The Digital Ark: Early Modern Collections of Curiosities in England and Scotland, 1580-1700
Mitcham Common
Mitcham (Settlement), Surrey (Settlement), England
View Larger MapDescription of institution: In feudal times, the poorest, least productive soil in a parish was designated as common land available for parishioners to graze animals and cut turf and timber for fuel. Members of this community with these rights were known as commoners. However, in the 19th century when material for road building became a valuable resource, the old grazing land was replaced by a series of pits for gravel extraction. URL:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mitcham_Common