OA CsNs UC-NRLF B M D73 IbT THE 44 Otic Cm 1)111 t> AGITATION, With a SHORT SKETCH of the HISTORY OF l)onor Oak l))ll. As presented in the final report submitted to the Enclosure of Honor Oak Hill Protest Committee by Councillor John Nisbet, the Honorary Secretary. Printed for, and Published by the Enclosure of Honor Oak Hill Protest Committee, John Nisbet, Hon, Secretary, 90 Harlescott Road, Waverley Park, Nunhead, S.E. 1905. [Copyright]. n Pricc - - - THREEPENCE. PROFESSOR C.A. KCFOID THE STORY OF THE 4f ONE TREE HILL AGITATION, With a Short Sketch of the History of HONOR OAK HILL. By Councillor JOHN NISBET. 1906. •. ; ♦ • ^ C/ GIFT OF PROFESSOR C.A. KOFOID Printed at the Office of the '* South London Mail," 28 Peckham Road, S.E. 1905. THE ENCLOSURE OF HONOR OAK HILL PROTEST COMMITTEE. Cbe Bon. secKtarp's final Report to Committee, If^arcb lltD, 1905. I Gentlemen, N presenting this, my Final Report, it may not be out of place to give a short sketch of the history of Honor Oak Hill, and also a statement of the efforts of the Committee towards the acquisition, as a public open space for ever, of this once popular resort. JOHN NISBET,^on. Sec. m217'294 HONOR OAK HILL, PART I. THE beautiful and commanding eminence known as Honor Oak Hill, or more commonly as One Tree Hill, is situated just within the South Eastern boundary of the new Borough of Camberwell, and is distant about four and a half miles from Charing Cross. The boundary line of the parishes of Camberwell and Lewisham, and also of the Counties of Kent and Surrey, which were co-terminous, formerly equally divided the hill. Honor Oak Hill forms the northern spur of a chain of hills extending from Croydon, the whole of which were at one time covered with a dense forest, named from its position with regard to that town, the Great North Wood. This, or most of it, was at one time the property of the Archbishops of Canterbury, hence sometimes named the Bishop's Wood, and no doubt it offered splendid hunting facilities to many of those bygone princes of the Church. In course of time portions of the Great North Wood became detached, and were subsequently known as Penge Wood, Norwood, Gipsy Wood, Dulwich Wood, Forest Wood or Forest Hill, and Westwood. This last gave name to Westwood Common, once the property of the Abbots of the convent of Ghent, Flanders, 6 THE HISTORY OF HONOR OAK HILL. and later of the Priors of Sheen Priory. At the dissolution of the monasteries, Westwood became the property of the Crown, and later, in the reign of King James I., it gave rise to the first recorded fight for Commons Rights in this country. This struggle lasted altogether ten years, and with the spirited assistance of Abiaham Colfe, the famous vicar of Lewisham, was ultimately won by the people. * Of the early history of Honor Oak Hill very little is known. * Westwood, or Sydenham Common, was situated upon the eastern slopes of Sydenham Hill, and extended from about the present Wells Koad, on the south, to the neighbourhood of London Road, Forest Hill on the north. It was some five hundred acres in extent, and partly covered with wood. The inhabitants of Lewisham freely grazed their cattle on it, and otherwise exercised Commons Rights. The common was one of the numerous grants bestowed by Edward VI. upon Lord Seymour, a brother of the Protector Somerset. Upon the attainder and execution of Seymour, it was, with the rest of that nobleman's estates, seized by Somerset. When the latter also fell, the property reverted to the Crown. The timber on the common was, in Queen Elizabeth's reign, reserved for ship building. In 1605 King James I. granted this common to Henry Newport, gentleman, Yeoman of the Royal Household, who immediately attempted to enclose it. The inhabitants resisted by claiming rights of common in regard to their messuage ; they submitted a case to the Barons of the Exchequer, and ultimately succeeded in defeating Newport's design. Newport, chagrined at his defeat, cast about to discover how best to circumvent the decision of the Barons, and eventually joined with Robert Raines and Innocent Lanier, both officers of the King's House- hold, and together they obtained on April 4th, 1614, a lease of 347 acres of the common, under the Great Seal, for sixty years. The commoners again petitioned, this time the King, and their suit was privately heard on May 21st following. John Burnett, an inhabitant, was appointed the representative defendant, and on October 14th, 1614, the jury returned a verdict for the King, and execution was awarded against Burnett. Newport and his co-lessees immediately began to enclose the common with hedges and ditches, ruthlessly driving out the commoners THE HISTORY OF HOXOR OAK HILL. 7 Some modern researchers are of opinion that the district comprising Honor Oak and Peckham Rye is the locality where, in A.D. 61, was fought the battle that resulted in the total defeat of the heroic Boadicea, the warrior queen of the Iceni, and the slaughter of eighty thousand of her followers by ten thousand Roman veterans under the leadership of Suetonius Paulinus. t cattle, and killing- many. Tlie inhabitants retorted by demolishing the fences and filling in the ditches. Abraham Colfe, the public spirited vicar of Lewisham, then took the matter up on behalf of the inhabitants, and determined to present a petition to the King in person. Having notified His Majesty, he marched at the head of a deputation of one hundred persons through the City on their way to Theobalds where the King was staying. He, however, met them at Tottenham High Cross, where he received them favourably, and ordered the Lords of the Privy Council to see to it that he was no more troubled about the matter. The Lords referred the case to Sir G. Bromley, who ordered a new trial, when judgment for the inhabitants was given on November 18th, 1615. f The points in favour of this locality being the site of that memorable and sanguinary fight for freedom, are, firstly: that, of the many supposed sites in the neighbourhood of London, this approaches nearest to the description given by Tacitus of the position chosen by Suetonius. The historian says : " He (Suetonius) chose a spot in a defile (answering to Woodvale) encircled with woods (the woods of Forest Hill on his right flank, and the ancient thickets of Fryern upon the slopes of Ladlands Hill, on his left) and sheltered in the rear by a thick forest (the Great North Wood). In the front was a narrow straight leading to an open plain (Peckham Kye). In that situation he had no fear of an ambuscade. The enemy, he knew, had no approach but in front." Secondly : A Roman military station occupied the summit of Ladlands Hill (across which runs Overhill Road) and within a short distance of the supposed site of the battle. Thirdly : Suetonius' tactical caution induced him to abandon the idea of attacking in the open, with his small army of less than ten thousand men, a force of one hundred and twenty thousand (;vicle Dion Cassius) flushed with victories lately gained over the Romans, so leaving Londinium (London) to its fate he retired upon a strong position in a less affected district, such as the camp at Ladlands and tlie neighbourhood would offer. 