New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1907-03-30
GROWN PROPERTIES.
The Page Estate and EScheat-Ep-
ping FOreSt-RcUersiOns.
London. March 20.

III exceeds L&Vyt,DVO BoNS4 iAAlASAAN D''N--
shin would be a great stroke OF good fortune
The rumor mOngers have been making more
~o,id progress than the Attorney General, who
,as been forced 10 contradict sensational arti-
49, and 10 explain that no forfeiture has been
soolorea and that a special committee VIII not
,,a amounted 10 investigate the claims unul the
81, oe7cars Of the Crown have concluded an eA-
,.,-,s,ive examination Of the evidence IN theiI
,ossession. The controversy over ms N"l"l
ble estate which comprises about sixty squ"'0
rifles in AIiddlesex. with a diagonal me Lio"'
Marble Arch TO Rickmansworth' dates lio'N
100 when Henry Page died without uie0'
1,e,rs The Crown officials did not claim ie
version of the properties when trustees We
amounted. and although the escheat mas lie
-,,an+I,, been revived and ministers have
been questioned about it the treasury ID"
,,ave never considered themselves justified IN
o,o,,,,,- government ownership. Some OF
-, moro advanced Labor members are anxious
:. .o,,,,,,t the present ministry TO decisive ac-
a.. hacause the acquisition Of so rich resi-
sa,+,al section Of the West End Of LONDON Win
a,.l,-irsr suburban areas. which are rapidly I'M
,,-,ving and rising IN values, would oe d" "
a., lesson in socialist land NATURALIZATION l"@
lou, business OF the Crown however, is mahaseu
-, a large staff OF trained lawyers, ana ule
,rreasurv depends upon their advice ana MOI
anon the hasty conclusions OF fiction writer's
for the press. 60,
The pages acquired this large estate from
Henry VIII. after the suppression OF hiioui"
Priory and other monastie estaohshnieii's' nc
,,rorort,as included one-third OF Middlesex ana
,,..v,,s ~ tbe adjoining shires of Hartford and
buckingham. and were divided and suoolVlueu iol
,-onor.tions among five families of Pages large
,,,,ro,,aecs of adjacent tracts being made. Henry
PAGE when he died, nearly eighty years ago.
80. the reunited owner Of the entire estate and'
&C there was no heir to succeed him. trustees
we're appointed by the courts, and they nave re-
tanned control of the properties Large Poi-
49,, % the estate have been sold and have re-
oa.o5l,, changed ownership. but there nave
baan constant difficulties in passing title. II Is
asserted that land has been disposed OF al one
eft, NJ its real value because the buyers were
o--ora Of the risks OF escheat and the sellers
were unable 10 convey the property with an IN
clouded title It is also alleged that two OF the
Eve railway companies purchasing right Of way
through the estate paid into court between them
soO0OOO as evidence OF their distrust OF the
,..1fai+,, ~ the titles Considerable tracts We're
ATTAINED by building companies at low price
and thousands OF houses have been erected on
long leases Every decade Of development mas
enriched the Page estate and Increased the COM
rscations of title. The swarms Of claimants TO
the family inheritance have also multiplied
There NAV not have been direct heir 10 Henry
Page when he brought the annals Of the family
10 a close in 1890: but with 80 rich property
IN reserve there has been no lack OF Pages 10
trace their descent from the historic family ana
10 clanor for a redistribution OF the inheri-
sance.
A declaration Of escheat 10 the Crown would
unsettle existing conditions Of tenure in rich
residential section OF London and in populous
suburban areas From Marble Arch the eastern
line Of the original estate runs through Edge
ware to Elstree; thence there is a northern
series OF zigzags to Rickmansworth; the west
ern boundary is carried TO UXbridge and Killing
don, and the southern edge is turned back TO
HYDE Park by Southau and Noting HILL A
Parliamentary committee commissioned 10 in
vestgate titles. claims and conditions Of purchase
IN so large and densely populated tract would
be lucky II It should succeed in keeping out of
Bedlam. It would also have the insuperable
difficulty Of explaining why recourse TO the law
OF escheat has been deferred for three genera
tons. Harrow. lying in the centre OF the Page
estate illustrates the injustice that would be
wrought by summary processes Of escheat. The
famous school was menaced by the astonishing
growth Of the metropolis with advancing rows
OF villas for clerks and statesmen and red brick
houses for workmen. DR.. Weldon, when he
was head master, saved the school from being
asphyxiated by the enterprise OF building and
improvement companies. He appealed success
ully 10 the iiberality OF Harrovians. and over
two hundred acres OF open land around the
school were purchased at a cost OF $4,000
These enlarged playing fields, with the buildings
which have been erected on them. would revert
to the Crown IL there were a general reversion
OF the Page estate 20 the Crown by reason Of
failure OF heirs in 1929 Churches charita BILE
institutions and a host OF private owners in
town and suburb would suffer in the same way
by this belated forfeiture. although purchasers
have had adequate reason for believing that a
trust estate was protected by special legisla-
fion
Epping Forest is NOT straight parallel for
the transfer Of the Page estate TO the Crown
Cnder the oldtme forest laws owners and ten
ants Of land within the royal preserves were
forbidden to obstruct by fences the passage OF
deer. or TO increase their Enclosures. or TO pur-
chase additional portions OF the common When
the preservation OF the forest was undertaken
by the city Of London the oppressive rights Of
the Crown in the Elizabethan age were cited as
preoedents for condemning recent purchases of
the waste land as illegal Instructions Of the re-
naming rights Of common. and about two thou
sand acres were restored to public use. The
City Corporation obtained fun authority for
preserving what was left of the royal forest
Nth the understanding that 1t should be kept
aninclosed and unbuiit on as an open space
sor the recreation OF the public. This result.
Nhieh was not accomplished without protracted
N1gation, Is not 10 be identified with the forfeit
ere Of a large and populous tract Of the me-
Topolis 20 the Crown after decades OF improve
nent and the construction Of thousands OF
buildings. That would also be a legal process
faoen