The English Peasantry and the Enclosure of Common Fields

by Gilbert Slater

Another probable survival of the Earl of Winchilsea’s movement is thus described by Mr. Rider Haggard:—

“The system of cottage holdings was introduced about a hundred years ago on the Burley estate” (Rutlandshire) “and was copied by the late Lord Tollemache, who was brother-in-law of the late Mr. Finch. It is in force in the parishes of Burley, Egleton, Hambleton and Greetham. In 1901 there lived in those parishes forty-three small occupiers, whose acreage varied from 5 acres to 40 acres, the holdings being all grass. Originally there were many more, the Hambleton cow pasture, which is 102 acres in estate, being divided into 80 cow commons. Some of the holders occupy two or more small fields, but the general custom has been for tenants to graze large fields in common, and to have separate small fields reserved for mowing hay in the winter. In the fields which are grazed in common, five roods have been taken as sufficient to keep a cow.” (“Rural England,” Vol. II. p. 260.)

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CHAPTER XIII
STATISTICAL SUMMARY OF ENCLOSURE BY ACT OF PARLIAMENT.

In this table the cross-heading A includes Acts up to and including the year 1801, in which year a general Act facilitating enclosure was passed; cross-heading B, Acts from 1802–1845; cross-heading C, enclosures under the General Enclosure Act of 1845 and subsequent amending Acts. No Act or enclosure is included unless the enclosure was partly of arable common field, but in some few cases, as will be seen from the [Appendix] giving the chief particulars of each Act, the arable land formed only a trifling part of the area dealt with.

Where the area enclosed is not stated, and cannot even be approximately inferred from the wording of the Act, it is estimated on the assumption that the average area per Act where the area is not stated, is the same as for Acts relating to the same county where the area affected is stated, enclosures under the Act of 1845 being left out of account. This method, I believe, gives more satisfactory results than any other would; but it must be confessed that in the case of Norfolk the Acts in which the area is not stated are so many, and those in which it is stated are so few, that the average obtained is not trustworthy. In this case I believe the figure arrived at is too large. The counties are arranged in order of prevalence of Parliamentary enclosures.

