BANSTEAD COMMONS. 191 
time of Domesday Book, was also held by the Bishop 
of Bayeux, and passed through various hands till a few 
years ago, when it was the property of Lord Hylton. 
Much turned, in the suit, upon the relations of these 
minor Manors to the principal one of Banstead, and upon 
whether the owners of land within them had rights of 
common over the waste lands of the Banstead Manor. 
This was confirmed by the surveys already alluded to, 
and by numerous extracts from the Rolls of the Manors. 
Thus, in 1578, an order was made by the Court Leet 
of Banstead Manor that none within Banstead or 
Tadworth should keep in the Common of Banstead 
more than two sheep per acre. This admitted a right 
on the part of the owners of Tadworth to use the 
Commons, subject, however, to the orders and regula- 
tions made by the homage of Banstead. It will be 
seen later that the judges recognised that Sir Charles 
Russell, as owner of the demesne lands of Tadworth, 
was entitled to rights of common over the Commons 
of Banstead. 
In 1864, Mr. Alcock, then Lord of the Manor and 
the owner of a property in the neighbourhood—the 
demesne lands of the Manor—conceived the idea of 
inclosing the four Commons of Banstead, and com- 
menced proceedings with that view before the In- 
closure Commissioners, but the proposal roused so 
much opposition from his neighbours, the Commoners, 
that he received no assistance from the Commis- 
sioners, and was compelled to abandon the attempt. 
In the following year Mr. Alcock gave evidence 
