Richmond, Petersham and Ham Open Spaces Act 1902
The Richmond, Petersham and Ham Open Spaces Act 1902 was enacted to protect the view from Richmond Hill, London. Ham and Petersham Commons and certain meadows and manorial rights in the same were vested in the Richmond Corporation for purposes of public enjoyment. The lammas rights on part of the manor were also, by the same Act, taken from the commoners who had enjoyed rights of pasture. The river-side, from Petersham to Kingston, was put under the Richmond Corporation and the Surrey County Council, in two sections, for enjoyment by the public for ever. An initial bill, The Petersham and Ham Lands Footpaths Bill presented by Lord Dysart in 1896 seeking to enclose of lammas lands was defeated by 262 votes to 118 as it was deemed to contravene the Metropolitan Commons Acts 1866 to 1878. The act itself details that in December 1896, a local enquiry was established with the Board of Agriculture to consider a scheme for the lammas lands under the Metropolitan Commons Acts. The Board determined that the provisions of the acts did not apply in this case. A few years later, the Private Bill, the Richmond Hill (Preservation of View) Bill, passed through the committee