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The Enclosurebroughtaboutmajorchangesin the livesof Englishpeoplelivingboth in the countryside
and the city. Enclosuretook placein a fewvillagesas early asthe 1200's,becamemorewidespread
in
the 1500's,and then droppedoff. Most of the villagesin Englandhad theirland enclosedbetween1760
and 1830. This enclosuremovementalmosttotallyendedthe old systemof openfieldsin England.
Enclosurechangedthe Englishcountryside.Beforeenclosure,farmersraisedcropsand livestockmainly
to providefood for themselves. By 1850 Englishfarmerswere able lo sell most of their productsin the
cities- wheretwothirdsof the Englishpopulation
livedby thattime.
TheEnclosureof Farmlands
Some historiansbelievethat the small landownersand cottagerswere victims of the enclosuresystem.
They were powerlessagainsta Parliamentwhosememberswere large landowners.Other historians
believethat the enclosureprocedurein Parliamentwas fair to both large and small landowners. They
arguethat smalllandownersand cotlagersdid not suffer,but ratherincreasedtheir holdings.
England'sEnclosureActs dividedthe commonlandamongthe landowners
in a village. The moreland
peopleowned,the more land they receivedin enclosureawards. With enclosure,cottagerswho had
traditionalrightsto use the commonlandsometimes
receivedan acreor two of theirown.
Therehad beensome enclosures,
the fencingof formerlyopenfields,earlier,chieflybecausethe owners
of large estatesfound sheep grazingto be an excellentway to make money. Then a new wave of
enclosuresbeganaround 1760. In a seriesof laws,Parliamentforcedthe fencingof commonlands
includingabouta tenth of the total area of England.The main purposenow was to take advantageof
some of the agriculturalimprovements
notedabove. "Horsehoeing"demandedrelativelylargefields,and
improvedbreedsof livestockcouldnot be permittedto minglewith "lesserbreeds"in openfields.
An observerhad thisto say:
'A villagetragedy was enacted on two thousandoccasionsin the last forty years
of the century. The church door one Sundaymoming vwuld bear a notice that
Parliamentwas about to be petitionedfor an enclosureof common lands. The
lesser villagersmight protestor even iot; but with Squirehimselfor his ftiends in
Parliament, and with that body composed,anryay, largely of landlords, the bill
would ordinarily pass. Soon commissionerswould appearto put an end to the
immemorial communal life of the village. The common waste land would
disappear,and probably the meadow and tilled land also. Each individual who
shared in the old common tillage would be allotted a pafticular piece of land
which he was fo fence in, or 'enclose', for his own use. The Squire and the
larger freeholdersor tenants, who were losingtheir free fuel and the pasturage
for their livestock, could seldom afford the compulsory cod of enclosing their
little allotmentsand wouldhave fo se//out their rights for a song".
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The enclosuremovemenldrove many smallfarmersfrom the land and promotedcreationof large,
efficientfarmsusingthe new methods. Britaincouldfeed her populationby usingless labour,and the
stageforthe Industrial
Revolution
in Britainwasset.
New scientificapproachesto agriculturetakenby largelandownerseventuallyled to the reteaseof large
numbersof peoplefrom farming. Underthe leadershipof a few innovatorslike JethroTull [1674- 17411
and ViscountTownshend11674- 17381,the followingimprovements
were introduced:
Tull introduced[1] plantingof grainseed by a horse-drawnmachine,more efficientthan scatteringseed,
and [2] cultivationof cropswith a horse-drawnhoe. Townshendintroduced[3] tumips as winterfeed for
livestockand [4Jthe plantingof cloverto fix nitrogenin the soil and increaseits fertility. His four-yearcrop
rotationof tumips,barley,clover,and wheateliminated
the customof lettingfieldslie fallowand made
Englishestatesmore productive.
Thesegreat improvementsin efficiencywere acceptedby large Brilish landownersand dramatizedthe
effectiveness
of farminglarge tracts ratherthan small scatteredstrips of land. For many years, English
farmershad owned[or worked]as permanenttenantson smallstripsof land in openfields. Specialareas
were set aside for the use of all. These 'common lands" could be used for grazing cattle, gathering
firewood,and otherpurposes.But this systemof farmingwas eliminatedby the enclosuremovement.
