EPPING FOREST. 135 



every other part of the Forest. It became equally certain 

 that any single Commoner in any part of the Forest, no 

 matter what Manor he belonged to, could contest and 

 upset the inclosures made by any one or all of the Lords 

 of Manors in every other part of the Forest. It followed 

 that the Corporation of London, by virtue of their pro- 

 perty at Ilford, had rights of common over the whole 

 Forest, and could in a single suit challenge and impeach 

 every one of the inclosures, which had been made by all 

 the Lords of Manors and others within recent years. 



On this discovery the importance and legal bearing 

 of which was confirmed by the Counsel employed in the 

 case it was determined to initiate a single great suit 

 in the name of the Commissioners of Sewers of the 

 City of London, in whom the Ilford Estate was vested, 

 ou behalf of the Corporation, against sixteen out of the 

 nineteen Lords of Manors, who had appropriated por- 

 tions of the Forest by inclosures within recent years. 

 In this suit the Corporation claimed on behalf of all 

 the owners and occupiers of land, within the precincts of 

 the ancient Forest of Waltham, without reference to 

 their tenancy in any Manor, the right of common of 

 pasture over the whole of the waste lands of the Forest, 

 and asked for an injunction to abate existing inclosures, 

 and to restrain the Lords of Manors and others from 

 further encroachments. 



With the object of providing themselves with funds 

 for this great suit, and to enable them to undertake 

 charge of the Forest and other Commons within reach 

 of London, the Corporation induced Parliament to 