8 THE HISTORY OP HONOR OAK HILL. Admitting that this is the spot which witnessed the complete overthrow of the outraged Boadicea, and the extinction of her husband's (King Prasutagus') dynasty ; it is possible that this, one of the most sanguinary battles of ancient and modern times, may have been watched from Honor Oak Hill by an anxious multitude of Londoners and other refugees, who had sought the protection of the Roman general. These would view, with fear and concern, the desperate charges of the brave but undisciplined British warriors, who, like the surging waves of a storm -tossed sea dashing against an adamantine shore, repeatedly rushed with noisy shouts, upon the silent and firm phalanx of the disciplined Roman legions {vide Dion Cassius) to be as often hurled back again. X With joy the interested spectators would from the hill notice the legions, at last taking the offensive, and in the form of a wedge charge like a whirlwind through the serried mass of the enemy, and, supported by the Roman cavalry, sweeping all before them on to the more level Peckham Rye, where tradition has long placed the scene of final slaughter, and of the death by poison, self-administered, of the intrepid, but unfortunate Boadicea. § Tacitus says, that in this battle " Eighty thousand Britons were put to the sword. The Romans lost about four hundred and the wounded did not exceed that number." J Dion Cassius describes Boadicea as riding in her war chariot with her daughters, everywhere encouraging her followers, now numbering one hundred and thirty thousand, to conquer or die. She possessed a grim face, keen eye, and rough speech. Her golden hued hair flowed to her waist, she wore a plaid, and torques of gold, and carried a spear in her hand. § The causes which led up to this celebrated engagement are fully set out by Tacitus the Koman historian, who writes a graphic and un- THE HISTORY OP HONOR OAK HILL. 9 Honor Oak Hill was, until the dissolution of the Mon- asteries, the property of the Abbots of Bermondsey. Tradition has it, that on a May Day, Queen Elizabeth who went a maying, came to this hill, and resting in the shadow of an oak tree on its summit, had refreshments served to her. This tree was ever afterwards known as the Oak of Honor. This incident, in all probability, occurred in connection with a visit which Elizabeth paid to Sir Richard Buckley at Lewisham, described in the Chamberlain's Papers for 1602, thus : — " On May Day the Queen went a maying to Sir Richard Bucldey's at Lewisham, some three or four miles off Greenwich." A point distant three or four miles from Greenwich could be located in Lewisham, somewhere in the neighbourhood of biassed account. From this statement is gathered, shortly, that Prasutagus, King of the Iceni (a people occupying the modern counties of Norfolk, Suffolk, Huntingdon and Cambridge) died leaving his vast wealth to be equally divided between his two daughters and the Emperor Nero, hoping that by so doing he would secure the safety of his family and the tranquillity of his Kingdom, which last he left to his wife Boadicea. The reverse proved the result. The Eomans, at the instigation of the avaricious tyrant Catus Decianus, the civil governor of the province, overran the country of the Iceni, and plundered the property of the late King. His widow Boadicea was scourged, his daughters were violated, and his other relatives reduced to slavery. The outraged queen took a terrible revenge. She incited her countrymen to revolt, and joined by the Trinobantians (Middlesex and Essex) and other neighbouring states, she attacked and destroyed Camulodunum (Colchester) defeated the ninth legion under the command of Petilius Cerealis, and laid Veru- lanium (St. Albans) and Londinium (London) in ashes, and not less than seventy thousand Koman citizens were massacred. The tyrant Decianus alarmed at the terrible carnage of his countrymen, and fearing the indignation of the Britons, whom by his cruelty and rapine be had driven to despair, fled to Gaul (France) for safety. 10 THE HISTORY OF HONOR OAK HILL. Forest Hill and Sydenham, wheie it is most likely that Sir Richard's residence was situated, and it would consequently not be far from the hill. The first written notice of the hill appears in the particulars of a survey of Lewisham. The document, now in the Rolls Court, is dated October 3rd, 1608, and mentions that the " Oak of Honour is one and a half miles from Westwood." The next mention of the hill is in a document also at the Record Office, and refers to the purchase of a parcel of land by Mr. Shard from Sir Thomas Bond, formerly belonging to Sir Thomas Crymes, situated at Honor Oak. || It may, by the way, be mentioned here, that it was owing to the discovery of these documents, and also from the information gathered from the Sydenham (or Westwood) Common Enclosing Award, deposited at Maidstone, and consulted by Mr. Lawrence W. Chubb, Secretary of the '' Commons and Footpaths Preservation Society," and also by several members of the Protest Committee, that it was conclusively proved that Honor Oak never was a part of "Westwood Common, which discovery induced this Committee to abandon any claim to Common Rights over One Tree Hill. II The three names mentioned above belonged to leading Peckham families of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Sir Thomas Cryrnes (or Grimes) was the eldest son of Sir George Crymes, of Peckham, and was born at the end of April, 3638. He succeeded to the title and estates of his father in October, 1659, and shortly after sold his Peckham property, including the parcel of land at Honor Oak Hill, to Sir Thomas Bond, Bart., his brother-in-law. Sir Thomas Bond was possessed of considerable property in Peckham, in addition to that which he purchased from Sir Thomas Crymes. Bond was a great favourite at the Court of Charles II., who had in o o o « 9 o «« o c O 6 9 (/3 THE HISTORY OF HONOR OAK HILL. 11 The hill is devoid of any trees upon its north side, but is fairly well wooded on the south and west. Rocque in his map of 1745 delineates the hill as a rough and unprotected waste, with cultivated lands running up to its east, north and north western base. Such was its appearance at the beginning of the last century, when the cornfields of Brockley Hall farm extended to the eastern, and of Homestall farm to the northern slopes of the hill. The hill at this period was approached by footpaths from all directions, and most of them were used by the public up to within the last fifteen or twenty years. The London to October, 1658, created him a Baronet at Brussels, where the King was, at that time, a fugitive. Sir Thomas built for himself a magnificent residence at Peckham, on the site of a former one. This mansion stood between the present Hill Street and Sumner Eoad (the Grand Surrey Canal covers the actual site), and was distant about 250 yards from the High Street. The mansion, which faced the north, was approached through a splendid avenue of elms from the principal entrance, which stood at a point nearly opposite the " Oliver Goldsmith " School in Southampton Street, then called Rainbow Lane. Another avenue of trees extended from the mansion northwards through the park. The prospect in this direction took in St. Paul's Cathedral and the Tower of London, and was considered to be very fine. The gardens, which were extensive and beautifully laid out, extended from the south front of the mansion to High Street. ^Melon Place, Martin's Road, stands upon the site of the melon grounds that once belonged to this residence. Evelyn, the celebrated Diarist, paid a visit here. He writes in his Diary, June 12th, 1676, " I went to see Sir Tliomas Bond's new and fine house at Peckham. It's on a flat, but has a fine garden and prospect through the meadows to London." Sir Thomas Bond was a strong adherent of the House of Stuart, and readily engaged in the cause of James II., in consequence of which, when that King became a fugitive, Sir Thomas had to flee the country. His residence was plundered and wrecked by a partisan mob, and his property forfeited to the Crown. It appears that he ultimately returned to this country, and at his death was buried at St. Giles' Church, Camberwell. In the Church 12 THE HISTORY OF HONOR OAK HILL. Croydon canal, opened in 1805, ran past the south-eastern foot of the hill, and a lock called the top lock, existed near the point at which the Honor Oak Park Railway Station is now situated. Many persons still living remember the lock, over which wns erected a foot bridge connecting a path running from Forest Hill Eoad over the crown of the hill and on to Broclv;ley Road. This path was crossed by a stile at its commencement in Forest Hill Road, by another stile near to the canal, and by a third at its termination at Brockley Road ; at this point the path came out by the side of a farm house (belonging to Mr. ISToakes of Brockley Hall) which was occupied about Register is the following entry : " 1685, June 3, was buried Sir Thomas Bond, Knt. and Papist." The property at Peckham, which had been forfeited to the Crown, was subsequently restored to Sir Thomas Bond's son, Henry, who succeeded to the title. Sir Henry Bond shortly after disposed of this property to Sir Thomas, afterwards Lord Trevor, at whose death the Peckham estates were sold to Mr. Hill, a merchant in the City of London. Mr. Hill's widow resided for many years in