the common is so called as it had a pest house, a structure used for quarantining people with communicable diseases. the common, which used to belong to the crown, originally extended from the bottom of queen's road to the gates of richmond park. it had, near the site of the present "lass o' richmond hill" public house on queen's road, a "pound overt" (open pound). goods or cattle belonging to those had failed to pay fines imposed by the local courts were put there.