Common Lands Domestic Records Information 74 1. It is a popular misconception that common land is land owned by the general public and to which everyone has unrestricted right of access.
All common land is private property, whether the owner is an individual or a corporation.
The owner of the common is normally the lord of the manor or his successor in title. Common' in this context refers, strictly speaking, to rights rather than to lands. Common land is land subject to rights of common i.e. rights enjoyed by one or more persons to take or use part of a piece of land or of the produce of a piece of land which is owned by someone else. Such rights are separately defined in each case. Those entitled to exercise them were called commoners.