第13章

foralltithes。ThusLordAbingdonreceived，tostartwith，about750acres。

Theresiduewastobeallottedamongthevariousparishes，townshipsand

hamlets，eachallotmenttobeheldasacommonpastureforthetownship。

Sofar，beyondthefactthatLordAbingdonhadtakenoffmorethanasixth

partoftheircommonpasture，andthatthepasturewasnowdividedupinto

differentparts，itdidnotseemthattheordinaryinhabitantsweremuch

affected。Thestinglayinthearrangementsforthefutureofthesedivided

commonpastures。’Andifatanyfuturetimethemajorpartinvalueofthe

severalpersonsinterestedinsuchplotorparcelsofland，shouldrequire

aseparatedivisionofthesaidland，he(thecommissioner)isdirectedto

divideandallotthesameamongtheseveralproprietors，inproportionto

theirindividualrightsandintereststherein。’(27*)

Wehave，fortunately，averyclearstatementofthewayinwhichthe’rights

andinterests’ofthepoorerinhabitantsoftheOtmoortownswereregarded

intheenclosure。Theseinhabitants，itmustberemembered，hadenjoyedrights

ofcommonwithoutanystintfromtimeimmemorial，simplybyvirtueofliving

inthedistrict。Inaletterfrom’AnOtmoorProprietor’totheOxfordpapers

in1830，thewriter(SirAlexanderCrokehimself？)，whowasevidentlyaman

ofsomelocalimportance，explainsthatbythegeneralruleoflawacommoner

isnotentitledtoturnontothecommonmorecattlethanaresufficient

tomanureandstockthelandtowhichtherightofcommonisannexed。Accordingly，

houseswithoutlandattachedtothemcannot，strictlyspeaking，claimaright

ofcommon。HowthenexplainthestateofaffairsatOtmoor，whereallthe

inhabitants，landedorlandless，enjoyedthesamerights？Byprescription，

heanswers，merehousesdoinpointoffactsometimesacquirearightof

common，butthisright，thoughitmaybesaidtobewithoutstint，isin

realityalwaysliabletobestintedbylaw。Hence，whenacommonlikeOtmoor

isenclosed，theallotmentsaremadeaselsewhereinproportiontotheamount

oflandpossessedbyeachcommoner，whista’proportionableshare’isthrown

intothosewhoownmerehouses。Buteventhisshare，hepointsout，does

notnecessarilybelongtothepersonwhohasbeenexercisingtherightof

common，unlesshehappenstoownhisownhouse。Itbelongstohislandlord，

whoaloneisentitledtocompensation。Asuperficialobservermightperhaps

thinkthisahardship，butinpointoffactitisquitejust。Thetenants，

occupyingthehouses，musthavebeenpayingahigherrentinconsideration

oftherightattachedtothehouses，andtheyhavealwaysbeenliableto

beturnedoutbythelandlordatwill。’Theyhadnopermanentinterest，and

ithasbeendecidedbythelawthatnomancanhaveanyrightinanycommon，

asbelongingtoahouse，whereinhehasnointerestbutonlyhabitation：

sothatthepoor，assuch，hadnorighttothecommonwhatever。’(28*)

TheresultsoftheAct，framedandadministeredontheselines，weredescribed

byDunkin，(29*)writingin1823，asfollows：’Itnowonlyremainstonotice

theeffectoftheoperationofthisact。Onthedivisionofthelandallotted

totherespectivetownships，acertainportionwasassignedtoeachcottager

inlieuofhisaccustomedcommonage，butthedeliveryoftheallotmentdid

nottakeplace，unlessthepartytowhomitwasassignedpaidhisshareof

theexpensesincurredindraininganddividingthewaste：andhewasalso

furtherdirectedtoenclosethesamewithafence。Thepovertyofthecottager

ingeneralpreventedhiscompliancewiththeseconditions，andhewasnecessitated

tosellhisshareforanypaltrysumthatwasoffered。Inthespringof1819，

severalpersonsatCharltonandelsewheremadeprofitablespeculationsby

purchasingthesecommonsfor£；5each，andafterwardsprevailingonthe

commissionerstothrowthemintoonelot；thusformingavaluableestate。

InthiswaywasOtmoorlosttothepoorman，andawardedtotherich，under

thespeciousideaofbenefittingthepublic。’TheexpensesoftheAct，it

maybementioned，cametosomethingbetween£；20，000and£；30，000，

ormorethanthefee-simpleofthesoil。(30*)

