WIMBLEDON COMMON. 97 



were renewed; and finally, in April, 1870, terms of 

 an arrangement were happily arrived at between 

 Lord Spencer and the Committee of Commoners, and 

 the Chancery proceedings were brought to an end. The 

 principle of the proposed arrangement was the con- 

 veyance by Lord Spencer, to Trustees for the public, of 

 the whole of his rights over Wimbledon and Putney 

 Commons, and that portion of Wandsworth Common 

 which forms practically a part of Wimbledon Common, 

 in consideration of the continuance to him, by means 

 of a fixed annual payment, of the income which he had, 

 on the average of the previous ten years, derived from 

 the Common. It became necessary to embody the 

 terms of this agreement in an Act of Parliament, and in 

 the Session of 1871, a Bill, called the Wimbledon and 

 Putney Bill, was introduced. 



Some difficulty arose in consequence of the natural 

 desire of Lord Spencer that the National Eifle Associa- 

 tion should be allowed to continue in the use of the 

 Common, for the purpose of their annual Volunteer 

 Camp, and also owing to the strenuous opposition of 

 the Metropolitan Board of Works, who desired to 

 have the management of the Common, even though 

 they would only obtain this by throwing the expenses 

 upon London at large, whereas the neighbourhood was 

 willing to bear them. The measure, however, passed 

 through all its difficulties with little amendment, and 

 finally received the Royal Assent. 



Inder this Act, Lord Spencer conveyed all his 

 interest in the Common to eight Conservators, five to 



H 



