The Express.
London, England, 1847-09-18 00:00:00

WALES.

PENTItONT.—GOLLON INCLOSURE.-Thursday
being the day fixed upon for hearing the several claims and
objections to allotments of lend under the act of parliament
for inclosing the waste lands of the manor of Gullets, Mr.
Serjeant Talfourd, M.P. (who was selected as the assessor),
attended by Mr. Byton, the commissioner, Mr. Green, hie
clerk, and Mr. Mickleburgh, the surveyor, took his seat at
ten o'clock, in the large room, at the Severn Arms Hotel.
As the proceedings excited the greatest interest throughout
the upper part of the c .unty, it may be well to explain that
the manor or lordship of Oollon extends from the backs of
the Wye between Ithayader and Leangerrig eastward as
far as the Ithun, the extreme points of the manor being ten
or twelve miles apart, and comprising varioas perishes
and townships, including the whole or parte of St. Harmon,
Abbey Cwmhir, Llatianno, Llanbister, Lianbadarn vynydd,
and Llandewy ystradenny. The extent of waste or unit -
cloud land is supposed to contain 15,000 acres. In com-
pliance with the provisions of the act, all parties possessed of
I property in the manor vent in their claims to the commis-
, stoner for allotments, including numbers of small freeholders,
I owners of from one to twelve acres each, which had at
' various times been inclosed from the waste. The proprietors
of other esn'es claimed large tracts of land, either as be-
longing to their fume, in lieu of common, or as having exer-
; cised exclusive rights of common over them. Other parties
; again claimed common in particular townships or dis-
tricts, and Mr. Phillips, of Abbey Cwmhir. and Mr.
i Field, claimed en interest in the soil with Mr. Severn,
I the lord of the manor. A variety of conflicting intere,ts
thus arose, and objections were served by Mr. Severn, as
lord of the manor, and by Mr. Lightbody, the owner of an
estate in it, upon a great number of claimants. These ob-
jections were more particularly directed against the small
holders of inclosed lands, better distingui•bed as " The Cot-
tager.," and against the special and exclusive rights claimed
by Sir James Dundee and others. It being foreseen that
considerable difficulty would occur, and various points of
law arise, in determining these various claims, Mr. Serjeant
Talfourd was selected as judge or "assessor" upon the
occasion. Mr. Severn, the lord of the manor, was represented
by J. P. Severn, Esq., barrister.at-law, Mr. Salt,of Shrews
bury, and Mr. W. Stephens, of Presteign. The two last-named
gentlemen also appeared fur Mr. Phillips.—Mr. Woosnam,
of l,lanidloes, appeared for Mr. Lightbody, the objector as
above stated, and Mr. Stephens, of Newtown, attended on
behalf of himself, in opposition to the cottager.' claims.—
Mr. J. E. Davis, barrister-at-law, with Mr. Parsons, of Pres-
teign, appeared on behalf of a large number of cottagen ;
and Messrs. Williams and Wood of ithayader, assisted by
Mr. Banks, of Kington, represented numerous parties claim-
ing exclusive or particular rights.—The proceedings occupied
the whole of Thors,day, Friday, and Saturday. fly Friday
night, however, nearly all the cottafters claims were disposed
of, and after two days' hard fighung between the profes-
sional gentlemen, the cottager. succeeded in establishing not
only a title to their little freeholds, but their claim to a share
of the common. In some few instances, indeed, the claim
was necessarily confined to a claim to purchase, the land not
having been inclosed a sufficient number of years. By the
provisions of the act, and the decisions of the learned assessor,
the cottager.' claims were regulated thus:—Cottager, whose
land was inclosed thirty years or upwards before the passing
of the act of parliament, and who hod exercised a right of
common during that period, to have a share of the land to
be inclosed. Cottagers whose land was inclosed upwards of
twenty but within thirty years, to retain their freehold.
Cottages whose land was inclosed within twenty years, and
did not exceed five acres, to be allowed to purchase the same
at iu value as common land, but the rate in no case to ex-
cet d .51. an acre. The exclusive claims were heard on Satur-
day, and were ultimately disallowed. The kind manner and
attention of the learned assessor to every case seemed to
create great satisfaction and confidence in his decisions.