Misc Court Records
The Letters and Papers of Henry VIII, vol. 8 (Ed J. Gairdener), tell the story of William Meryck, a weaver of Kingswood, and other men from the same locality who were indicted in 1535 for poaching in various parks in south Gloucestershire, including deer parks at Alveston, Siston. Sodbury, Thornbury, Yate and Stoke Gifford.
Note
Parks were a contentious issue as arable land previously used by the community was enclosed. In the late 14th century, John Smyth a Gloucester historian, recorded local people making physical attacks on Sir Maurice Berkley's new park at Stoke Giffard
