Commons and greens casework history: searching the database
Updated 18 November 2024
Applies to England
© Crown copyright 2024
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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/commons-and-greens-casework-database/commons-and-greens-casework-history-searching-the-database
The database is updated around 4 times a year and contains historical records.
The historical records are transcriptions of records that were previously on registers and index cards. This means the data may contain errors and missing data. If data is missing for a consent it does not mean that no consent was sought.
When searching you should understand that:
- entries contain both current and pre-1974 local government areas (for example, the same common could be listed under both Hampshire and the old county borough of Southampton)
- there are spelling errors so you may have to use variants (for example, ‘Minchinhampton Common’ could be misspelled as ‘Minchenhampton Common’, so you should search for ‘minch’ which will show results for both)
- the searchable date is the best way to sort by date and relates approximately to the period when the case was considered
- records beginning with MAF are for a file you can search at the National Archives
- commons can be listed as sub-entries with the name of another common first in the list, so may not be the first words in the ‘Name of common / site’ column
- there are duplicates and near-duplicates because of the way that the card index systems were created
Terms used in the database
| Column | Definition |
|---|---|
| Case Reference Number | This is the unique reference for each case. For newer cases this will be COM followed by seven digits |
| Name of common / site | The name of common or site for the case |
| Local Authority / CRA | The name of the local authority or Commons Registration Authority for the case. This includes pre-1974 local government areas and so some commons may be listed under both old and new names. |
| District / Parish | The district or parish the common is in |
| Relevant legislation | The Act or section the application or scheme was made under |
| Date received for application or scheme | The date the draft scheme was received or the application was made |
| Consent granted / refused | The date that consent was either given or refused |
| Searchable date | Dates here have been put into standard date format for you to search and sort. This searchable date is not necessarily the date of any decision or other event, but it will relate approximately to the period when the case was considered. You can’t search for dates before 1900 because of software limitations. Dates before 1900 will appear as ‘#N/A’. For new cases added from 2024 onward, the searchable date will be the same as the decision issue date. |
| Area of common part affected | Area of land of the common affected |
| Area of exchange land | The area of land that was exchanged |
| Purpose of works / application | A brief description of why the application was made |
| Decision issue date | Date the decision letter or report was issued. For recent decisions, this is also the searchable date. |
| Fencing expiry date | For applications that contain consents for fencing, this column will show when the consents for the fencing will end |
| Case notes | General notes on the application for additional information |