Ad BOROUGH OF LEWISHAM. 
thereon for their cattle, but by cutting furze obtained fuel. It was, 
then, with feelings of dismay that Lewisham heard in 1605 that 
King James had granted the common of Westwood to Henry 
Newport, one of the gentry of the place. 
When Henry VIII obtained Lewisham from the Priory of 
Shene in 1531 the exchange was ratified by an Act of Parliament, 
in which there was a clause that the exchange was not to be 
hurtful to any person concerning the right of ‘‘common” which 
any might or ought to have therein. The Crown, however, seems 
to have considered that Westwood Common was a portion of 
the demesne lands of the manor, and thus the trouble came about. 
Mr. Colfe has left several notes on the subject, one of which 
begins: ‘‘Memorandum, that in y® yeares of our Lord 1614 and 
1615 we had many troubles and suites concerning our common 
of Westwood being in quantity about 500 acres of ground where- 
vnto the Lord of his mercy gave a good issue in y® end. The 
occasion was this: Henry Newport of Lewsham gentleman, and 
yeoman of y* boiling house to King James, having lived long in 
our parish, in y* yeare 1605 begged this common of the King and 
made meanes to his Majesty for a lease of it at a yearely rent.” 
The inhabitants appear to have taken action at once, and 
claimed that they had always had common of pasture for all 
manner of cattle without number and at all times (ze., that the 
land was not half-year land), and also common of estovers and 
shreddings of all trees growing on the said common, and they 
produced in proof the recollections of the ‘‘oldest inhabitants.” 
‘*Stephen Batt of Croydon of the age of 98 yeares testifieth for 
the same comon by the name of Westwood or Sheenewood in his 
knowledge 80 yeares agoe and never heard the contrary which testi- 
mony was five yeares before the same Acte was made (z.e., 1525). 
‘John Heathe of the age of go yeares testifiethe for the same 
comon for 75 yeares which was at the time of the Acte made that 
it was then in his knowledge a comon and alwaies so was used 
and that he never harde the contrary. 
‘*Thomas Frenche of Bromley of the age of 80 yeares testifieth 
for the same common for 70 yeares. Arnolde Kinge of Beckenham 
of the age of 78 yeares testifiethe for the same comon in his know- 
ledge for 65 yeares.”’ 
It will be noticed that the Lewisham folk were careful to call 
in the testimony of their neighbours who had no personal interest 
in the open land. 
Thus attacked Mr. Henry Newport made suit for a com- 
mission of enquiry, and Sir Thomas Walsingham, Sir Ralph 
Boswell, Henry Heyman, surveyor, and Michael Berisfforde were 
appointed ‘‘for the surveying and finding of a parcel of waste 
ground in Lewsham in the county of Kent called Westwood to 
be the King’s and therein especially to enquire whether it be the 
King’s own waste in demesne or whether it be the King’s waste 
but yet a comon withall and of what yearly valewe it is.” 
