Decoy pond in Beaulieu

Situated in a hollow at the head of a small stream that extends off to the E from the SE angle. It is probably on land that might once have been part of the demesne of Beaulieu House which was built in the 1660s, c. 600m to the S, and the field is known locally as ‘The Decoy’. It was first identified from an aerial photograph (GB89.F.18) as a rectangular area (dims c. 90m N-S; c. 85m E-W) which would have been a shallow open pond that would have attracted wildfowl. The Beaulieu decoy was well known and the birds were trapped with nets during the summer months when they were flightless after moulting. At Beaulieu mallard, widgeon and teal were driven into narrowing channels at the angles of the pond and then caught with nets (Thompson 1849-56, vol. 2). The channels or pipes as they were called are visible as earthen banks extending from the corners of the pond until they meet at a point. At Beaulie there was a small island at the centre which was connected to the sides of the pond by low banks. This pond was described in 1910 by George H. Pentland of Black Hall, writing in ‘The Naturalist’ journal as ‘square with a pipe at each corner, and measures 100 yards square. There are four buttresses or piers, one in the middle of each side, each about 9 yards square. There is also an island of the same size in the middle of the pond. The pond is surrounded by a smooth grassy bank about 6 yards wide, and quite level all around. This bank seems to have been 12 to 18 inches above the surface of the water. Each of the pipes consists of two straight parts connected by an obtuse angle and is only 40 yards long.’ Three of the sides were replaced by field banks but the N side is still in its original form. By the mid-nineteenth century most decoy ponds were falling into disuse, often with the encouragement of the landowners who discovered that the ponds still attracted wildfowl and the neglected surrounds could provide cover for shooters. The Beaulieu decoy pond was a sophisticated design and is thought to date from the later eighteenth century but there is no record of its construction (Drogheda Independent, 09/04/2004). Compiled by: Michael Moore Date of upload: 10 June 2009 Amended: 19 May 2020