In the August of 1485 Richard III spent three days at the royal hunting lodge in Bescwood in Nottinghamshire.
A grant by Henry I to the Priory of Lenton, gave permission for the gathering of wood from the royal forest. Henry's grandson increased the collection to two cartloads a day and added to his grant the right of the Priory to gather as much as they needed for themselves. The collection of wood from the forest for the kings use continued into the reign of Edward III, when in 1363, he ordered the felling of a number of trees from Bescwood to build a lodge in which he could stay when hunting in the forest.
A hunting lodge can be found within Bescwood throughout the reigns of subsequent kings. Edward IV, whilst staying at Nottingham Castle in the October of 1469, hunted in the forest and may have stayed a number of days in the lodge itself. Richard III was defiantly in the lodge in the August of 1483, he was here from the 13th to the 16th when he left for Leicester, where he stayed for five days before that fateful day at Bosworth Field on the 22nd of August 1485.
As the 16th century was drawing to a close we can find a warrant, granted to Thomas Markham from Elizabeth I's treasurer, to fell eighty-six trees from Bestwood Park:
‘for ye repair of Bestwood Lodge’ which was built of "wood and plaster, covered with slate and tiles and contained 38 rooms with several cottages, farmhouses and barns."
The lodge was still in use by royalty in the late 17th century were it was frequented by Charles Beauclerk, Duke of St Albans, the illegitimate son of Charles II.
At some point in time Bescwood became Bestwood, The reasons for the name change I am unsure, I can only hope it occurred naturally over time, the result of errors in transcribing and not by Best Western, the owners of the chain of hotels who presently run the establishment, using it to their advantage, however, today the area where this royal hunting lodge once stood, is another Bestwood Lodge.
As the 16th century was drawing to a close we can find a warrant, granted to Thomas Markham from Elizabeth I's treasurer, to fell eighty-six trees from Bestwood Park:
‘for ye repair of Bestwood Lodge’ which was built of "wood and plaster, covered with slate and tiles and contained 38 rooms with several cottages, farmhouses and barns."
The lodge was still in use by royalty in the late 17th century were it was frequented by Charles Beauclerk, Duke of St Albans, the illegitimate son of Charles II.
At some point in time Bescwood became Bestwood, The reasons for the name change I am unsure, I can only hope it occurred naturally over time, the result of errors in transcribing and not by Best Western, the owners of the chain of hotels who presently run the establishment, using it to their advantage, however, today the area where this royal hunting lodge once stood, is another Bestwood Lodge.
The present impressive red brick building has been the home to the founder Raleigh Bicycle Company, a Ministry of Defense headquarters, and now a hotel. It was built in 1863, following the demolition of the original house three years earlier.
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