Deer at Arlington Court
There are two types of deer found at Arlington, the red deer and roe deer, both of which are native and a much-loved feature. Find out about their history and how they are managed.
History of deer at Arlington
Arlington is unique among National Trust properties due to its history of stag hunting and the legal battle over 100 years ago. The estate belonged to the Chichester family, a Devonshire lineage dating back to the 14th century. In the 19th century, Alexander Palmer Bruce Chichester and his wife Rosalie Amelia had one daughter, Rosalie Caroline, born in 1865. Rosalie, who never married, inherited Arlington in 1881 at age 15.
In the late nineteenth century, stag hunting with hounds was a hugely popular sport in North Devon, with crowds of hundreds attending. However, in 1898 Rosalie opposed stag hunting on her property. Despite her efforts, it was impossible to keep hunted deer out. In 1900, she sought a High Court injunction against the staghounds. Eventually, she financed an iron fence around a third of the estate, which was completed in the 1930’s. Rosalie called the area inside the fence her nature reserve.
When Rosalie left the estate to the National Trust in 1945, she specified the preservation of her nature reserve. Since then, we have built upon Rosalie's vision and currently over half of the estate is managed for its wildlife value or is actively being restored for the benefit of nature and people.
The National Trust banned stag hunting with hounds across the whole of its nationwide estate in 1997. Ahead of her time, Rosalie Chichester had banned stag hunting 100 years earlier.
Deer Management
Deer are a beloved feature at Arlington, but their rapidly growing population causes signification impact to the woodlands and damages habitats for other wildlife that make Arlington their home. We want the deer to be seen and enjoyed, but we want them to be healthy and to thrive in balance with our beautiful estate.
As responsible stewards of the estate Rosalie Chichester left us, we are committed to thoughtful management. We carefully review data from our deer impact surveys and collaborate with internal and external experts to develop an effective deer management plan.
Download the deer information pack to find out more about the deer at Arlington and our work in this landscape.