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Author: ashelley

Protecting the Common Lands

Protecting the Common Lands

Customary Property Rights Alan Shelley represents commoners and landowners of common lands in Gloucestershire. He is Hon. Conservator of Highleadon Green in the Forest of Dean. Alan is a freeman commoner with inherited grazing rights over lands at Sudbury, Suffolk. (He is an executive and Trustee of the borough freemen). An early knowledge of the countryside began with membership of the Middlesex ‘Young Farmers Club’ at Hatch End. In the mid nineteen fifties he studied farm estate management at Plumpton…

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Shelley Family, Freemen of Sudbury

Shelley Family, Freemen of Sudbury

Alan is proudly descended from seventeenth century freemen of Sudbury who were master weavers.  Clement Shelley a senior citizen in the 1630s fought for the Sudbury freemen’s rights and was a spokesman for the weavers.  A formal listing of Sudbury freemen in 1703 confirms Thomas Shelley (born in 1639, a direct ancestor) as “son of Richard Shelley”.  This indicates that Richard was a freeman before him.  Philip Shelley (ancestor) son of Thomas and other apprentices of Thomas are also mentioned in…

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