the house, formerly built by Sir Thomas Bond. At her death the property came to her nephew, Isaac Pacatus Shard. Hill Street, formerly Lord Lane, takes its name from Mrs. Hill. The Shards were an old and distinguished Peckham family, and ultimately became possessed of the extensive estates formerly belonging to Sir Thomas Bond, who had sold to a former member of this family the parcel of land at Honor Oak Hill, The Shards occupied the mansion at Peckham until 1797, when it was pulled down, and the estate, which embraced almost the whole of present Peckham, was broken up into small properties, and sold to satisfy the numerous creditors of the last of the Shards, whose extravagance had run him deeply into debt. He disappeared from this country about the end of the first quarter of the last century. A plan of the boundary of the Parish of Camberwell, 1805, shows that William Shard was then the owner of a part of One Tree Hill, which no doubt was the same that was sold by Sir Thomas Bond to a Mr. Shard about 1670. THE HISTORY OF HONOR OAK HILL. 13 seventy years ago by a tenant farmer named Owen who kept the latter two stiles in repair. Another path ran from Peckham Rye, along the east side of Priory Farm, and joining with another coming from the direction of Nun head went up the northern slope of the hill, at the top of which it formed a junction with the path from Brockley to Forest Hill Road, already mentioned. All these paths w^ere crossed by stiles. The hill was at the commencement of the last century used as a semaphore station by the Honourable East India Company, to signal the appearance of their vessels in the Channel. It was also put into requisition by the Admiralty at the time of Napoleon Bonaparte's threatened invasion of England. A cottage built for the use of the signalling operator, stood on the top of the hill, and was subsequently occupied by a Mr. Waghorne, the father of one of the witnesses produced by the Protest Committee. The tree from which the hill takes its name has long since disappeared. A stump of an old tree upon the summit of the hill, is said to be the remains of the second tree planted there since the days of good Queen Bess. The boundaries of the parish were, in olden times, usually perambulated once in three years, and Honor Oak Hill, as one of the boundaries, has been the scene of many such interesting gatherings. It was understood that no perambulation would be complete without the singing of Psalm civ. at the site of the old oak tree. The last perambulation was made by the last of the old Board of Overseers on 11th May, 1899. The company consisted of Messrs. Burlington, Brewer, Shipton, and West, and the present Councillors John George and J. R. Tomkins- (the latter being the Mayor of Camberwell for this year 1905) 14 THE HISTORY OF HONOR OAK HILL. all being members of the late vestry ; also Mr. C. W. Tagg^ the present Town Clerk, and several representatives from the neighbouring local aiithoiity of Lewisham. The writer had the goorl foitune and pleasure to accompany the party, and remembers well the thrill of emotion which vibrated through him as he took part in the singing of Psalm c. to its grand old tune, upon the site of the ancient Oak of Honor. % The Church of St. Augustine, built in 1872-3, stands near the summit upon the southern slopes. The site was presented by Mr. Edward Clarke of Oaklands, a residence standing at the foot of the hill in the Forest Hill Road. Mr. Clarke also gave .£700 towards the erection of the fabric. Large quantities of clay, amounting to thousands of tons, have been taken from the hill for the purposes of pottery and brickmaking. This material appears to have been removed by any one requiring it without let or hindrance. Mr. Marshall who owned the potteries that stood in the Forest Hill Road, acknowledged to having taken hundreds of loads of clay from both the north and the south sides of the hill. This no doubt was the first cause of the land-slips which unfortunately still continue. ^ The writer regrets to say that the gentlemen present not being sufficiently acquainted with the words of Psalm civ., compromised as stated on Psalm c. THE HISTORY OF HONOR OAK HILL. 15 PART II. HONOR OAK HILL, up to the autumn of 1896, when it was quietly but effectually enclosed by a golf club, had been always an open space, and from time immemorial a popular place of resort for the people. The barring of the public from this hitherto much frequented spot, by the erection of a six foot fence, caused a storm of indignation. A number of meetings protesting against the enclosure, was held in the spring and early summer of 1897 on Peckham Rye, and resulted in the formation of the " Enclosure of Honor Hill Protest Committee." Mr. S, E. Adams of the " Samuel Bowley " Coffee Tavern, Peckham Rye, kindly placed his public room at the disposal of the members of this Com- mittee, and its first meeting was held there on the 6th of August, 1897. Mr. J. Cress well- Jones was elected Chairman ; Mr. Goddard Clarke, J.P., L.C.C., Treasurer ; and J. Nisbet (the writer), Hon. Secretary, and an Executive consisting of Messrs. J. E. Dobson, J. Hampden Davis, F. T. Pexton and James Smith, together with the Chairman and Secretary, was appointed. The Committee, which numbered twenty-three members at its first meeting, rapidly increased to about one hundred and fifty, amongst the number being many members of the Cam- berwell and the Lewisham Local Authorities. The members of the last-named body, together with a number of residents of Brockley and Forest Hill, eventually formed a local Sub- Committee, with Mr. W. J. Gilham as the Hon. Secretary. 16 THE HISTORY OF HONOR OAK HILL. Forty meetings were held in various parts of the two districts during the first three months, at which meetings a sum amounting to .£41 9s. 8|d. (including a few subscriptions) was collected towards the expenses of the campaign. Efforts were at once set on foot to collect evidence of user by the public ; and the authorities and interested societies were appealed to for support. The first body approached was the National Footpaths Preservation Society. The writer interviewed the secretary (at the offices in Essex Street, Strand), who stated that he was afraid that his society could not do anything to assist in the matter (at that time the Committee was considering the question of Common Rights only), but stated that the Commons Preservation Society would very likely render any assistance required. The writer immediately proceeded to the offices of the latter society, then situated in Great College Street, West- minster, and there saw Mr. Lawrence W. Chubb, the courteous and able secretary, who, the same day, went thoroughly into the business of the interview, and before the writer left had promised that he and his societ}'- would do everything in their power to assist the Committee, This promise was faithfully fulfilled by his constant and unsparing efforts and valuable advice at all times, and the success achieved may be largely attributed to his unstinted help. The local authorities of the two districts concerned being at this time in recess for the August holidays, nothing could be done in that direction, but in the meantime great progress was being made. Enthusiastic public meetings were held, diligent searches for information were undertaken in Govern- ment and public offices, and old residents were interviewed. <9 >> g «) fiU u o C o o O THE HISTORY OF HONOR OAK HILL. 17 Notwitlistanding these efforts, which were being success- fully carried out, and the fact that Mr. Chubb was present, aiding with invaluable advice, at almost every meeting of the Committee, a spirit of unrest, at what was termed the slow methods of the Executive, began to show itself amongst a small section of the members. At a meeting of the Committee held about the end of August, a resolution was moved that a sub-committee be appointed to proceed to the hill, and assert the rights of the public by pulling down the fence. This, howevei", was defeated, only two members voting for it. The iirst note of defiance at the action of the Protest Committee, was struck by the Golf Club Authorities (who were determined to brook no interference) in prosecuting two lads for alleged breaking down of the fence, and trespassing on the