As solicitor to the Commons Preservation Society, Sir Robert Hunter (1844-1913) was an authority on common land. First published in 1896, this work is an expert account of nineteenth-century legal developments which both government and charitable bodies have since used in preserving the heritage of the nation.

Sir Robert Hunter (1844-1913) became a leading legal authority on common land. As solicitor to the Commons Preservation Society, where he first met Octavia Hill, he was instrumental in saving Hampstead Heath, Epping Forest and the New Forest for the nation, and he developed the principles of protection upon which the National Trust would be founded. First published in 1896, and informed by a lifetime of experience, this work was devised specifically to instruct 'those who are interested in preserving the open lands of the country'. Covering iconic English landscapes ranging from cliff tops to forests and from village greens to allotments, each chapter explores real cases and the statutes that shaped their conclusions. The result is an account of the nineteenth-century legal developments that provided the foundations which both government and charitable bodies have since used in preserving the heritage - both natural and man-made - of the nation.