Editing Hampstead Heath (section)

==History==

=== Early history ===
Archaeological discoveries on Hampstead Heath, including tools from the [[Mesolithic Britain|Mesolithic]], pits, postholes, and charred stones, point to the presence of a [[hunter-gatherer]] community around 7000 BC.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Hampstead: Settlement and Growth {{!}} British History Online |url=https://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/middx/vol9/pp8-15 |access-date=2023-12-12 |website=www.british-history.ac.uk}}</ref>

Documentary evidence of Hampstead Heath dates from 986, when [[Ethelred the Unready]] granted five [[hide (unit)|hides of land]] at "Hemstede" to the Abbot of Westminster. This same land is later recorded in the [[Domesday Book]] of 1086 as held by the monastery of St. Peter's at [[Westminster Abbey]], and by then it is known as the "Manor of Hampstead".<ref name=Manor>{{cite web|url=http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=22646|title=Hampstead: Manor and Other Estates – British History Online|website=british-history.ac.uk|access-date=30 March 2018|archive-date=6 November 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141106020251/http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=22646|url-status=live}}</ref> Westminster held the land until 1133, when control of part of the manor was released to Richard de Balta; then during [[Henry II of England|Henry II]]'s reign the whole of the manor became privately owned by Alexander de Barentyn, the King's butler.

===19th century legal and political battles===
[[File:Philippe J De Loutherbourg - Hampstead Heath, Summer - 1885P2589 - Birmingham Museums Trust.jpg|thumb|''Hampstead Heath'' by [[Philip James de Loutherbourg]], 1787,]]
[[File:Constable - Road to the Spaniards, Hampstead, 1822, Cat. 858.jpg|thumb|''[[Road to the Spaniards, Hampstead]]'' by [[John Constable]], 1822]]
In 1767, the Manor of Hampstead and the estate which went with it came into the possession of the Wilson family following the marriage of General Sir Thomas Spencer Wilson, sixth baronet, to Jane Weller, niece and heir of the Revd. John Maryon. The estate consisted of {{convert|416|acre|ha}}, being mainly farmland to the west and north west of the village and including the heath.<ref name=richardson>{{cite book |last1=Richardson |first1=John |title=Hampstead one thousand: AD 986-1986 |date=1985 |publisher=Historical Publications Ltd |location=New Barnet |isbn=0950365688|page=71}}</ref><ref name=wilson>{{cite ODNB |last1=Thompson  |first1=F. M. L.  |title=Wilson, Sir Thomas Maryon, eighth baronet |year=2004 |doi=10.1093/ref:odnb/50157 }}</ref>

From 1808 to 1814 Hampstead Heath hosted a station in the [[Semaphore line|shutter telegraph chain]] which connected the [[British Admiralty|Admiralty]] in London to its naval ships in the port of [[Great Yarmouth]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Signal lesson for Navy |url=https://www.borehamwoodtimes.co.uk/news/1968628.signal-lesson-for-navy/ |access-date=12 December 2023 |work=Borehamwood and Elstree Times |date=16 January 2008}}</ref>

In 1821 Sir Thomas Maryon Wilson, eighth baronet, inherited the estate from  his father. The construction of the [[Finchley Road]] through Hampstead promised to open up the land for development, but under the terms of his father's will, Sir Thomas could neither sell any of the land nor grant leases on it for periods greater than 21 years, thus making it unsuitable for building.<ref name=wilson />{{sfn|Richardson|1985|page=71}} 

In 1829 Sir Thomas tried to circumvent the will by promoting a bill in Parliament which would have allowed him to grant leases of up to 99 years. This was a straightforward  procedure and would normally have been passed without difficulty. But because the bill included a provision to build on the heath, it attracted considerable opposition. This came partly from individuals who held certain rights under the ancient system of [[copyhold]], and also from influential figures who valued the heath as a natural asset and a place of recreation. The bill was passed by the House of Lords but was rejected by the House of Commons.<ref name=wilson />

In 1830 Sir Thomas lodged a second bill. This specifically excluded the heath from development, but it did not exclude the {{convert|60|acre|ha}} East Park Estate which lay between the eastern part of the heath and Lord Mansfield's estate at Kenwood and Parliament Hill Fields. This bill also attracted opposition, on the grounds that if building was allowed on the East Park Estate, the East Heath would be surrounded by houses and its natural beauty would be lost. This bill also failed.{{sfn|Thompson|1974|page=147}}

Sir Thomas was to spend most of the rest of his life trying to obtain permission to grant leases for building. The matter became a ''cause célèbre'', with the opposition being led by such influential figures as [[John Gurney Hoare]] and Lord Mansfield.<ref name=wilson />{{sfn|Richardson|1985|page=73}}

