BURNHAlf BEECHES. 271 



of Commons as a member of the Society, from the year 

 1866 to the end of his life. 



Nothing more was heard of Burnham Beeches till 

 1 870, when on the death of Lady Grenville's successor 

 to the property, the Manor with its Common and the 

 beautiful beeches, together with 175 acres of freehold 

 land adjoining, was offered for sale by public auction, 

 separated from the great landed estate, of which it had 

 for some years been a part, and which was possibly to 

 some extent a security that the Common would not be 

 inclosed. 



In the particulars of sale, the common rights, 

 existing over the Common, were represented to be few 

 and unimportant, and expectations were held out that 

 the purchaser would be able to inclose. At all events, 

 there was danger that a wanton purchaser might do so ; 

 and might cut down the celebrated beeches, or otherwise 

 interfere with the beauties of the place. The attention 

 of the Commons Society and of the Kyrle Society was 

 directed to the subject ; inquiries were made as to the 

 common rights, and bearing in mind Mrs. Grrote's 

 account of the manner in which Lady Grenville had 

 endeavoured to get rid of these rights, it was thought 

 very desirable that all danger to the Common should 

 be removed by the purchase of it by some local 

 authority, in the interest of the public. Negotiations 

 were entered into with the vendors, and a refusal was 

 obtained for the property at an agreed price for a week. 



The subject was then brought under the notice of 

 the Corporation of London, which had recently obtained 