hill, on Monday, 23rd August, 1897. The lads, who denied breaking the fence, were defended, and Mr. Marchant, Solicitor, Deptford Broadway, was instructed to watch the case on behalf of the Protest Committee. After two adjournments, the lads were convicted and fined. On the following Sunday, 3rd October, a resolution was unanimously passed at a large meeting held on the Rye, strongly condemning the action of the Golf Club, and also sympathizing with the lads and their parents, and copies of the resolution were sent to the Home Secretary and the Members of Parliament for Camberwell, Peckham, Dulwich, and Lewisham. The next incident brought to the notice of the Committee was reported by Mr. George Morley, a member, who stated that on Saturday, September 25th, being in the vicinity of the hill, he witnessed two little children who had scrambled through a broken portion of the fence — apparently to gather flowers — attacked by a large dog, which appeared to be in 18 THE HISTORY OP HONOR OAK HILL. charge of a man watching the grounds. Mr. Morley went to the assistance of tlie children, when he found that one of them had been bitten in the hand. He expostulated with the man, who denied having set the dog on. He then saw the children home to their parents, who were also subsequently seen by the Executive. An explanation and apology were afterwards given, and the matter dropped. Meanwhile a great deal of evidence had been secured, and from the information thus collected a map was prepared by the writer, showing footpaths leading to and over the hill from various points. "With the mass of evidence now in hand it was considered advisable to lose no time in approaching the local authorities of the two parishes with a view to inducing them to take the matter up, and accordingly Ca.mberwell Vestry was asked to receive a deputation at its first meeting after the recess, on September 22nd, 1897. The application was refused, but in the letter from the Vestry Clerk, conveying the intelligence, he intimated that the General Purposes Committee would, upon application being made, be willing to receive a deputation on the matter. A deputation was thereupon appointed, and consisted of Messrs. C. Goddard Clarke, J.P,, L.C.C., H. R. Taylor, L.C.G., E,. Baylis, H. Bannister, B. Ellis, J. Bryan, J. Smith, H. H. Medway, E. Maynard, and the writer. It was received by the General Purposes Committee at the Vestry Hall, on Monday evening, October 11th, 1897. Mr. H. R. Taylor was the spokesman, and the writer subsequently explained his map showing the footpaths. The Committee having discussed the question, the deputation was informed by the Chairman, that they had — subject to the approval of the Vestry — appointed a Committee of thirteen to consider the THE HISTORY OF HONOR OAK HILL. 19 matter, and had further decided to invite the Lewisham authorities to appoint a similar number to act in conjunction with them. Before the deputation left, Mr. RatclifFe Cousins, Chairman of the General Purposes Committee, expressed the hope, that, in the event of the Yestry agreeing to take the matter up, the Protest Committee would give them all the assistance it could in the way of information, and this the deputation readily consented to do. Mr. Taylor then thanked the Chairman for the kind reception accorded to the deputation which then withdrew. On Friday, October 15th, another deputation, consisting of Messrs. H. E. Taylor, L.C.C., J. Oresswell-Jones, F. T. Pex- ton, J. E. Dobson, W. Street, B. Ellis, J. Smith, and the writer, representing the Camberwell section of the Protest Committee, and Messrs. W. J. Gilham, E. Maynard, J. F. Grigg and J. Wilde, representing the Lewishan^, section, attended before a committee of the Lewisham Board of Works, at Catford. Mr. W. J. Gilham spoke on behalf of the depu- tation. Mr. H. E. Taylor, L.C.C., by invitation of the Chairman, also addressed the Committee, and the position of the various footpaths was, with the aid of the map, explained by the writer. The Chairman, in replying, said, that the question was one of the deepest interest to his committee and himself, and would receive their best attention. He intimated that the Camberwell Vestry had invited their Board to appoint a Committee to act jointly with that body. In complimenting the deputation upon its constitutional policy, he expressed the hope that, whether they at Lewisham decided to act with Camberwell, or by themselves, the Protest Committee would be prepared to assist them with 20 THE HISTORY OF HONOR OAK HILL. any information of which they might be possessed. The deputation, after expressing its thanks through the spokesman, withdrew. The Lewisham Board of Works having decided to act with the Camberwell authorities, a conference was held on 26th October, 1897, at Camberwell Yestry Hall, when a joint sub-committee of four members each, and the two Vestry Clerks, were appointed to inquire into the claim for public rights over One Tree Hill, to see witnesses, and receive evidence. Messrs. Ratcliffe Cousins, Harbord, Parker and Teasdale (the latter a member of the Protest Committee), were appointed the Camberwell representatives, and General Gillespie, Dr. Stewart BroAvn, Messrs. Dawson and Dodson, were afterwards appointed the Lewisham section of this joint sub-committee, which entered upon its duties in a thoroughly interested but judicial spirit. In the meantime stirring events had been taking place at the hill. Notwithstanding the fact that every effort was being put forth by the Protest Committee to bring about a speedy settlement of the question of the hill for the people in a diplomatic and constitutional w^ay, dissatisfaction was expressed in certain quarters at the methods adopted. Endeavours were again made to induce the Committee to force an entry to the hill by breaking down the fence, and so precipitate action with a view to testing the right claimed by the golf club to prevent the public from enjoying the use of the common. The Committee flatly refused to depart from its strictly constitutional policy, and as a result an amendment to a resolution of confidence in the Committee, was carried at a meeting held on Peckham Bye, on Sunday afternoon, THE HISTORY OF HONOR OAK HILL. 21 October 3rd, 1896, which amendment authorised the removal of the fence at One Tree Hill on the following Sunday. A letter was immediately written to the Press dissociating the Protest Committee from any part in such proposed action. On Sunday, October 10th, there assembled at various points in the vicinity of the hill, in the afternoon, expectant crowds aggregating 15,000 persons, who, for some time, waited patiently for the appearance of the appointed demolisher. Some of the more adventurous at last losing patience, began attacking the fence in Honor Oak Park, pulled down a section, and entered upon the hill. This proved a signal for a general rush from this point, followed by another rush from Honor Oak Rise. The Hill was soon covered with a disorderly multitude, and it was quickly found necessary to reinforce the police who had been posted to keep order. An attack, meanwhile, was made upon the cottage occupied by the ground keeper, whose wife, at the time, was lying seriously ill in the house; considerable damage was done to the premises, and would have proved more serious, but for the timely arrival of a number of police who, with some difficulty, kept the crowd at bay. Efforts were also made by some of the more orderly section to draw the people away, by starting an impromptu meeting on the hill. Mr. J. E. Gregory, a member of the Yestry, and now a Borough Councillor, took the chair, and Mr. E. Lawrence, of Rye Lane, and Mr. George Morley (the only prominent member of the Protest Committee present), addressed the meeting. The unseemly and riotous conduct taking place was strongly denounced as being against the best interests of the efforts which were being made to re- claim the hill for the public, and an appeal was made for 22 THE HISTORY OF HONOR OAK HILL, quiet and more orderly conduct. This had the effect desired, and the crowds, after joining in singing "Kule Britannia," on the top of hill, dispersed quietly. During the following week a letter written by Mr. Claude M. Tread well, Hon. Solicitor to the Golf Club, appeared in the " Times," and other