6t BERKHAMSTED COMMON. 



and had banished bad characters. He was also a 

 member for a Cornish borough, and in the House of 

 Commons had distinguished himself by annually assert- 

 ing the rights of the public against the claims of the 

 Crown and the Duchy of Cornwall to the ownership 

 of the foreshore on the sea-coasts. His qualities of 

 courage and obstinacy marked him out as the man 

 of all others best suited to fight the cause of the 

 Commoners against an inclosure such as had been 

 effected of Berkhamsted Common. 



Mr. Augustus Smith was, without difficulty, induced 

 to take up the cause, and to employ Mr. P. H. Lawrence, 

 the Solicitor of the Commons Society, in proceedings 

 to vindicate the Commoners' rights and interests. 

 After careful consultation between Mr. Smith, Mr. 

 Lawrence, and myself, it was decided to resort to the 

 old practice of abating the inclosure by the removal 

 bodily of the fences, in a manner which would be a 

 demonstration and an assertion of right, not less 

 conspicuous than their erection. For this purpose 

 it was thought necessary to employ such a force as 

 would not only speedily remove the fences, but render 

 any opposition on the part of the employes of Lord 

 Brownlow absolutely impossible. 



With this object, it was arranged with a contractor 

 in London to send down at night to Berkhamsted 

 a force of 120 navvies, for the purpose of pulling down 

 the iron fences in as short a time as possible. On 

 March 6th, 1866, a special train left Euston, shortly 

 after midnight, with the requisite number of labourers, 



