January 29, 2026
The Royal Commission on Hatfield Chase in 1622
In 1622 James I appointed a royal commission to inquire into the condition and governance of Hatfield Chase, then a flooded and largely unproductive royal hunting ground. The commissioners were instructed to survey the Chase, examine the causes of its persistent inundation, and report on the feasibility and profitability of large‑scale drainage and improvement. The Commission described the Isle of...