PREFACE 185 



the estate by grant from the crown dated 8 Nov. 1601 on a 

 payment of 2069, came to a similar agreement with the tenantry, 

 after they had " unlawfully, ryotously, routeously and in forcible 

 manner " pulled down the fence of an enclosure. In accordance 

 with the award of the Bishop of Ely, Sir John Cotton, Anthony Page, 

 Mark Steward and Francis Tyndall, it was agreed that Sir Miles 

 should be allowed to enclose, but that he must leave a sufficient 

 way for ' a great herd of cattle in the same place where formerly 

 the way hath been for the drift of cattle/ and that he was not to 

 have any rights of feeding cattle on the common pasture. It was 

 agreed to have this award confirmed by a decree in Chancery at 

 the joint expense of the two parties, but this does not seem to 

 have been carried out. At Willingham also Sir Miles abandoned 

 some of his claims over the copyholders, and in 1611 remitted the 

 hen rent, egg rent, days works and heriots to which they had been 

 liable. 



Similar action was taken at a later date at Waterbeach : an 

 agreement had been come to between Peter Standly, Lord of the 

 Manor of Waterbeach cum Denny in 1740 and this was confirmed 

 immediately afterwards by act of parliament. The Lord of the 

 Manor gave up his right to joyst cattle in consideration of a 

 payment of 2/- each from the commoners ; the rights of each 

 commoner as to the number of horses, sheep, cows &c., which he 

 might pasture were defined, and arrangements were made for the 

 election of Fen Reeves. l An amending act was passed in 1790 ; 

 and an admirable picture of Waterbeach in the last decade of the 

 eighteenth century, with its activities in the way of pasture farming 

 and market gardening, was put on record by the Rev. Robert 

 Masters who had been Vicar of the parish. 2 



A large number of papers bearing on the management of 

 common pasture are preserved in the parish chests at Cottenham 



1 An act passed in the fourteenth year of his late Majesty, George II, entitled 

 " An Act for the effectual draining of Waterbeach Land. " 



3 A Short account of the parish of Waterbeach in the Diocese of Ely by a late 

 Vicar. 1795. 



