第10章

obstructedbytheresistanceofthecommoners，andParliamentthereforefound

itnecessarytoenactthatanyownerofwastecouldencloseforthepurpose

ofgrowingtimberwiththeapprovalofthemajorityinnumberandvalueof

thosewhohadcommonrights，andanymajorityofthosewhohadcommonrights

couldenclosewiththeapprovaloftheownerofthewaste。Anypersonor

personswhothoughtthemselvesaggrievedcouldappealtoQuarterSessions，

withinsixmonthsaftertheagreementhadbeenregistered。Wehearverylittle

ofthisAct，andtheenclosuresthatconcernusareenclosuresofadifferent

kind。InthefinalyearsofthecenturytherewasasuccessionofGeneral

EnclosureBillsintroducedanddebatedinParliament，underthestimulus

ofthefearoffamine。TheseBillswerepromotedbytheBoardofAgriculture，

establishedin1793withSirJohnSinclairasPresident，andArthurYoung

assecretary。ThisBoardofAgriculturewasnotaStatedepartmentinthe

modernsense，butakindofRoyalSocietyreceiving，nottooregularly，a

subsidyfromParliament。(2*)AsaresultofitseffortstwoParliamentary

Committeeswereappointedtoreportontheenclosureofwastelands，and

theReportsoftheseCommittees，whichagreedinrecommendingaGeneralEnclosure

Bill，werepresentedin1795and1799。Billswereintroducedin1795，1796，

1797and1800，butitwasnotuntil1801thatanyActwaspassed。

ThefirstBillspresentedtoParliamentwereGeneralEnclosureBills，

thatistosay，theywereBillsforprescribingconditionsonwhichenclosure

couldbecarriedoutwithoutapplicationtoParliament。TheBoardofAgriculture

wassetonthispolicypartly，aswehaveseen，intheinterestofagricultural

expansion，partlyastheonlywayofguaranteeingasupplyoffoodduring

theFrenchwar。Butthesewerenottheonlyconsiderationsinthemindof

Parliament，andweareableinthiscasetoseewhathappenedtoadisinterested

propOsalwhenithadtopassthroughthesieveofaParliamentofowners

oflandandtithes。ForwehaveintheAnnalsofAgriculture(3*)theform

oftheGeneralEnclosureBillof1796asitwaspresentedtotheGovernment

bythatexpertbody，theBoardofAgriculture，andwehaveamongtheParliamentary

BillsintheBritishMuseum(1)theforminwhichthisBillleftaSelect

Committee，and(2)theforminwhichitleftasecondSelectCommitteeof

EightsoftheShireandGentlemenoftheLongRobe。Wearethusabletosee

inwhatspiritthelordsofthemanorwhosatinParliamentregarded，in

amomentofgreatnationalurgency，thepolicyputbeforeitbytheBoard

ofAgriculture。Wecomeatonceuponafactofgreatimportance。Inthefirst

versionitisrecognisedthatParliamenthastoconsiderthefutureaswell

asthepresent，thatitisdealingnotonlywiththeclaimsofacertain

numberoflivingcottagers，whoserightsandpropertymaybevaluedbythe

commissionersatafivepoundnote，butwiththenecessitiesofgenerations

stilltobeborn，andthatthemostliberalrecognitionoftherighttopasture

acow，intheformofacashpaymenttoanindividual，cannotcompensate

forthecalamitiesthatasocietysuffersinthepermanentalienationof

allitssoil。TheBillasdraftedintheBoardofAgricultureenactedthat

inviewoftheprobableincreaseofpopulation，aportionofthewasteshould

besetaside，andvestedinacorporatebody(composedofthelordofthe

manor，therector，thevicar，thechurchwardensandtheoverseers)，forallotments

forever。Anylabourerovertwenty-one，withasettlementintheparish，

couldclaimaportionandholditforfiftyyears，rentfree，oncondition

ofbuildingacottageandfencingit。Whenthefiftyyearswereover，the

cottages，withtheirparcelsofland，weretobeletonleasesoftwenty-one

yearsandoveratreasonablerents，halftherenttogototheownerofthe

soil，andhalftothepoorrates。Thelandwasnevertobealienatedfrom

thecottage。Allthesefar-sightedclausesvanishabsolutelyunderthesifting

statesmanshipoftheParliament，ofwhichBurkesaidinallsincerity，in

hisReflectionsontheRevolutioninFrance，that’ourrepresentationhas

beenfoundperfectlyadequatetoallthepurposesforwhicharepresentation

ofthepeoplecanbedesiredordevised。’

