COMMONS. 89 



possession of Plainfield. After this, others followed 

 their example, petitioning to have their interest set 

 off at certain specified localities; and all the " set-offs " 

 by the organization at regular meetings called in legal 

 form have been and are still considered as giving good 

 and sufficient title. 



In 1821 several tracts were laid out and apportioned 

 under the names of Smooth Hummocks, Trott's Hills, 

 Head of the Plains, and others, and these are often 

 spoken of as the " new divisions." 



By the great set-off to Obed Mitchell and others, the 

 number of sheep commons had been reduced from 

 19,440 to 17,172; and although there were still twenty- 

 seven shares in each division as before, the constant 

 denominator was changed from 720 to 636. The 

 owner of -fa part of an original share of land — pro- 

 vided no part of his interest had been sold — would own 

 (or rather his heirs would own) to-day thirty-six 

 sheep commons in the common and undivided 

 lands, with thirty-six sheep commons (meaning 

 thirty-six undivided 720th parts) of a certain share 

 in each of the old divisions, as Squam, Southeast 

 Quarter, etc., as also thirty-six sheep commons 

 (meaning thirty-six undivided 636th parts) in some 

 certain share of each of the new divisions, as Smooth 

 Hummocks, Troths Hills, etc. It was possible to buy 

 and sell these interests in the u dividend lands" 

 separate from the interest in the common land, and 

 thus a proprietor who bought out all his co-tenants 

 would own an entire share, defined by certain specific 

 boundary lines. 



A sheep common, then, signified i-$ir$ of all the 