London newspapers, dissociating his club from any usurpation of the hill, and stating that they had satisfied themselves that the several owners from whom they held a lease were possessed of a valid title to the property over which they exercised rights of ownership; that neither the members of the Golf Club, nor the owners, would fear to face an enquiry, and the members of his club would welcome any action which would put an end to the present agitation. On Saturday of that same week, 16th October, Messrs. Polkinghorn and Ellis (until lately members of the Protest Committee, but who had disagreed with what they considered to be the slow progress of the Executive), arranged with three others, and having given due notice to the police, pro- ceeded to the hill, and in the presence of Major Gilbert, of Scotland Yard, Superintendent Carr and other police officers, aind representatives of the Golf Club, formally pulled down a piece of the fence at Honor Oak Rise, and proceeded through on to the hill, where their names and addresses were taken by Mr. Neal, on behalf of the Club. One of the deputation, in answer to a question by a member of the Golf Club, stated that he and his friends had simply done what they had been instructed to do on behalf of the public, and in assertion of a right of way. The incident excited little or no notice, and lasted only about a quarter of an hour. The golfers pursued their game as if nothing out of the way was in progress. The police intimated that their presence was of a formal character, THE HISTORY OF HONOR OAK HILL. 23 necessary in view of the notice given to them, and that any- legal steps to question the acts of the deputation rested with the owner of the ground or the lessees. Meanwhile, Mr. Treadwell was instructed to take proceedings in the High Court, and writs were issued on the following Saturday, for damage and trespass. On Sunday, 17th October, the day following the last- mentioned event, a very large number of persons visited the vicinity of the hill, and congregated in dense crowds in the Forest Hill Road and Honor Oak Park, in expectation of witnessing a recurrence of the disorderly scenes that took place on the preceding Sunday. The numbers present were variously computed at from 50,000 to 100,000, but adequate precautions were taken to prevent a repetition of the occurrences of the previous Sunday. About 500 police, on foot and mounted, in charge of Superintendent Carr, P. Division, patrolled all roads leading to the hill. Major Gilbert was also present, and superintended the police arrangements. A large number of detectives, under the direction of Detective- Inspector Fox, were on the look out for the light-fingered fraternity that usually are to be found in such crowds. Several ugly rushes were made at the fence at different points, with the intention of demolishing it, but these were effectually prevented through the well -organised vigilance of the police. The principal point of activity was upon the south side of the hill overlooking Honor Oak Park. Here, upon this rough hillside of about an acre and a half, mingled with the furze and undergrowth, were a mass of people numbering at least 12,000, mostly of a respectable class drawn there from mere curiosity, but including an element of mischief and danger, which called for the special attention of the police, and not without reason. Stone throwing was freely 24 THE HISTORY OF HONOR OAK HILL. indulged in, and the police were more than once hit. An Inspector was badly \vounded in this way, and Major Gilbert narrowly escaped similar treatment. Rushes on the part of the roughs were quickly responded to by charges of the police, when mounted police and fleeing public were mingled in what, at times, appeared to be inextricable confusion. Late in the day a furze bush was fired, and this cast a lurid glare upon the surrounding neighbourhood and the upturned faces of the closely packed mass of onlookers. The fire was soon extinguished, and the miscreant who caused it arrested. He, with nine others, apprehended for various offences, were charged at the Greenwich Police Court on the following day, when two were sentenced to one month's imprisonment each, three to fourteen days each, three were fined .£5 each, one .£3 and another £2. A few thousand persons gathered again on the third Sunday, after which the excitement in this direction died out. The Protest Committee, meanwhile, had been carrying on their peaceful agitation and, notwithstanding the excitement at the hill, held most successful meetings on the Rye. The Executive had now been increased to fifteen members, and con- sisted of Messrs. J. E. Dobson and F. T. Pexton (now Borough Councillors of Camberwell), J. Hampden-Davis, J. Cresswell- Jones, James Smith (the original five), Messrs. T. White (the present Mayor of Lewisham, 1905), W. J. Gilliam, J. F. Grigg, W. T. Hailes, J. Wilde and E. Maynard (representing Lewisham), and H. R. Taylor, L.C.C. (late Mayor of Camberwell), R. Baylis, Thos. Teasdale (a member of Camberwell Vestry), and William Street (now a Borough Councillor). These were summoned to a special meeting for the purpose of considering the position resulting from the recent deplorable events, and the steps to be taken to meet it. It was decided to issue an appeal to the public, THE HISTORY OF HONOR OAK HILL. 25 through the Press, and by means of posters and handbills, asking them to assist the Committee in the maintenance of order. The Manifesto read as follows : — " The recent disturbances on One Tree Hill render it neces- sary for the Committee to appeal to all thoughtful citizens to support them in their endeavours to obtain the restitution of Public Rights by legal and constitutional means, and to abstain from forcible action, which may alienate public sympathy and jeopardise the issue. " The policy of the Protest Committee, taken in conjunction with the Public Authorities, in obtaining the necessary evidence, is the surest method of securing One Tree Hill for the people. " In prosecuting the necessary enquiries, searches are being made in the public Record and Government Offices, Museums, Libraries, etc., and a large mass of valuable information has been obtained from old residents. "Any precipitate action is deprecated, and should be carefully avoided." This was signed by Mr. Cresswell-Jones, Chairman ; Mr. C. Goddard Clarke, J.P., Treasurer; and the writer, as the Hon. Secretary. Considerable progress was meanwhile being made in the collection of evidence, the members of the Executive rendering yeoman service in this direction. Several days were spent in searching, with the help of an expert, the archives of the Record Office, equally long periods were spent at the Board of Agriculture, and the British Museum, considerable time was taken up in visiting the libiury of the House of Lords, the Offices of the Admiralty, the Woods 26 THE HISTORY OF HONOR OAK HILL. and Forests, the Customs House, the Local Authorities of Camberwell, Deptford, Lewisham and Woolwich, the County Offices at Maidstone and Kingston, and of other public authorities. In these investigations the writer was specially helped by Messrs. Baylis, Cresswell-Jones, Dobson, Hampden-Davis, Maynard, Pexton and Street, each of them giving whole days to the work. In addition to the above, Messrs. H. R. Taylor, L.O.C., Cray, Gilham, Gregg, Morgan, Teasdale, White, Wilde and Smith were constantly present and speaking at meetings. By the middle of November, or a little over three months after the date of its formation, the Protest Committee had almost completed its enquiries, and were in possession of good evidence of five paths, rights of way, over the hill. Of the eighty-seven persons who had been interviewed, twenty had been selected to give evidence before the Local Authorities, and the latter were duly notified that the Committee was now in a position to submit evidence. Replies came from the clerks of both bodies, intimating that the Joint Sub-Committee would meet on 22nd November, 1897, to receive preliminary evidence. Accordingly, a number of members of the Executive, and Mr. Chubb, of the Commons Preservation Society, met at the Town Hall, Catford, on that date. Dr. Stewart Brown, the Chairman, warmly welcomed the visitors, and the writer, upon invitation, proceeded