The Rich Got Richer
The billfor enclosure
in Parliament
was probablyconsidered
by a committeeof largelandowners. When
presentedpetitionsagainstthe bill,theycouldbe ignored.
smalllandowners
The law itselfoften gave specialpreferenceto the lord of the manor. These lords may have appointed
the officialswho caniedout the enclosure.So,they wereusuallygiventhe best or largestsharesof the
land. The smallfarmersand cottagersdid not alwaysmaketheirclaimsin the properlegalform. Thus,
theirclaimswere often rejectedor ignored.
The Poor Got Poorer
Enclosurewas a clear case of the rich robbingthe poor. lt was playedby the rulesof propertyand law,
writtenby a Padiamentof property-owners
and lawyers.
In villageaflervillageenclosuredestroyedthe poorpeople'scaremeansof survival- the cow or geese,
the fuelfrom the commonland, and the gleanings.lf a cottagerhad no proof of his rights.Then he was
not paid for his loss..Sometimesa cottagercouldprovehis daim. Then he was given a pieceof land
whichwas not largeenoughfor his survival.And he was forcedto pay more than his shareof the high
enclosurecosts.
SomeEconomicEffectsof Enclosure
New Attitudes.
Changesin methodsand in the size and organization
of farms occuned in this periodof enclosureafter
1750. But the most importantchangeswere in the farmers'attitudesabouttheir farmingmethods. Over
long periodsof time, population,industry,and the citiesgrew. As a result,the market for farm goods
graduallyincreased.To meet the increaseddemand,farmersbecamemore willingto try new methods
andto combinesmallfarmsintolargerones.
Increasedagriculturalproductionremovedsome of the baniersto the further groMh of population,the
cities,and industry.And this growth,in tum, creatednewchancesfor farmers. Farming had become an
industry. Peoplewere the most importantelementin this processof develbpmentand change. The
'
TheEnclosureActs Page2
great changesin farmingresultedfrom the farmers'own willingnesslo try new methodsof farming and
organizationon a largescale.
lncreasedProduction:
The agriculturalindustrydid supplysome of ihe workersthat the lndustrialRevolutionneeded. But il was
the supplyingfood for the growingpopulation
from which the labourforce was drawn was the most
importantcontribution.Between1751 and 1821, the populationof Englandand Wales more than
doubled. Even so, GreatBritainwas ableto supplymostof the grain neededto feed its people.
lf the agriculturalindustryhad not risento the challengeof increasedpopulation,the industrialRevolution
probablycould not have happened. Great Britainis a small area with few natural resources. Wthout
increasedagriculturalproduction,it would have had to importfood, insteadof the raw cotton,iron and
wool that the new industriesneeded. BecauseBritishfarmersmet the challenge,Britishmoney stayed
home,insteadof beingspentoverseas.
As farmers made more money,they were able to buy more British industrialproducls. This made it
reasonablefor industryto produceon a largescale. And it madefactoriesprofitable.
More Money. Finally,agricultureprovidedmuch of the money to get the IndustrialRevolutionoff the
ground. Most of the early ironworks,for example,were built by landowners. And farmers were wellknownsupportersof plansto improvelocal communications
by road, river, and canal. Many of the new
industrialistscame from a farmingbackground.They foundthe moneyto investin new industries,either
by usingtheirlandas a guarantee,
or by bonowingmoneyfrom otherfarmingfriendsand neighbors.
Review Questions Part 1
1. When did the Enclosureof farmlands
lake place?
2. a. \Mry was the Enclosureof farmlandsnecessaryfor the Industrialcities?
b. \{hat other benefitsto the IndustrialRevolutiondid the Enclosureof farmlandsbring?
3.Describe
wascaniedout.
howthe Enclosure
TheEnclosureAcs Page3
4. Howdid the'rich get riche/'and the'poor get poorer"?
5. Did the lndustrialRevolutioncausethe Enclosureof farmlandsor did the enclosurecausethe
Industrial
Revolution?
Explainin detail.