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that might appear to them desirable before the Board determined the matter. The
Vestry thereupon referred the matter to their General Purposes Committee, who inspected
the site, and upon the Committee's report the Vestry suggested to the Metropolitan
Hoard of Works that the proposed entrance of the said Goodson Road from Corbett's
Lane was insufficient in width.
The Vestrv subsequently received several communications from Messrs. Blake and
Snow, Solicitors on behalf of Mr. Ratten, the Lessee of the ground, and Miss Baxter,
the Freeholder, upon the subject, and as to whether Corbett's Lane was a public or
private Road, they being of opinion that the Vestry had been guilty of negligence in
allowing an encroachment to take place thereon. The Vestry were advised that
Corbett's Lane was a private road, in support of which view on searching the old
Minute Books of the Parish a Report was found of proceedings by Indictment taken
against certain Inhabitants of the Parish of Rotherhithe in the year 1812 for not keeping
Corbett's Lane in repair, and a verdict of Not Guilty was returned, as it was then
proved that Corbett's Lane was private property.
The following is an Fx tract from the Minutes of Vestrv, dated 29th September,
1812, above referred to:—
St. Mary, Rotherhithe, 29th September, 1812.
At a Vestry held this day, pursuant to notice given in our Parish Church on
Sunday last, to receive the report of Messrs. Allen Dalziel and John William Luck,
respecting the Indictment preferred and found against the said Inhabitants, for not
repairing an alleged common Highway, leading from the boundary post on the Jamaica
Level to the Saint Helena.
The following Report being read in Vestry, this day, was ordered to be entered in
the Vestry Minute Book.
Committee Report.
The Report of the Committee appointed by the Inhabitants on the 28th day of
April, 1812- to assist the Churchwardens in defence of the Inhabitants against an
Indictment preferred and found against the Inhabitants, for not repairing a certain (as
was alleged) common and ancient King's Highway, leading from the parish of Saint
Olave, in the Borough of Southwark, towards, and unto the parish of Saint Paul,
Peptford, in the counties of Surrey and Kent, called Cortatt's Lane, otherwise Rogue's
Lane, in the said parish, containing in length 450 yards, and in breadth three yards,
and which Indictment the Churchwardens had been directed to defend.
Your Committee Report that it appearing to them on enquiry, that the way in the
Indictment specified, was the piece of ground leading from the boundary post at the
end of Blue Anchor Lane, up to the turning leading to Gallow Wall. Your Committee
caused enquiry to be made by whom the said had heretofore been repaired and kept in