to read a resume of the evidence, historical, documentary and oral, which the Committee had been able to collect. This included the evidence of the persons selected to give information, who had known the hill for a period covering nearly eighty years. Various maps and other documents were submitted, and Messrs. Chubb and Baylis also addressed the Joint Committee. THE HISTORY OF HONOR OAK HILL. 27 Dr. Stewart Brown, in complimenting the Committee for the copious evidence so ably produced, stated that the next meeting of the Joint Sub-Committee would take place at the Camberwell Vestry Hall, when they would be prepared to hear witnesses. He said that he was sorry that they were not in a position, at present, to go to any expense, and hoped that the Protest Committee would be able to meet the cost of bringing forward the witnesses. He then thanked the deputation for their attendance, and they, after thanking the Chairman for the kind reception accorded them, withdrew. This conference lasted two-and-a-half hours. Before December 7th, the day appointed for the enquiry at Camberwell, additional evidence had been secured by the Protest Committee, and arrangements were made for twenty-two witnesses to attend, of whom fifteen were present. The enquiry lasted from 2.45 until 9.30 p.m. The adjourned enquiry was held at the Town Hall, Catford, on Thursday, 6th January, 1898. There was a full attendance of the members of the Joint Sub-Committee. The Protest Committee was represented by Messrs. H. R. Taylor, L.C.C., Cresswell-Jones, Bryan, Maynard, Smith, Street, Wilde, and the wa^iter, and a number of new witnesses were produced. The hearing upon this occasion lasted four hours. At the conclusion, the Chairman, Dr. Stewart Brown, intimated that it was considered that there was now sufficient evidence before them to warrant them recommending their respective bodies to take further action. But before doing so, and to make sure of their position, they considered it desirable to first obtain the opinion of an expert upon the evidence, and they had decided to ask the Commons Preservation Society to assist them by obtaining their expert's 28 THE HISTORY OF HONOR OAK HILL. opinion. This Mr. Chubb, subsequently, a,nd on behalf of his Committee, very heartily agreed to do. Before separating, Mr. Taylor asked to be allowed to express on behalf of the Protest Committee their warm thanks for the close attention paid to, and the great interest taken in, the case, by the Joint Committee, and also for the courtesy shown by them during the whole of the enquiry, to the Committee, and to their witnesses. This was warmly supported by Mr. Street and the writer. In reply, Mr. Ratcliffe Cousins, of Camberwell Vestry, desired to express his own and his colleagues' appreciation of the excellent manner in which the evidence had been supplied to them by the Protest Committee and its secretary, Dr. Stewart Brown heartily concurring in Mr. Cousins' remarks. The Executive took the opportunity offered by the London County Council election in March, 1898, to issue a circular letter asking each candidate whether, if elected, he would be willing to support any action which might have to be taken for the restoration of Honor Oak Hill to the public. Of the one hundred and eighteen thus written to, eighty-seven replied in the affirmative, and fifteen sent evasive answers. Uneasiness among the members of the Protest Committee, at the delay of the experts engaged by the Commons Pre- servation Society, in giving their opinion upon the evidence furnished by the Protest Committee, caused the writer to call a meeting of the Executive to consider the position. The meeting was held on July 21st, 1898, some six months after the evidence had been submitted by the Joint Committee for a preliminary opinion. A deputation, consisting of Messrs. THE HISTORY OF HONOR OAK HILL. 29 Cresswell- Jones, E. Baylis, Wm. Street, H. R. Taylor, T. Teasdale, and the writer, was appointed to wait upon Mr. Chubb, the Secretary of the Commons Preservation Society. The interview took place on the day following the meeting of the Executive. In reply to the deputation, Mr. Chubb stated that the report of their expert upon the evidence had been received on the previous day, and he had immediately dispatched it to Mr. Tagg, the Vestry Clerk of Camberwell. The report, Mr. Chubb said, showed that there was evidence, sufficient to take into Court, of the existence of E-ights of "Way over the hill. There were however one or two points of a difficult yet valuable character, which required yet further time and attention, and he had advised Mr. Tagg to induce his Committee to take no stejDS until these points had been cleared up. The Joint Committee met on July 27th, a week after the expert's report had been received from Mr. Chubb, when it was agreed to let the matter stand over until after the autumn holiday recess of the Yestry. It was not, however, until March 25th, 1899, that the Joint Committee met, and agreed to recommend their respec- tive bodies to take legal opinion upon the evidence. The two Authorities accordingly at their next meeting unanimously agreed to such steps being taken, and each body voted a sum of fifteen guineas to defray the legal expenses. In the meantime, the action brought by the " Honor Oak Hill Golf Club," against the five members of the " One Tree Hill Commons Rights Defence League," for damage and trespass on the hill had been heard in the Law Courts on Thursday, January 26th, 1899. The result of the hearing was judgment for the plaintiffs, with costs against the defendants. The South 30 THE HISTORY OF HONOR OAK HILL. London Press of the 28th January, 1899, commenting upon the result of the action, says: — "By the way, it is just as well to remember that the defendants, who have been amerced in costs, are really the extremists — the irregulars — of the One Tree Hill Movement. Characteristically putting the cart before the horse, they broke the fence, and the law, before taking the trouble to obtain evidence with regard to the alleged lights of wa}^ " The constitutional committee went the other way to work, and because of the illegal action of the defendants, the Protest Committee consistently declined to assist them with the evidence they had collected, but whether the case for the constitutionalists will now come to the test of trial is indeed extremely doubtful, in view of the judgment of Thursday." Meanwhile the Protest Committee met only occasionally, as having placed their case in the hands of the authoiities, they could but wait for the opinion of the Counsel engaged upon the evidence. The writer was instructed to keep in touch with Mr. Tagg and Mr. Chubb, and to generally watch events, and call meetings when occasion arose. The General Committee met on April 27th, 1899, for the election of the Executive and officers. Mr. H. R. Taylor, L.C.C., was unanimously elected chairman ; Mr. Goddard Clarke, J. P., L.C.C., and the writer were re-elected Hon. Treasurer and Secretary respectively, the members of the former Executive were re-elected, and Messrs. S. E. Adams, G. F. Morgan, Geo. Morley, and I. Dawson were added, thus increasing the Executive to twenty-one members. Notwithstanding that the meetings of both the General Committee and the Executive had become very rare indeed, scarcely a week passed but that the Chairman, Mr. H. E,. THE HISTORY OF HONOR OAK HILL. 31 Taylor, or the writer, saw either Mr. Chubb of the Commons Preservation {Society, or Mr, Tagg, the Yestry Clerk, and consequently nothing transpired in connection with the case but what was known to them. Following the decision of the two authorities concerned, the evidence was, on the recommendation of the Commons and Footpaths Preservation Society, placed with Messrs. Home and Berkitt of Lincolns Inn Fields, as being the best legal advisers upon Rights of Way. After a careful and prolonged investigation, occupying many months, a report upon the findings was given. This report proved, with but two exceptions, to be against the evidence submitted by the Protest Committee, as to the existence of Rights of Way over the hill. The exceptions were in respect of the footpaths which commenced in the Brockley Road and crossing the old canal at a point where the Honor Oak Park Railway Station now