TherewasanotherrespectinwhichtheBoardofAgriculturewasconsidered

tobetoogeneroustothepoorbythelordsofthemanor，whomadethelaws

ofEngland。Inversion1oftheBill，notonlythoseentitledtosuchright

but，alsothosewhohaveenjoyedorexercisedtherightofgettingfuelare

tohavespecialandinalienablefuelallotmentsmadetothem：inversion

2onlythosewhoareentitledtosuchrightsaretohaveafuelallotment，

andinversion3，thiscompensationisrestrictedtothosewhohavepossessed

fuelrightsfortenyears。Againinversion1，thecostofenclosingand

fencingsmallallotments，wheretheownersareunabletopay，istobeborne

bytheotherowners：inversion2，thesmallownersaretobeallowedto

mortgagetheirallotmentsinordertocoverthecost。Theimportanceofthe

proposalthusrejectedbytheParliamentaryCommitteewillappearwhenwe

cometoconsiderthepracticaleffectsofEnclosureActs。Theonlypeople

whogottheirfencingdoneforthemundermostActswerethetithe-owners，

aclassneithersopoornorsopowerlessinParliament。

HoweverthisBillsharedthefateofallotherGeneralEnclosureBills

atthistime。ThereweremanyobstaclestoaGeneralEnclosureBill。Certain

MembersofParliamentresistedthemonthegroundthatifitweremadelegal

foramajoritytocoerceaminorityintoenclosurewithoutcomingtoParliament，

suchprotectionasthesmallercommonersderivedfromthepossibilityof

Parliamentarydiscussionwoulddisappear。PowisquarrelledwiththeBill

of1796onthisground，andhewassupportedbyFoxandGrey，buthisobjections

wereoverruled。Howeveramoreformidableoppositioncamefromotherquarters。

EnclosureActsfurnishedParliamentaryofficialswithaharvestoffees，(4*)