Although unable to grant leases for building, there was nothing to prevent Sir Thomas from undertaking his own building work. In the mid 1840s, he drew up plans to build 28 villas on the East Park Estate. Work was started on an access road, a wall and a gamekeeper's hut, remnants of which still survive. However, because of  landslips and problems of water penetration, attempts to build a viaduct to carry the road failed and the entire project was abandoned.{{sfn|Richardson|1985|page=73}}<ref name=hamhigh>{{cite web |last1=Koos |first1=Isabella |title=How the battle for Hampstead Heath inspired the National Trust |url=https://www.hamhigh.co.uk/news/21326594.battle-hampstead-heath-inspired-national-trust/ |website=Ham & High |publisher=Hampstead & Highgate Express |access-date=28 June 2023 |language=en |date=12 January 2022}}</ref>

In 1866 the Hampstead Heath Protection Fund Committee was formed, a forerunner of the Heath & Hampstead Society which still campaigns to protect the heath.<ref name=hhsoc>{{cite web |title=Origins |url=https://www.heathandhampstead.org.uk/home/origins/ |website=The Heath & Hampstead Society |access-date=28 June 2023}}</ref>

In 1869 Sir Thomas died and the estate passed to his brother, Sir John Maryon Wilson. By now there was considerable pressure for public ownership of the heath. This was led by the [[Open Spaces Society|Commons Preservation Society]], which had been formed in 1865 with the specific aim of protecting common land.{{sfn|Richardson|1985|page=74}}

{{Infobox UK legislation
| short_title           = Hampstead Heath Act 1871
| type                  = Act
| parliament            = Parliament of the United Kingdom
| long_title            = An Act for effecting a transfer to the Metropolitan Board of Works of the open space known as Hampstead Heath, and for enabling them to preserve, improve, and regulate the same; and for other purposes.
| year                  = 1871
| citation              = [[34 & 35 Vict.]] c. lxxvii
| introduced_commons    = 
| introduced_lords      = 
| territorial_extent    = 
| royal_assent          = 29 June 1871
| commencement          = 
| expiry_date           = 
| repeal_date           = 
| amends                = 
| replaces              = 
| amendments            = 
| repealing_legislation = 
| related_legislation   = 
| status                = 
| legislation_history   = 
| theyworkforyou        = 
| millbankhansard       = 
| original_text         = https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukla/Vict/34-35/77/pdfs/ukla_18710077_en.pdf
| revised_text          = 
| use_new_UK-LEG        = 
| UK-LEG_title          = 
| collapsed             = yes
}}
In 1870 the [[Metropolitan Board of Works]] agreed to buy the heath on behalf of the public at a cost of £45,000 plus £2,000 for legal fees. The board also agreed to compensate the copyholders for the loss of their rights.{{sfn|Thompson|1974|page=196}} The '''{{visible anchor|Hampstead Heath Act 1871}}''' ([[34 & 35 Vict.]] c. lxxvii) was passed, stating that it would be "of great advantage to the inhabitants of the Metropolis if the Heath were always kept unenclosed and unbuilt on, its natural aspect and state being as far as may be preserved."<ref name=hamhigh /><ref>{{Cite web |title=1871 Hampstead Heath Act |url=https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukla/Vict/34-35/77/enacted |website=Legislation.gov.uk}}</ref>

Pressure then grew to purchase the East Park Estate and the {{convert|200|acre|ha}} Parliament Hill Fields, but no funds were available for this. A public fund-raising campaign was launched, led by the philanthropist [[Angela Burdett-Coutts, 1st Baroness Burdett-Coutts|Baroness Burdett-Coutts]] and the campaigner [[Octavia Hill]].<ref name=hamhigh /> This succeeded in raising the required £300,000, and in 1899 the East Park Estate and Parliament Hill Fields were added to the heath.<ref name=wilson />{{sfn|Richardson|1985|page=75}}

=== Later extensions ===

The Heath was further extended in 1898 with the purchase of [[Golders Hill Park]] for £38,000 from the estate of [[Thomas Spencer Wells|Sir Thomas Spencer Wells]].{{sfn|Richardson|1985|page=76}}<ref>{{Cite EB1911 |wstitle= Wells, Sir Thomas Spencer |volume = 28 |last= |first= |author-link= |page=514 |short=1}}</ref>