stands, ran up and over the hill to Forest Hill Road, and of another path which started at Peckham Rye, and running along the east side of Priory Farm, to a point at which a railway arch is now situated, went to the top of the hill where it joined the former path from Brockley. The evidence upon even those two paths was not considered by the legal experts to be sufficiently strong to warrant them advising the Joint Com- mittee to recominend the case being taken into Court. Soon after receiving the above opinion, Mr. Tagg (now the Town Clerk of the new Borough of Camberwell), at the suggestion of Mr. Chubb, apjDroached, through a third party, Mr. J. E. Ward, the owner of the hill, with a view to pur- chasing it as an open space, Mr. Chubb promising on behalf of a member of the " Commons and Footpaths Preservation Society," one thousand pounds towards the purchase, which was 32 THE HISTORY OF HONOR OAK HILL. afterwards paid. It was considered while these negotiations were going on, to be absolutely necessary to keep back the legal opinion upon the rights of way, and, as a matter of fact, the opinion was never taken up by Mr. Tagg. In the meantime Mr. Tagg, on behalf of the Borough Council, purchased the property (about sixty acres) lying between the hill proper, the Brighton and South Coast Railway line, and Brockley Footpath for the purpose of a cemeteiy, the piice averaging about =£550 per acre. Mr. "Ward, after long negotiations, was induced to consent to sell the ownership of the hill, but the price he asked, namely, .£1,000 per acre, was altogether a prohibitive one. The Borough Council of Camberwell, in whose ai-ea, by the readjustment of the Borough boundaries the whole of the hill is now situated, arranged with the London County Council for a clause to be inserted in their General Powers Bill, 1902, for the compulsory acquisition of One Tree Hill. The Bill passed the Parliamentary Committee on Bills, on April, 24th 1902. Negotiations with the owner for purchase having proved abortive in consequence of the excessive price asked, the matter was submitted to arbitration, and the case came on for hearing in the SherifTs' Court, Bed Lion Square, in the second week of December, 1904. Both Mr. H. E.. Taylor, as the Chairman, and the writer, as the Secretary of the Protest Committee, had, during the previous eighteen months, done everything possible to help the case forward. Indeed it was the strong desire of Mr. Taylor that the liill should be acquired and opened to the public during his year of office as the Mayor of Camberwell, a wish which, notwithstanding all the efforts put forward, he was not able to see fulfilled. o O c O f c c c c THE HISTORY OF HONOR OAK HILL. 33 The owner, Mr. Ward, who had placed every difficulty in the way, at last lodged his claim on 29th April, 1904, and notice of the Borough Council's intention to summon a Jury was lodged on July 20th following. The Jury met on 9th December, 1904, they proceeded to view the hill on the next day, and on the following Monday the case was heard. Mr. Ward claimed £16,000 for the fourteen and a half acres comprising the hill, and evidence was called by his Counsel, to show that, with a little outlay, the development of the site for building, could be carried out. Evidence on behalf of the Borough Council was given to prove that the land was quite unsuitable for building purposes, and estimates of its value were given by Mr. S. Walker, F.S.I., of £4,131, and by Mr. Douglas Young, F.S.I., of £4,034. On the conclusion of Mr. Tagg's evidence, Sir Edward Boyle, K.C. (Counsel for Mr. Ward) agreed to accept the sealed offer of the Borough Council, of £6,100, and verdict by consent was given accordingly. On the 18th January, 1905, the Borough Council, upon the reception of the report of the settlement of the case, adopted a resolution expressing the thanks of the Council to the Enclosure of Honor Oak Hill Protest Committee, and to the writer as the Hon. Secretary, for their action in initiating the move- ment, and for the help and support given to the authorities in connection with the successful endeavour to acquire the hill as an open space. On the 23rd February, 1905, a letter was received by Mr. Tagg at the Town Hall from Mr. Chubb of the Commons and Footpaths Preservation Society enclosing a cheque for £1,000, being the amount promised by an anonymous donor towards the purchase of the hill. 34 THE HISTORY OF HONOR OAK HILL. The letter, dated 22nd February, 1905, read as follows : — " Dear Sir,— " Oak of Honor Hill. *' Herewith I beg to forward cheque value .£1,000 (one thousand pounds) being the amount of the contribution anonymously guaranteed through the Commons and Foot- paths Preservation Society towards the cost of acquiring the summit of the Oak of Honor Hill, S.E., as a public open space. " I shall be obliged if you will be good enough to let me have a formal receipt for the amount. " My Committee direct me to state that it has given them much pleasure to be able to aid in bringing about a permanent and satisfactory settlement of the dispute with regard to the alleged rights of access to the hill, and they further desire me to express their appreciation of the public- spirited action which the Camberwell Council has taken in the matter. " I am, yours truly, " LAWRENCE W. CHUBB, " Secretary. "C. W. Tagg, Esq." The General Committee met on March 11th, 1905, to consider certain recommendations passed at a meeting of the Executive, on February 28th previous. The Chair was taken, in the absence of Councillor H. R. Taylor, L.C.C., by Councillor J. E. Dobson. Among those present were Alderman Goddard Clarke, J.P., L.C.C., Councillors F. T. Pexton and Wm. Street ; Messrs. S. E. Adams, R.. Baylis, G. Bannister, H. Bannister, E. Cray, J. Hampden -Davis, Jas. Smith and THE HISTORY OF HONOR OAK HILL. 35 F. Polkinghorne. The latter had been invited with other members of the " One Tree Hill Common Rights Defence League," who had previously been members of the Protest Committee. After the reading and adoption of the minutes of the previous meeting, and the Secretary's final report, the members proceeded to discuss the recommendations sent up from the Executive, and the following votes of thanks were agreed to be sent to those concerned : — " The Enclosure of Honor Oak Hill Protest Committee. "To the Mayor, Aldermen, and Councillors of the Borough of Camberwell. " Gentlemen, — " The acquistion, by the Camberwell Borough ^Council, of Honor Oak Hill, and its dedication to the public use for ever, will have secured the object for which tliis Committee was originally formed, and with the attainment of this result, the necessity for its continuance ceases. " The Committee, whilst naturally delighted at the success of its extended but constitutional agitation, desires to record its warm appreciation of, and grateful thanks for, the powerful support rendered it during several years by the members of the Camberwell and Lewisham Local authorities, and their able officers, but particularly the unceasing vigilance, courteous attention, and valuable services given therein by Mr. C. William Tagg, the Town Clerk, Camberwell, without which, we feel, the success achieved could hardly have been obtained. " Signed on behalf of the Committee, "H. R. TAYLOR, Chairman. "J. NTSBET, Hon. Secretary r 36 THE HISTORY OF HONOR OAK HILL. A copy of the foregoing resolution was sent to the Lewisham Borough Council. Letters acknowledging the receipt, came from both of these Authorities. The following letter was received from Mr. Lawrence Chubb in reply to a vote of thanks sent to him in recognition of his constant efforts and valuable advice at many periods of the campaign. " Commons and Footpaths Preservation Society. "15 Victoria Street, Westminster, ''March 2lst, 1905. "Dear Mr. Nisbet,— "I am much obliged for your kind letter of the 18th inst, enclosing the cordial vote of thanks to the Society and myself, passed at a meeting of the Enclosure of Honor Oak Hill Protest Committee held last Saturday. " I shall have much pleasure in conveying to my Com- mittee the very courteous and kind Resolution of the Protest Committee, and I am sure that it will be greatly appreciated. "Anything that I have personally been able to do in the matter has, as you know, been most cheerfully done, for