Inclosure Acts facts for kids
The Inclosure Acts were a series of laws in England and Wales that changed how land was owned. Before these laws, much of the land was shared or used by many people. These acts made it so that specific people or families owned pieces of land, often with fences or hedges around them.
Between 1604 and 1914, over 5,200 individual laws were passed. These laws affected a huge area of land, about 28,000 square kilometers.
How Land Ownership Changed
Before the Inclosure Acts, land in England was often divided into two main types: "common" land and "waste" land.
- Common land was controlled by a powerful person called the lord of the manor. But ordinary people living nearby had certain rights to use this land. For example, they could let their animals graze there, collect wood, or gather food.
- Waste land was usually land that wasn't good for farming, like rocky areas or narrow strips. Even though it wasn't officially used, landless peasants often farmed it to survive.
Most farming land was organized into an open-field system. Imagine a big field, but instead of one farmer owning it, it was divided into many narrow strips. Different families, and even the lord of the manor, owned these strips, which were often far apart from each other. This system allowed everyone to share grazing areas and helped with crop rotation, where different crops are grown in a sequence to keep the soil healthy.
Over time, landowners wanted to make more money from their land. They realized that new farming methods could produce more food and profit. But these new methods were hard to use with the old open-field system.
So, they started passing Inclosure Acts. These laws allowed landowners to combine their scattered strips into one larger, privately owned field. Even though tenants (people who rented land) and copyholders (people with a special right to use land) had legal rights, they were usually given money as compensation. This meant that many tenants actually supported the changes, even if it meant landlords could force others to agree.
The Impact of Inclosure Acts
With legal control over their land, landowners could try out new farming techniques. This led to a big increase in food production, which was a key part of the British Agricultural Revolution. More food meant more profits for landowners, and they could charge higher rents to the people working the land.
In 1801, a major law called the Inclosure (Consolidation) Act was passed to make all the previous acts clearer. Later, in 1845, another General Inclosure Act created "Inclosure Commissioners." These commissioners could approve land enclosures without needing a special request to Parliament for every single case.
However, the Inclosure Acts weren't always fair. Meetings where enclosures were discussed were supposed to be public, but often only local landowners attended. They would choose their own lawyers and surveyors to make decisions, which could lead to unfair outcomes. For example, in 1786, there were about 250,000 independent landowners, but within 30 years, this number dropped to just 32,000.
Many people who lost their land or couldn't make a living in the countryside moved to towns and cities. This movement of people was a big reason for the Industrial Revolution. As new factories and machines needed many workers, there were suddenly lots of people looking for jobs. These former country dwellers and their families became the workers in the new industrial factories.
Here's a poem from the 18th century that shows how some people felt about the Inclosure Acts:
They hang the man and flog the woman
Who steals the goose from off the common
Yet let the greater villain loose
That steals the common from the goose.
The law demands that we atone
When we take things we do not own
But leaves the lords and ladies fine
Who take things that are yours and mine.
The poor and wretched don't escape
If they conspire the law to break
This must be so but they endure
Those who conspire to make the law.
The law locks up the man or woman
Who steals the goose from off the common
And geese will still a common lack
Till they go and steal it back.
Key Inclosure Acts
Some important Inclosure Acts include:
- The Inclosure Act 1773
- The Inclosure Act 1845
- The Commons Act 1876
See also
- English land law
- List of short titles
