the edge of Saffron
Walden in the north, a distance of about 25 km. From the borders with Hert-
fordshire in the west, the deer spread as far east as Little Bardfield and High
Easter and from here they probably merged with the Roxwell group of deer.
Fallow were common in the extreme north-west of the county, west of
Saffron Walden. These animals extended from Scales Park, which is at
Nuthampstead and just in Hertfordshire, to Howe Wood at Strethall and,
occasionally even further north-east to Chesterford Park. This Strethall group
merged with the Hatfield Forest group, deer having been killed on the A11 road
between Wendons Ambo and Littlebury.
A completely separate group of fallow deer were those centred on
Markshall near Coggeshall. These deer were extremely numerous and they
ranged from Chalkney Wood at Earls Colne in the east to Shalford in the west.
The deer were common in the woods to the south of Gosfield but no evidence of
them was found in Shardlowe's Wood to the north, although a single fallow was
seen nearby in Great Spansy Wood, Halstead in 1966-1967. Fallow deer were
also seen frequently at Nightingale Hall Farm to the west of Earls Colne but
appear to have rarely extended north across the River Colne. The fallow ranged
as far south as the main Braintree-Coggeshall road (A120) and occasionally
crossed it. Fallow deer tracks were seen at Templeborder Wood at Bradwell in
1967 and animals were involved in accidents on the road in June 1965 and April
1968. Fallow were reported from the Castle Hedingham-Great Yeldham area in
1965-1966 about 6 km to the north of the Markshall group of deer. Some of the
records were of tracks and, as both roe and red deer were present in the area,
there may have been some confusion between the species. Tracks, believed to be
of fallow deer, were seen in a sugar beet field next to Wiggery Wood at
Belchamp Walter in October 1966, about 6 km north-east of the Great
Yeldham woods. A fallow buck was killed on the A12 road at Beaconend Farm,
Stanway, on the western edge of Colchester in October 1965 and fallow were
seen at Langham in the same month. Tracks and fresh droppings of fallow deer
were found in February 1968 at Kiln Wood, Langham, only 5 km north of
Colchester town centre. All these records represent outliers from the main
Markshall group.
The last group of deer, which was isolated completely from all other
groups, was that to the north-west of Clacton-on-Sea. In April 1967, tracks of
deer were found over 800 hectares in the north-east of the parish of St. Osyth.
The approximate rate of spread of fallow deer can be calculated from a
knowledge of the date of their liberation and the date when they were sighted
farthest from the park. For three groups of deer, namely Clacton-on-Sea,
Markshall and Navestockside, approximate dates are available. The following
assumptions have been made:
1. The starting date is taken as the year of disbandment, 1945, for Weald
Park and 1941 for Marks Hall Park and the date of establishment, 1960,
for St. Osyth Priory Park.
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