I was conscious that in helping you and your Committee I was helping those who were ready to help themselves, and whose zealous care for the protection of public rights has led to the preservation of what will, I am sure, become a most valuable open space. "Yours very truly, "LAWRENCE W. CHUBB, " Secretary" The following was sent also to those who had given evidence before the Joint Committee : — THE HISTORY OF HONOR OAK HILL. 37 " Dear Sir, — "The acquisition of One Tree Hill by the Camberwell Borough Council and its dedication to the public use for ever, will have secured the object for which the Enclosure of Honor Oak Hill Protest Committee was originally formed, and with the attainment of this result, the necessity for its existence ceases. " The Committee cannot conclude its labours without placing on record its heartiest thanks for the assistance you rendered, by, at some inconvenience to yourself, attending as a witness before the Local Authorities, and thus contri- buting in a practical manner to the result achieved. " Yours " (on behalf of the Protest Committee), "H. R. TAYLOR, Chairman. " J. Is^ISBET, Hon. Secretary," It was also decided at the Executive meeting of March 11th, to present a testimonial, engrossed on vellum, to the Hon. Secretary for his services to the Protest Committee. Finally it was resolved to form the Committee into a local branch of the Commons and Footpaths Preservation Society, for the purpose of maintaining, in the public interest, a continued vigilance, which is so apparently necessary, if the rights of the public are to be secured against the encroach- ments of land grabbers. An old ditty, expressing the feeling of past protesters in respect to this, runs thus: — " 'Tis very bad in man or woman To steal the goose from off the common, But who shall plead that man's excuse Who steals the common from the goose?" 38 THE HISTORY OF HONOR OAK HILL. It only remains to add that the purpose for which the Protest Committee came into existence on the 6th August, 1897, namely, to restore One Tree Hill to the public, has been accomplished, and although that end has not been attained in the way that was intended when the agitation was first started, that is by the establishing of public common rights, nevertheless, we can congratulate ourselves that a beautiful and historic resort has been saved from the hand of the all- devouring speculative builder, and secured for the use of the public for ever. THE HISTORY OP HONOR OAK HILL. 39 APPENDIX. STATEMENT OF ACCOUNTS. 40 THE HISTORY OF HONOR OAK HILL. Enclosure of Honor Oak Hill Protest Committee. STATEMENT OF ACCOUNTS FOR THREE MONTHS ENDING OCTOBER 31st, 1897. SECTION I. Subscriptions - Keceipts. C. Goddard Clarke, Esq., J.P E. Lyon, Esq., J.P., L.C.C.... J. H. Chatterton, Esq C. Wilkinson, Esq. 0. W. Dawson, Esq. J. G. Priestly, Esq. 1. Dawson, Esq. J. Stanford, Esq. A Friend, per Mr, Tolhurst.. Collecting Sheets — Per Mr. G. Bannister ,, Mr. H. Bannister „ Mr, I. Dawson ... N.B. Collecting Sheets not to hand will be ACCOUNTED FOR IN NEXT STATEMENT. Collections at Public Meeti^igs — Ladywell. Aug. 28. 4/9 "Brockley Jack." Sep. 4. 5/3 Triangle, Peckham. Aug. 28. I Sep. 4. I Oct. 2. I Oct. 9. 5/- I 2/9 I 1/9 I 10/- Forest Hill. Oct. 2. I Oct. 9. I Oct. 10. I Oct. 16 24/31 I 9/- I 20/1 i 7/6 Oct. 31. 16/- Peckham Eye. Aug. 28 5/3 Oct. 16. 4/8A Oct. 23. 10/9 £ s. d. 5 5 1 1 1 1 5 5 5 2 6 2 6 1 5 8 4 6 4 Oct. 17. I Oct. 23. 12/11 i I 12/11 Oct. 30. 7/- I Oct. 24. I Oct. 30. I 14/4 I 12/81 Aug. 22. I Sep. 4. | Sep. 12. | Sep. 19. | Sep. 26. I Oct. 3. | Oct. 10. | Oct. 17. 22/- I 20/- I 20/1 I 33/- | 40/- I 15/8 I 40/10 I 28/6^ Oct. 24 I Oct. 31. 22/3^ I 40/101 £ s. d. 8 8 14 2 4 9 10 6 2 1 11^ 6 9 9i 14 3 3^ £32 12 ^ THE HISTORY OF HONOR OAK HILL. 41 Expenditure. Posting and Delivering Bills announcing Meetings 7 Legal Charge Watching Case of Fence Breaking — Greenwich Police Court 2 2 Mr. S. K. Bawden "Kentish Mercury" for transcript of Shorthand Notes as above ... 1 1 Printing (Messrs. Wilkes and Co., Walworth Koad) 3 10 Stationery and Minute Books 2 7 Progressive Review for August ... ... 1 Six Acts of Parliament (Enclosing Commons) ... 4 6 Posting Announcements to Members and Clubs ... 3 6 Calling General Committee and Executive Meetings 1 16 8 Correspondence ... ... ... ... 11 7J Notices to Press of Meetings, etc. ... ... 7 1^ Telegram 11| Making Enquiries — City, Croydon, Sydenham, Lewisham, Government Offices, etc. ... 1 5 OJ Search Fees, Record Office ••• ... 4 Petty Cash in hands of Secretary £3 q Oa „ „ ,, Mr. Gilham, Hon. Sec. Lewisham Committee... 10 Balance at London & Midland Bank, Peckham ... 16 15 5 20 15 5i £32 12 5i We have examined this Statement, together with Boohs and Vouchers, and Jierehj certify the same to ie correct. j' H^BRIDGES I Non-Members of Protest Committee. GEO. MORLEY, "1 Members of Protest Committee ROBERT BAYLIS, j" (General). 42 THE HISTORY OF HONOR OAK HILL. Enclosure of Honor Oak Hill Protest Committee. STATEMENT OF ACCOUNTS FOR NINE MONTHS ENDING JULY 31st, 1898. SECTION II. Receipts, Cash in Bank Nov. 1st, 1897 „ in hand Stibsci'iptions per Collecting Sheets — Mr. Henry F. Brion „ A. Watts „ J. Smith „ J. F. Gregg .. E. Maynard „ E. W. Moore ,, R. Baylis — Browne Donation J. Law, Esq., " Brockley Jack" Collections at Public Meetings — Triangle, Peckham. Nov. 0. 1 Nov. 13. 5/8i I 8/2 Forest Hill. Nov. 6. I Nov. 7. I Nov. 18. 5/5§ I 10/8^ I 7/3| Peckham Rye. Nov. 7. I Nov. 14. I Nov. 21. 29/11 i 6/7 I 10/7 Nov. 14. I Nov. 21. 10/41 I 7/2 £ s. d. £ s. d. 16 15 5 3 OJ 19 15 51 . 2 . 4 9 . 5 . 5 6 . 9 . 5 3 . 2 7 . 1 1 15 1 110 ... 13 101 2 10 ... 2 6 31 £27 12 ^ THE HISTORY OF HONOR OAK HILL. 43 Expenditure Calling General and Executive Meetings Making Enquiries at Government OflSices, etc. ... Expert Searcher for Copies of Documents — Record Office Search Fees Printing (Messrs. Wilkes & Co.) Acts of Parliament ... ... ... Progressive Review for August 1897 — second copy Stationery Postage, Correspondence „ Circular letter to L.C.C. Candidates with reply Post Cards ,, Copies above Circular to the Press ... Witnesses attending before Joint Committee Petty Cash in hands of Secretary £0 1 Cash at Bank 8 16 3 „ to be Banked 7 10 7i 2 £ s 1 19 2 12 5 2 10 14 6 5 16 6 d. 16 1 3 14 17 2 2 14 6 9 5 8i £27 12 Sh We have exaviined this Statement, together zvith Books and vouchers, and certify same to be correct. E. LAWRENCE, GEO. WAITE, Non-Members of Protest Committee. H. H. MEDWAY, l Members of Protest Committee MARCUS G. MORRISON,/ (General). 44 THE HISTORY OP HONOR OAK HILL. Enclosure of Honor Oak Hill Protest Committee. STATEMENT OF ACCOUNTS FROM JULY 31st, 1898, TO APRIL 8th, 1905. SECTION III. Receipts. £ s. d. July 31st, 1898— Cash in Bank 8 16 3 „ ,, „ in hand 9 5* April 29, 1899— Donation — Peppercorn, Esq., per J. Hampden-Davis ... 1 1898. Aug. 7- 5> 12 Sep. 24- Oct. 6- Dec. 9- >5 30- 1899. Jan. 16- 5? 20- >J 23- ?5 30- Feb. 6- Mar. 16- April 20- 55 26- 15 55 ~ 1902. April 22- 1905. Feb. 28- JVIar. 11- »> 18- Expenditure. -Calling at Commons' Preservation Society "~ 55 5) 5J 5, •Notifying Auditors of Meeting -Calling at Messrs. Home and Birkett's „ Commons' Preservation Society „ Messrs. Home and Birkett's -Printing 500 cards, notices of meetings -Legal Expenses ... -Calling at Commons' Preservation Society „ General Committee ,, at Commons' Preservation Society 55 55 55 >5 ,, Messrs. Home and Birkett's and C.P, ,, General Committee Meeting ... -General Correspondence for nine months — Calling General Committee Meeting . . . -Calling Executive Meeting ,, General Committee Meeting ... „ Executive Meeting In Bank £10 5 8i £ s. d. 6 6 4 6 6 6 7 1 6 5 6 6 \ Society 6 5 6 7 4 9^ 4 9 2 17 Hi 7 7 9 £10 5 8i THE HISTORY OF HONOR OAK HILL. 45 We have examined Acoounts from July SI, 1898, to April 8, 1905, and found them correct. E. LAWEENCE, ) xr n/r v ^ .^ ^ . « F. POLKINGHORNE, | Non-Members of the Protest Committee JAS. SMITH, S. E. ADAMS, i Members of Protest Committee. SUMMARY OF ACCOUNTS. Receipts Receipts Receipts Total Receipts First Statement — £ s. d. 32 12 5| Expenditure Second Statemejit — 7 17 3 Third Statement — 10 In Bank .£41 9 8^ Total £ s. d. ... 12 17 ... 18 7 ... 2 17 Hi ... 7 7 9 ...£41 9 8^ iviJei7294 THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LIBRARY CD511^25ia .