COMMONS © OPEN SPACES 187 
the morning of Monday the 14th August, “ a few persons 
made their appearance and began to help themselves to 
the corn.” Summoned before the magistrates, the bench 
decided that after the usual opening day the corn “was 
common property, and could be claimed by no one 
parishioner more than another.” On the strength of this 
decision the whole parish turned out, and a terrible scene 
of looting the crop took place, while the poor owners 
vainly tried to save what they could. The freeholder 
with the most wheat, a Mr. Adamson, lost over ^100 
worth, although he worked all night to save what he 
could. A case followed, as Mr. Adamson prosecuted 
Thomas Wright, one of the many looters who thought 
they had a right to it, for stealing his wheat. This time 
the magistrates fined the man twenty shillings, and half- 
a-crown, the value of the wheat he had actually taken, 
as he had no right to take away the crop, although he 
had a right to put cattle on the Downs. Further trials 
for riot before the Court of Queen’s Bench resulted in 
the prisoners being discharged after they had pleaded 
guilty. It appeared both the looters and Mr. Adamson 
were in the wrong. They had no right to remove the 
corn, neither had he, after the 12th August, and those 
who had grazing rights could have turned on their 
cattle to eat the standing corn. This incident just 
shows how the right of freeholders and copyholders 
could not lightly be trifled with. 
The report of the Select Committee on Open Spaces 
in 1865 pointed out in the same way, that although the 
right to these common lands had been enjoyed from time 
immemorial, the rights were vague as far as the public 
at large were concerned. They were probably limited to 
a certain defined area or body of persons, as the inhabi- 