’EnclosedOtmoordidnotfulfilArthurYoung’shopes：……insteadofthe

expectedimprovementinthequalityofthesoil，ithasbeenrenderedalmost

totallyworthless；agreatproportionbeingatthismomentover-ratedat

5s。anacreyearlyrent，fewcropsyieldinganymorethanbarelysufficient

topayforlabourandseed。’(31*)Thisexcessofexpensesoverprofitswas

adducedbythe’Otmoorproprietor，’towhomwehavealreadyreferred，as

anfrustrationofthepublic-spiritedself-sacrificeoftheenclosers，who

werepayingoutoftheirownpocketsforanationalbenefit，andbymaking

some，atanyrate，ofthelandcapableofcultivation，wereenablingthe

poortohave’anhonestemployment，insteadoflosingtheirtimeinidleness

andwaste。’(32*)Butfifteenyearsofthis’honestemployment’failedto

reconcilethepoortotheirnewposition，andin1830theywereabletoexpress

theirfeelingsinastrikingmanner。(33*)

Inthecourseofhisdrainageoperations，thecommissionerhadmadea

newchannelfortheriverRay，atahigherlevel，withthedisastrousresult

thattheRayoverflowedintoavaluabletractoflowlandaboveOtmoor。For

twoyearsthefarmersofthistractsufferedseverelosses(onefarmerwas

saidtohavelost£；400inthattime)，thentheytookthelawintotheir

ownhands，andinJune1829cuttheembankments，sothatthewatersofthe

RayagainflowedoverOtmoorandlefttheirvaluablelandunharmed。Twenty-two

farmerswereindictedforfelonyforthisact，buttheywereacquittedat

theAssizes，underthedirectionofMr。JusticeParke，onthegroundsthat

thefarmershadarighttoabatethenuisance，andthatthecommissioner

hadexceededhispowersinmakingthisnewchannelandembankment。

ThisjudgmentproducedaprofoundimpressionontheOtmoorfarmersand

cottagers。TheymisreadittomeanthatallproceedingsundertheEnclosure

Actwereillegalandthereforenullandvoid，andtheydeterminedtoregain

theirlostprivileges。DisturbancesbeganattheendofAugust(28thAugust)。

Foraboutaweek，stragglingpartiesofenthusiastsparadedthemoor，cutting

downfenceshereandthere。AsonofSirAlexanderCrokecameouttoone

ofthesepartiesandorderedthemtodesist。Hehadaloadedpistolwith

him，andthemoor-men，thinking，rightlyorwrongly，thathewasgoingto

fire，wresteditfromhimandgavehimaseverethrashing。Mattersbegan

tolookserious：localsympathywiththerioterswassostrongthatspecial

constablesrefusedtobeswornin；theHighSheriffaccordinglysummoned

theOxfordshireMilitia，andLordChurchill’stroopofYeomanryCavalrywas

senttoIslip。Buttheinhabitantswerenotoverawed。Theydeterminedto

perambulatetheboundsofOtmoorinfullforce，inaccordancewiththeold

custom。OnMonday，6thSeptember，fivehundredmen，womenandchildrenassembled

fromtheOtmoortowns，andtheywerejoinedbyfivehundredmorefromelsewhere。

Armedwithreap-hook，hatchets，bill-hooksandduckets，theymarchedinorder

roundtheseven-mile-longboundaryofOtmoor，destroyingallthefenceson

theirway。Bynoontheirworkofdestructionwasfinished。’Afarmerinthe

neighbourhoodwhowitnessedthescenegivesaludicrousdescriptionofthe

zealandperseveranceofthewomenandchildrenaswellasthemen，andthe

easeandcomposurewithwhichtheywadedthroughdepthsofmudandwater

andovercameeveryobstacleintheirmarch。Headdsthathedidnothear

anythreateningexpressionsagainstanypersonorhisproperty，andhedoes

notbelieveanyindividualspresententertainedanyfeelingorwishbeyond

theassertionofwhattheyconceived(whethercorrectlyorerroneously)to

betheirprescriptiveandinalienableright，andofwhichtheyspeakprecisely

asthefreemenofOxfordwoulddescribetheirrighttoPortMeadow。’(34*)