		Area stated.		Area not stated.		Total.		Percentage of Area of County.
		Acts.	Acres.	Acts.	Acres.	Acts.	Acres.
Northampton.
Period	A	137	237,211	6	10,306	143	247,517
″	B	40	66,807	7	12,023	47	78,830
″	C	3	4,704	—	—	3	4,704
Total		180	308,722	13	22,329	193	331,051	51·5
Huntingdon.
Period	A	30	50,147	7	11,392	37	61,539
″	B	25	39,364	2	3,255	27	42,619
″	C	3	3,855	—	—	3	3,855
Total		58	93,366	9	14,647	67	108,013	46·5
Rutland.
Period	A	20	33,857	2	3,323	22	37,180
″	B	2	2,700	—	—	2	2,700
″	C	6	7,344	—	—	6	7,344
Total		28	43,901	2	3,323	30	47,224	46·5
Bedford.
Period	A	30	55,470	13	21,229	43	76,699
″	B	21	27,810	15	24,495	36	52,305
″	C	5	8,309	—	—	5	8,309
Total		56	91,589	28	45,724	84	137,313	46·0
Oxford.
Period	A	54	96,596	22	35,277	76	131,873
″	B	20	22,064	22	35,277	42	57,341
″	C	18	23,578	—	—	18	23,578
Total		92	142,238	44	70,554	136	212,792	45·6
Yorks, East Riding.
Period	A	108	227,009	6	12,148	114	239,157
″	B	25	42,277	7	14,173	32	56,450
″	C	4	5,193	—	—	4	5,193
Total		137	274,479	13	26,321	150	300,800	40·1
Leicester.
Period	A	124	175,280	9	12,437	133	187,717
″	B	10	9,896	2	2,764	12	12,660
″	C	—	—	—	—	—	—
Total		134	185,176	11	15,201	145	200,377	38·2
Cambridge.
Period	A	20	45,230	3	5,789	23	51,019
″	B	21	33,885	55	106,128	76	140,013
″	C	9	8,298	—	—	9	8,298
Total		50	87,413	58	111,917	108	199,330	36·3
Buckingham.
Period	A	47	71,323	23	35,834	70	107,157
″	B	20	33,090	10	15,580	30	48,670
″	C	6	7,014	—	—	6	7,014
Total		73	111,427	33	51,414	106	162,841	34·2
Nottingham.
Period	A	64	112,880	18	29,217	82	142,097
″	B	17	18,596	7	11,362	24	29,958
″	C	3	3,269	—	—	3	3,269
Total		84	134,745	25	40,579	109	175,324	32·5
Norfolk.
Period	A	28	71,904	36	76,066	64	147,970
″	B	16	21,966	114	240,877	130	262,843
″	C	6	12,173	—	—	6	12,173
Total		50	106,043	150	316,943	200	422,986	32·3
Lincoln.
Period	A	175	354,048	15	29,240	190	383,288
″	B	53	90,398	11	21,443	64	111,841
″	C	2	1,331	—	—	2	1,331
Total		230	445,777	26	50,683	256	496,450	29·3
Berkshire.
Period	A	12	13,651	23	28,980	35	42,631
″	B	33	42,652	20	25,200	53	67,852
″	C	10	9,119	—	—	10	9,119
Total		55	65,422	43	54,180	98	119,602	26·0
Warwick.
Period	A	85	116,919	6	7,909	91	124,828
″	B	12	10,950	8	10,546	20	21,496
″	C	3	3,235	—	—	3	3,235
Total		100	131,104	14	18,455	114	149,559	25·0
Wiltshire.
Period	A	18	30,949	47	80,211	65	111,160
″	B	27	45,849	30	51,199	57	97,048
″	C	6	3,925	—	—	6	3,925
Total		51	80,723	77	131,410	128	212,133	24·1
Gloucester.
Period	A	53	78,645	30	37,724	83	116,369
″	B	18	20,616	30	37,724	48	58,340
″	C	11	4,419	—	—	11	4,419
Total		82	103,680	60	75,448	142	179,128	22·5
Middlesex.
Period	A	5	11,854	3	4,114	8	15,968
″	B	12	12,251	5	6,913	17	19,164
″	C	1	625	—	—	1	625
Total		18	24,730	8	11,027	26	35,757	19·7
Worcester.
Period	A	29	36,942	10	11,317	39	48,259
″	B	9	6,066	24	27,161	33	33,227
″	C	7	4,009	—	—	7	4,009
Total		45	46,017	34	38,478	79	85,495	16·5
Derby.
Period	A	37	45,028	9	13,312	46	58,340
″	B	25	46,675	—	—	25	46,675
″	C	—	—	—	—	—	—
Total		62	91,703	9	13,312	71	105,015	15·9
Hertford.
Period	A	11	20,524	4	6,103	15	26,627
″	B	8	8,464	5	7,628	13	16,092
″	C	17	10,775	—	—	17	10,775
Total		36	39,763	9	13,731	45	53,494	13·1
Yorks, West Riding.
Period	A	67	82,389	17	23,736	84	106,125
″	B	55	88,453	7	9,774	62	98,227
″	C	4	2,102	—	—	4	2,102
Total		126	172,944	24	33,510	150	206,454	11·6
Dorset.
Period	A	9	13,704	8	8,533	17	22,237
″	B	23	20,426	8	8,532	31	28,958
″	C	6	3,786	—	—	6	3,786
Total		38	37,916	16	17,065	54	54,981	8·7
Suffolk.
Period	A	4	6,400	6	9,876	10	16,276
″	B	14	13,356	24	39,505	38	52,861
″	C	5	2,450	—	—	5	2,450
Total		23	22,206	30	49,381	53	71,587	7·5
Hampshire
Period	A	12	15,459	23	25,649	35	41,108
″	B	13	12,856	8	10,664	21	23,520
″	C	4	1,512	—	—	4	1,512
Total		29	29,827	31	36,313	60	66,140	6·4
Surrey.
Period	A	4	5,140	2	2,562	6	7,702
″	B	11	14,078	5	6,406	16	20,484
″	C	5	2,796	—	—	5	2,796
Total		20	22,014	7	8,968	27	30,982	6·4
Yorks, North Riding.
Period	A	24	33,257	9	15,279	33	48,536
″	B	14	31,171	3	5,093	17	36,264
″	C	2	1,034	—	—	2	1,034
Total		40	65,462	12	20,372	52	85,834	6·3
Hereford.
Period	A	5	3,920	1	708	6	4,628
″	B	6	3,870	14	9,915	20	13,785
″	C	3	378	—	—	3	378
Total		14	8,168	15	10,623	29	18,791	3·6
Somerset.
Period	A	12	16,225	3	2,644	15	18,869
″	B	23	14,623	4	3,525	27	18,148
″	C	—	—	—	—	—	—
Total		35	30,848	7	6,169	42	37,017	3·5
Stafford.
Period	A	10	10,924	1	996	11	11,920
″	B	7	6,001	3	2,987	10	8,988
″	C	—	—	—	—	—	—
Total		17	16,925	4	3,983	21	20,908	2·8
Essex.
Period	A	4	6,551	—	—	4	6,551
″	B	4	6,190	3	4,777	7	10,967
″	C	10	4,652	—	—	10	4,652
Total		18	17,393	3	4,777	21	22,170	2·2
Sussex.
Period	A	1	1,400	—	—	1	1,400
″	B	18	13,537	4	3,145	22	16,682
″	C	2	248	—	—	2	248
Total		21	15,185	4	3,145	25	18,330	1·9
Northumberland.
Period	A	4	9,657	—	—	4	9,657
″	B	4	12,691	—	—	4	12,691
″	C	—	—	—	—	—	—
Total		8	22,348	—	—	8	22,348	1·7
Cumberland.
Period	A	1	4,000	1	2,175	2	6,175
″	B	3	4,700	—	—	3	4,700
″	C	—	—	—	—	—	—
Total		4	8,700	1	2,175	5	10,875	1·1
Durham.
Period	A	5	4,437	—	—	5	4,437
″	B	1	200	—	—	1	200
″	C	—	—	—	—	—	—
Total		6	4,637	—	—	6	4,637	0·7
Westmoreland.
Period	A	—	—	—	—	—	—
″	B	4	3,237	—	—	4	3,237
″	C	—	—	—	—	—	—
Total		4	3,237	—	—	2	3,237	0·6
Cheshire.
Period	A	—	—	—	—	—	—
″	B	2	3,326	—	—	2	3,326
″	C	—	—	—	—	—	—
Total		2	3,326	—	—	2	3,326	0·5
Monmouth.
Period	A	1	780	—	—	1	780
″	B	—	—	—	—	—	—
″	C	3	513	—	—	3	513
Total		4	1,293	—	—	4	1,293	0·4
Shropshire.
Period	A	3	1,670	—	—	3	1,670
″	B	2	1,140	—	—	2	1,140
″	C	—	—	—	—	—	—
Total		5	2,810	—	—	5	2,810	0·3

Lancashire, Kent, Devon and Cornwall have no Acts for Enclosure of Common Fields.

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