 Sir John Sinclair, President of the Board of Agriculture during the Napoleonic Wars, made a call for the enclosure of Finchley Common in 1803.“Let us not be satisfied with the liberation of Egypt, or the subjugation of Malta, but let us subdue Finchley Common; let us conquer Hounslow Heath, let us compel Epping Forest to submit to the yoke of improvement.” But an active campaign for enclosure (the process of transferring common land into individual ownership) began in 1805.It was “instigated” by John Bacon (a local land owner at Friern Barnet).