TOOTING COMMON. 85 



this object. When, however, it became known that Mr. 

 Thompson was intending to purchase, it was generally 

 understood that his object was to preserve the 

 Common, and his neighbours, under this impression, 

 refrained from bidding against him. It very soon 

 turned out, however, that Mr. Thompson had very 

 different objects in view. No sooner had he become 

 the purchaser than he commenced proceedings before 

 the Inclosure Commissioners for the inclosure of the 

 Common, and at first his application included the 

 whole of the waste. On finding them adverse to this 

 proposal, he reduced his claim to 25 acres ; but the 

 Commissioners refused to entertain even this modified 

 proposal. A committee of gentlemen in the district, 

 who had opposed this attempt at inclosure, then made 

 an offer to join in a scheme, under which the Common 

 would be managed in the interest of the public. This 

 was declined. 



In 1865, Mr. Thompson inclosed twenty-five acres of 

 the Common, in spite of repeated protests. His neigli* 

 hours still hesitated to incur the dangers of a lawsuit, 

 and the fence remained standing till 1868, when it 

 was broken in several places by Mr. Miles and other 

 Commoners. Several actions of trespass were then 

 commenced by Mr. Thompson ; and finally, on July 

 10th, Mr. Betts, and two Commoners, on the advice of 

 the Commons Society,* filed a suit against the Lord 



* This action was mainly conducted by Mr. 6. F. Treherne, 

 whose family had property in the neighbourhood of Tooting, but Mr. 

 P. H. Lawrence advised in its earlier stages. 



