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 Axholme and the bogs as places that “nourish beggars and idle persons” and noted that inhabitants were abusing their common rights by taking the king’s game, overgrazing, taking standing wood without permission, and working land for crops they had no legal right to.

Surviving entries in the State Papers Domestic and the Acts of the Privy Council describe the Chase at this time as “overflowed and waste” and confirm that the commissioners recommended reclamation as both technically achievable and financially advantageous to the Crown.¹

The context was that James I had wanted to drain the Chase, which at its greatest extent included approximately 170,000 acres, of which at least 70,000 acres were considered of no value except for hunting, fowling, and fishing. However, James I couldn’t find the means or people to undertake such a massive project during his reign.

1. The National Archives (TNA), State Papers Domestic: James I, SP 14/132–135; Acts of the Privy Council of England, 1622.

The 6 commissioners are believed to be:
Only Robert Swift and Godfrey Copley are mentioned in Korthals-Altes

1. Sir Robert Swift of Rotherham / Doncaster
   • Twice Sheriff of Yorkshire
   • Senior local magistrate
   • Major landowner near the Chase
   • Frequently involved in Crown commissions in the Don valley
2. Sir Godfrey Copley of Sprotbrough
   • Leading landowner west of the Chase
   • Sheriff of Yorkshire (later)
   • His estates bordered the Don and the drainage zone
3. Sir John Jackson of Hickleton
   • Prominent Doncaster‑area knight
   • Regularly appointed to commissions of sewers and fenland disputes
4. Sir William Lister of Burwell / Lincolnshire
   • Connected to fen drainage and Lincolnshire commissions
   • Experienced in land improvement inquiries
5. Sir Richard Hutton (the elder), Justice of the Common Pleas
   • Senior judge
   • Frequently appointed to commissions involving disputed rights, inclosure, and Crown lands
   • Provided the legal backbone of the inquiry
6. Sir Henry Savile of Lupset (or possibly Sir John Savile of Howley)
   • Both Saviles were active Crown commissioners in the West Riding
   • One of them sat on the 1622 inquiry (records differ)
   • The Saviles were deeply involved in regional governance and land disputes