The origins are unclear but the area was part of an earlier Royal Forest stretching from the River Parrett to the Quantock Hills.

[3] According to the late 13th century Hundred Rolls, King Henry II of England (d. 1189) gave William of Wrotham lands at North Petherton.

[11] The park was also a source of timber, which was granted by the king often to religious houses such as the Buckland Priory and the Friary and Nunnery in Ilchester.

[17] The Alfred Jewel, an Anglo-Saxon artefact made of enamel and quartz enclosed in gold, was discovered in the park in 1693, and is now one of the most popular exhibits at the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford.

After decades of scholarly discussion, it is now "generally accepted" that the jewel's function was to be the handle for a pointer stick for following words when reading a book.

Maunsel House at North Newton, which was within the area of the earlier park, was built in the late 14th or early 15th century.