In 1904 following a campaign led by [[Henrietta Barnett]], Wyldes Farm was purchased from [[Eton College]]. This land too was added to the Heath, and it is now known as the Heath Extension. The rest of Wyldes Farm was purchased by Henrietta Barnett to found the [[Hampstead Garden Suburb]].{{sfn|Richardson|1985|page=77}} Another fund-raising campaign led by [[Arthur Crosfield]] enabled part of Kenwood to be purchased. This land was added to the Heath in 1922. Finally, [[Kenwood House]] and its adjacent ground were incorporated into the Heath in 1928 following a bequest by their owner, the [[Edward Guinness, 1st Earl of Iveagh|Earl of Iveagh]].{{sfn|Richardson|1985|page=77}}<ref>[[The London Encyclopaedia]], Ben Weinreb & [[Christopher Hibbert]], 1983, {{ISBN|0333576888}}</ref>

=== Railway controversy ===

A fresh controversy arose in 1900 when the [[Charing Cross, Euston and Hampstead Railway]] submitted a parliamentary bill for an underground railway line between Hampstead and [[Golders Green]]. The company already had powers to build a line from [[Charing Cross]] to Hampstead, terminating at a station in Heath Street. That line would follow the course of existing streets and was therefore uncontroversial. The proposed extension, however, would involve tunnelling under part of the Heath. The Heath & Hampstead Society opposed the scheme on the basis that the tunnels would drain the sub-soil and that the vibration of passing trains would damage trees. The campaign received support from ''[[The Times]]'', which published a strongly-worded editorial opposing the railway.<ref>{{cite news |title=The Tunnel Under Hampstead Heath |work=The Times |issue=36334 |date=25 December 1900 |location=London |page=9|id={{Gale|CS151316377}}}}</ref> But the claims were refuted by the railway company, who argued that the tunnels would be passing through impermeable clay at a depth of more than {{convert|200|ft|m}} and would therefore have no effect on the Heath's ecology.<ref>{{cite book |last=Badsey-Ellis |first=Antony |title=London's Lost Tube Schemes |year=2005 |publisher=Capital Transport |isbn=1-85414-293-3 | page = 137}}</ref>

The bill was passed by Parliament, receiving its royal assent on 18 November 1902.<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=27497 |date=21 November 1902 |page=7533 }}</ref> The line, from Charing Cross to Golders Green, was opened in 1907. It now forms part of the [[London Underground]] [[Northern line]].

=== Recent developments ===

[[File:Hampstead Heath entrance south.JPG|thumb|[[Corporation of London]] sign on the south-west edge of the heath]]
The [[City of London Corporation]] has managed the heath since 1989.<ref name=City>{{cite web |url=http://www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/Corporation/living_environment/open_spaces/hampstead_heath.htm |title=Hampstead Heath |website=cityoflondon.gov.uk |access-date=30 March 2018 |archive-date=4 January 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080104193726/http://www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/Corporation/living_environment/open_spaces/hampstead_heath.htm |url-status=live}}</ref> Before that it was managed by the [[Greater London Council]] (GLC) and before that by the [[London County Council]] (LCC).

In 2021 ''Quiet Parks International'', a non-profit organisation whose aim is to identify locations around the world that remain free from human-made noise for at least brief periods, gave Hampstead Heath "Urban Quiet Park" status.<ref name=Guardian_20220116>{{cite news |last1=Moshakis |first1=Alex |title=Noises off: the battle to save our quiet places |url=https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/jan/16/noises-off-the-battle-to-save-our-quiet-places |newspaper=The Guardian |date=16 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220116103841/https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/jan/16/noises-off-the-battle-to-save-our-quiet-places |archive-date=16 January 2022 |url-status=live }}</ref>

In September 2023 sheep made a return to Hampstead Heath as part of an initiative by the [[City of London Corporation]]. The initiative aimed to enhance [[biodiversity]] through controlled grazing, utilizing a flock of five rare-breed [[Norfolk Horn]] and [[Oxford Down]]. This followed a successful trial in 2019 which was the first instance of sheep grazing on the Heath since the 1950s.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Silvester |first=Andy |date=2023-09-07 |title=Sheep set to graze on Hampstead Heath: Yep, really |url=https://www.cityam.com/sheep-set-to-graze-on-hampstead-heath-yep-really/ |access-date=2024-01-26 |publisher=CityAM |language=en-GB}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Sheep return to graze on Hampstead Heath |url=https://news.cityoflondon.gov.uk/news/ |access-date=2024-01-26 |website=Sheep return to graze on Hampstead Heath |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |title=Why are there sheep on Hampstead Heath? |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-england-london-66789166 |access-date=2024-01-26 |publisher=BBC News |language=en-GB}}</ref>