The heath is at the top of Putney Hill, 148ft above sea level. Manor Fields tells us, “The area was a rendezvous for highwaymen. One of the most notorious, Jeremiah Abershaw, was arrested in 1795 in the Green Man. He was executed at Kennington and his body was hung in a chain gibbet on the heath as a warning to others. Dick Turpin is rumoured to have hidden his guns in an upstairs room at the Green Man and other highwaymen used the old tap room to weigh up their intended victims before setting off to waylay them.The heath became popular in the 17th century among gentry with a score to settle and many duels were fought near the Green Man. The Duke of Buckingham killed the Earl of Shrewsbury in 1667 with one stroke of his sword, leaving the duke free to continue to lavish his affections on Lady Shrewsbury. In 1798, William Pitt the Younger, when he was Prime Minister, and William Tierney MP chose to resolve a disagreement over a Parliamentary Bill by facing each other with pistols on the heath. Both missed their targets and survived, perhaps to settle their differences over a stiff drink in the Green Man or the Telegraph, another pub on the heath that became popular with duellists.”

It was not unusual for kings to review their forces upon the Heath. Charles II did so in 1684, and George II did, likewise, in 1799. Beginning in 1770, one could find a stone and brick obelisk on the heath. It marked the 110th anniversary of the Great Fire of London, there. The obelisk’s unveiling coincided with the invention of the Hartley fire plates by David Hartley, the Younger, near a spot where his fireproof house was built. The lower part of this house was repeatedly set on fire in the presence, among others, of King George III and Queen Charlotte, the members of Parliament, the Lord Mayor, and the Aldermen. [Geikie, J. C. (1903). The Fascination of London: Hammersmith, Fulham and Putney. London: A & C Black, p. 84.]

Many duels were undertaken on Putney Heath. In May 1652, George Brydges, 6th Baron Chandos, and Colonel Henry Compton fought with Compton being killed in the encounter. On a Sunday afternoon in May 1798 William Pitt, the then Prime Minister, who lived in Bowling-Green House on the heath, fought a bloodless battle with William Tierney, MP. The house derived its name from the bowling-green formerly attached to it, and for more than sixty years (1690–1750) was the most famous green in the neighbourhood of London. The house had large rooms for public breakfasts and assemblies, was a fashionable place of entertainment, and noted for “deep play.” Pitt died in the house in 1806. It was later owned by Henry Lewis Doulton, son of Henry Doulton of pottery fame. It was demolished and an art deco style residence rebuilt on the site in 1933. Putney Heath, near the Telegraph pub, was also the venue for the September 1809 duel between Cabinet ministers George Canning and Lord Castlereagh. [Geikie, J. C. (1903), The Fascination of London: Hammersmith, Fulham and Putney. London: A & C Black, pp. 84–86.]

Putney Heath was for many years a noted rendezvous for highwaymen. In 1795, the notorious highwayman Jeremiah Abershaw – also known as Jerry Avershaw – was caught in the Green Man pub (now owned by Wandsworth pub company Young’s, [“Green Man – youngs.co.uk”] on the northside of the heath where Putney Hill meets Tibbet’s Ride. After execution his body was hung in chains on the heath as a warning to others. [ Harper, Charles G (1895). “The Portsmouth Road and its Tributaries: To-day and in days of old”. London: Chapman & Hall. p. 69.] An ancient wood fence cattle pound is located opposite the Green Man, adjacent to two huge plane trees, near the bus terminus. This simple wood fence structure, used historically to contain lost livestock, has been listed as a Grade II listed structure since 1983. [Good Stuff. “Village Pond – Wandsworth – Greater London – England – British Listed Buildings”. britishlistedbuildings.co.uk.]