andtheChurchthoughtitdangerousthatenclosure，affectingtithe-owners，

shouldbecarriedthroughwithoutthebishopsbeinggivenanopportunity

ofinterfering。Theseandotherforceswerepowerfulenoughtodestroythis

andallGeneralEnclosureBills，intendedtomakeapplicationtoParliament

unnecessary。

TheBoardofAgricultureaccordinglychangeditsplans。In1800theBoard

abandoneditsdesignofaGeneralEnclosureBill，andpresentedinsteada

consolidatingBill，whichwastocheapenprocedure。Hithertotherehadbeen

greatdiversitiesofformandeveryBillwasanexpensivelittleworkof

artofitsown。TheActof1801wasdesignedtosavepromotersofenclosure

someofthistroubleandexpense。Ittooksomefortyclausesthatwerecommonly

foundinEnclosureBillsandprovidedthattheycouldbeincorporatedby

referenceinprivateBills，thuscheapeninglegalprocedure。Further，it

allowedaffidavitstobeacceptedasevidence，thusrelievingthepromoters

fromtheobligationofbringingwitnessesbeforetheCommitteetoswearto

everysignature。Alltherecognitionthatwasgiventothedifficultiesand

theclaimsofthepoorwascomprisedinsections12and13，whichallowsmall

allotmentstobelaidtogetheranddepasturedincommon，andinstructthe

commissionerstohaveparticularregardtotheconvenienceoftheowners

orproprietorsofthesmallestestates。In1813，theideaofaGeneralBill

wasrevivedoncemore，andaBillpassedtheHouseofCommonswhichgave

amajorityofthree-fifthsinvaluetherighttopetitionquarterSessions

foranenclosure。TheBillwasrejectedintheLords。In1836aGeneralEnclosure

Billwaspassed，permittingenclosurewhentwo-thirdsinnumberandvalue

desiredit，andin1845ParliamentappointedcentralCommissionerswitha

viewtopreventinglocalinjustice。

ItisfortunatethattheParliamentaryReportsofthedebatesonGeneral

EnclosureBillsintheunreformedParliamentarealmostasmeagreasthe

debatesonparticularEnclosureBills。Wecangatherfromvariousindications

thattherightsoftheclergyreceivedagooddealofnotice，andLordGrenville

madeanindignantspeechtovindicatehiszealinthecauseoftheChurch，

whichhadbeenquestionedbyopponents。Thecauseofthepoordoesnotoften

rufflethesurfaceofdiscussion。Thiswecancollectnotonlyfromnegative

evidencebutalsofromastatementbyMr。Lechmere，MemberforWorcester。

Lechmere，whoselossofhisseatin1790deprivedthepoorofoneoftheir

veryfewchampionsinParliament，drewattentionmorethanonceduringthe

discussionsonscarcityandthehighpriceofcorntothelamentableconsequences

ofthedisappearancesofthesmallfarms，andrecommendeddrasticstepsto

arresttheprocess。PhilipFrancisgavehimsomesupport。Thegeneraltemper

ofParliamentcanbedivinedfromhiscomplaintthatwhenthesesubjects

wereunderdiscussionitwasverydifficulttomakeaHouse。

Itmustnotbesupposedthattheapathyofthearistocracywaspartof

auniversalblindnessoranaesthesia，andthatthemethodandprocedureof

enclosurewereacceptedasjustandinevitable，withoutchallengeorprotest

fromanyquarter。Thepoorwereofcoursebitterlyhostile。Thisappears

notonlyfromthepetitionspresentedtoParliament，butfromtheechoes

thathavereachedusofactualviolence。Itwasnaturallyeasierforthe

threatenedcommonerstoriotinplaceswhereasingleenclosureschemeaffected

awidedistrict，andmostoftherecordsofpopulardisturbancesthathave

comedowntousareconnectedwithattemptstoenclosemoorsthatwerecommon

toseveralparishes。Aninterestingexampleisaffordedbythehistoryof

theenclosureofHauteHuntreFeninLincolnshire。Thisenclosure，which

affectedelevenparishes，wassanctionedbyParliamentin1767，butthree

yearslatertheEnclosureCommissionershadtocometoParliamenttoexplain

thatthepostsandrailsthattheyhadsetuphadbeendestroyed’bymalicious

persons，inordertohindertheexecutionofthesaidAct，’andtoaskfor

permissiontomakeditchesinsteadoffences。(5*)Anexampleofdisturbances

inasinglevillageisgivenbytheBedfordshirereporterfortheBoardof

Agriculture，whosaysthatwhenMauldenwasencloseditwasfoundnecessary

tosendfortroopsfromCoventrytoquelltheriots：(6*)andanotherinthe

AnnualRegisterfor1799(7*)describingtheresistanceofthecommonersat

WilbarstoninNorthamptonshire，andtheemploymentoftwotroopsofyeomanry

tocoercethem。Thegeneralhatredofthepoorforenclosuresisevident

fromthelanguageofEden，andfromstatementsofcontributorstotheAnnals

ofAgriculture。Edenhadincludedaquestionaboutcommonsandenclosures

inthequestionsheputtohiscorrespondents，andhesaysinhispreface

thathehadbeendisappointedthatsofewofhiscorrespondentshadgiven

ananswertothisquestion。Hethenproceedstogivethisexplanation：’This

question，likemostothers，thatcannowbetouchedupon，hasitspopular

anditsunpopularsides：andwherenoimmediateself-interest，orotherpartial

leaning，interferestobiasthejudgment，agood-naturedmancannotbutwish

tothinkwiththemultitudes；stunnedashisearsmustdailybe，withthe

oft-repeatedassertion，that，tocondemncommons，istodetermineondepopulating

thecountry’(8*)ThewriteroftheBedfordshireReportin1808saysthat

’itappearsthatthepoorhaveinvariablybeeninimicaltoenclosures，as

theycertainlyremaintothepresentday。’(9*)Dr。Wilkinson，writingin

theAnnalsofAgriculture(10*)infavourofaGeneralEnclosureBillsays，

’thegrandobjectiontotheinclosureofcommonsarisesfromtheunpopularity

whichgentlemenwhoareactiveinthecauseexposethemselvestointheir

ownneighbourhood，fromthediscontentofthepoorwhenanysuchquestion

isagitated。’ArthurYoungmakesasimilarstatement。(11*)’Ageneralinclosure

hasbeenlongagoproposedtoadministration，butparticularoneshavebeen

sounpopularinsomecasesthatgovernmentwereafraidofthemeasure。’

Thepopularfeeling，thoughquiteunrepresentedinParliament，wasnot

unrepresentedincontemporaryliterature。Duringthelastyearsoftheeighteenth

centurytherewasasharpwarofpamphletsonthemeritsofenclosure，and

itisnoticeablethatbothsupportersandopponentsdenouncedthemethods

onwhichthegoverningclassacted。Thereis，amongothers，averyinteresting

anonymouspamphlet，publishedin1781underthetitleofAnInquiryinto

theAdvantagesanddisadvantagesresultingfromBillsofInclosure，inwhich

theexistingpracticeisrenewedandsomeexcellentsuggestionsaremade

forreform。ThewriterproposedthatthepreliminarytoaBillshouldbe

notthefixingofanoticetothechurchdoor，buttheholdingofapublic

meeting，thatthereshouldbesixcommissioners，thattheyshouldbeelected

bythecommonersbyballot，thatnodecisionshouldbevalidthatwasnot

unanimous，andthatanappealfromthatdecisionshouldlienottoQuarter

Sessions，buttoJudgesofAssize。Thesamewriterproposedthatnoenclosure

shouldbesanctionedwhichdidnotallotoneacretoeachcottage。

Theseproposalscamefromanopponentofenclosure，butthemostdistinguished

supportersofenclosurewerealsodiscontentedwiththeprocedure。Whoare

thewritersoneighteenth-centuryagriculturewhosenamesandpublications

areknownandremembered？Theyare，firstofall，ArthurYoung(l741-1820)，

who，thoughhefailedasamerchantandfailedasafarmer，andneverceased

toregrethisfather’smistakeinneglectingtoputhimintothesoftlap

ofalivingintheChurch，madeforhimself，bythesimpleprocessofobserving

andrecording，aEuropeanreputationasanexpertadviserintheartwhich

hehadpractisedwithsolittlesuccess。Ascarcelylessimportantauthority

wasWilliamMarshall(1745-1818)，whobeganbytradingintheWestIndies，

afterwardsfarmedinSurrey，andthenbecameagentinNorfolktoSirHarbord