Cheylesmore
Cheylesmore
The name Cheylesmore is thought to derive from early English, “cielde” meaning well or spring and “mor” meaning moor.
The main history of Cheylesmore relates not to villages or settlements but to the historic manor of Cheylesmore and the associated Park. The estate was held by Leofric and Godiva before passing into the hands of the earls of Chester. In 1232 the estate passed to the Earl of Arundel and in 1237 he built Cheylesmore Manor House with a moat and park to replace the redundant Coventry Castle.
In 1330 the estate reverted to Queen Isabella and on her death it passed to her grandson Edward of Woodstock, the Black Prince, who stayed in the park on his way back to London after his grandmother’s death. It is said that Edward often hunted deer in Cheylesmore Park and in 1362 he had the park enclosed with palings.
After Edward’s death the estate passed to his son King Richard II who had the city wall diverted to include the manor house. At that time the park was 436 acres consisting of pasture land, woodland and moor inhabited by deer and other game. The park’s keeper was Thomas de Quinton, who gave his name to Quinton Pool, the mill pool for Quinton Mill.
Over the following centuries the estate and park remained together under royal ownership but leased to various people, including the corporation. The royal connection ended in 1819 when the Prince of Wales sold the estate to Marquis of Hertford and in 1871 it came to H. W. Eaton, Lord Cheylesmore. From that date the park was gradually sold off for development, beginning with the land nearest the city centre in Parkside, which became the home for notable firms such as Armstrong Siddeley Motors, Maudsley and Swift and later Rolls Royce.
Land development continued south towards the Quinton area in the 1920s and further south in the post-war years. The land around Quinton Pool remains the only reminder of the great Royal hunting park of Cheylesmore.
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