28 THE COMMITTEE ON COMMONS. 



The scheme which lie propounded for remedying 

 these evils, and which was in the next year embodied 

 in a private Bill laid before Parliament, involved the 

 sale of about one-third of the area of the Common, con- 

 sisting of that portion of it known as Putney Heath, 

 lying on the right hand of the London and Kingston 

 road. The proceeds of this sale were to be expended in 

 buying up and extinguishing any rights, which the 

 Commoners might have over the Common, and in 

 fencing, draining, and improving the remaining 680 

 acres. The public Park thus to be created, as dis- 

 tinguished from an open Common, was to be vested in 

 trustees, one of whom was to be the Lord of the Manor. 

 The trustees were to have powers to make bye-laws for 

 the management and regulation of the Park. They 

 were also to let the pasturage of it, and to lease or 

 work the gravel-pits ; the proceeds thus expected to be 

 realised, were to be applied, first in payment of a rent- 

 charge to the Lord of the Manor, equal to the average 

 of his past receipts from gravel and otherwise, and 

 secondly to the current expenses of management, and to 

 the improvement of the Park. The Lord of the Manor 

 was also to be allowed to erect a residence for himself 

 in the centre of the Park, and he was to be responsible 

 for any expense of maintaining it beyond the income 

 derived as above. 



This proposal was stated to be founded on the legal 

 opinion that the Lord of the Manor was practically 

 owner in fee of the Common ; that the Commoners were 

 so few in number that they might be disregarded, as 



