96 WIMBLEDON COMMON. 



claiming an injunction against him from continuing 

 such acts as were inconsistent with these rights. 

 Negotiations having failed to bring about an amicable 

 settlement, a suit was commenced on December 1st, 

 1S66, and an application was made under the Metro- 

 politan Commons Act for a scheme for regulating the 

 Common, and for maintaining order upon it. Lord 

 Spencer's answer to the Bill in Chancery was not filed 

 until August, 18G8 : a period of nearly two years. The' 

 delay was doubtless due to an exhaustive inquiry into 

 the history of the Manor. The answer gave an 

 elaborate and interesting account of this, and contended 

 that Lord Spencer was practically owner of the Common, 

 and could do as he liked with it, without regard to the 

 few persons, whose rights he admitted. 



The Commoners then occupied some time in 

 obtaining fresh evidence of the customs of the Manor and 

 in identifying properties in Wimbledon and Putney, 

 to which Commoners' rights were undoubtedly attached. 

 There was every indication that the suit would be 

 very protracted and costly. In the first instance, the 

 case of the Commoners did not seem to be very hopeful. 

 Large numbers of rights of common had been bought 

 up, and the remaining rights appeared at first to 

 be few in number. But further investigation led to 

 the discovery that in respect of a large extent of land, 

 formerly part of the demesne lands of the Manor, the 

 original conveyances had specially conceded rights of 

 common over the waste. When this became known to 

 the Defendant's lawyers, negotiations for a compromise 



