THE COMMONS SOCIETY. 41 



Mr. Fawcett, Solicitor to the Post Office, was followed as 

 legal adviser to the Society by Mr. Birkett, who has 

 retained that position till the present time. These 

 three gentlemen have all been enthusiasts for the cause 

 of Commons ; and to their legal knowledge and their 

 skill in conducting the many suits against Lords of 

 Manors, who had made inclosures,the success of the policy 

 of the Society has been mainly due. 



Among other prominent members not, however, 

 original members have been Sir Charles Dilke, Mr. 

 Bryce, Lord E. Fitzmaurice, Mr. E. N. Buxton, Mr. 

 Burney, Mr. Briscoe Eyre, Miss Octavia Hill, Lord 

 Thring, and Mr. Walter James (now Lord North bourne). 

 Many other prominent men have been subscribers and 

 occasionally attended the meetings of the Society, such 

 as the late Lord Granville, the late Mr. W. H. Smith, 

 Sir William Harcourt, and others. 



The Society soon had plenty of work on its hands. 

 What the Committee of IS05 had anticipated came 

 to pass. As each Common near London was inclosed 

 or threatened, local opposition was aroused, which only 

 needed the advice and assistance of the central Society 

 to organise active resistance to the inclosure. In most 

 cases the resident owners of villus adjoining the 

 Commons formed committees, and raised funds to 

 oppose the aggressors in the Law Courts, or public- 

 spirited men took upon them the burden of resistance. 

 Inquiry soon established the fact that common rights 

 existed in every case sufficient to prevent inclosure, 

 if enforced in the Courts. Although these rights had 