Bythetimethedestructionoffenceswascomplete，LordChurchill’stroop

ofyeomanrycameuptothedestroyingband：theRiotActwasread，butthe

moormenrefusedtodisperse。Sixtyorseventyofthemwerethereuponseized

andexamined，withtheresultthatforty-fourweresentofftoOxfordGaol

inwagons，underanescortofyeomanry。Nowithappenedtobethedayof

St。Giles’Fair，andthestreetofSt。Giles，alongwhichtheyeomanrybrought

theirprisoners，wascrowdedwithcountryfolkandtownsfolk，mostofwhom

heldstrongviewsontheOtmoorquestion。Themeninthewagonsraisedthe

cry’Otmoorforever，’thecrowdtookitup，andattackedtheyeomenwith

greatviolence，hurlingbrickbats，stonesandstickatthemfromeveryside。

TheyeomenmanagedtogettheirprisonersasfarastheturningdownBeaumont

Street，buttheretheywereoverpowered，andallforty-fourprisonersescaped。

AtOtmooritselfpeacenowreigned。Throughthebrokenfencescattlewere

turnedintograzeonalltheenclosures，andthevillagersevenappointed

aherdsmantolookafterthem。TheinhabitantsofthesevenOtmoortowns

formedanassociationcalled’theOtmoorAssociation，’whichboldlydeclared

that’theRightofCommononOtmoorwasalwaysintheinhabitants，andthat

anon-residentproprietorhadnoRightofCommonthereon，’anddetermined

toraisesubscriptionsforlegalexpensesindefenceoftheirright，calling

upon’thepecuniaryaidofaliberalandbenevolentpublic……toassistthem

inattemptingtorestoreOtmooroncemoretoitsoriginalstate。’(35*)

Meanwhiletheauthoritieswhohadlosttheirprisonersonce，sentdown

astrongerforcetotakethemnexttime，andalthoughattheOxfordCity

SessionsabillofindictmentagainstWilliamPriceandothersforriotin

St。Gilesandrescueoftheprisonerswasthrownout，attheCountySessions

theGrandJuryfoundatrueBillagainstthesameWilliamPriceandothers

forthesameoffence，andalsoagainstCooperandothersforriotatOtmoor。

TheprisonersweretriedattheOxfordAssizesnextmonth，beforeMr。Justice

BosanquetandSirJohnPatteson。Thejuryreturnedaverdictwhichshows

thestrengthofpublicopinion。’Wefindthedefendantsguiltyofhaving

beenpresentatanunlawfulassemblyonthe6thSeptemberatOtmoor，but

itistheunanimouswishoftheJurytorecommendallthepartiestothe

mercifulconsiderationoftheCourt。’Thejudgesrespondedtothisappeal

andthelongestsentenceinflictedwasformonths’imprisonment。(36*)

Theoriginalenclosurewasnowfifteenyearsold，butOtmoorwasstill

inrebellion，andtheHomeOfficePapersofthenexttwoyearscontainfrequent

applicationsfortroopsfromLordMacclesfield，Lord-Lieutenant，SirAlexander

Crokeandothermagistrates。Whenevertherewasafullmoon，thepatriots

ofthemoorturnedoutandpulleddownthefences。Howstrongwasthelocal

resentmentoftheoverridingofalltherightsandtraditionsofthecommoners

maybeseennotonlyfromthelanguageofonemagistratewritingtoLord

MelbourneinJanuary1832：’allthetownsintheneighborhoodofOtmoorare

moreorlessinfectedwiththefeelingsofthemostviolent，andcannotat

allbedependedon：’butalsofromaresolutionpassedbythemagistrates

atOxfordinFebruaryofthatyear，declaringthatnoconstabularyforce

thatthemagistratescouldraisewouldbeequaltosuppressingtheOtmoor

outrages，andaskingforsoldiers。Theappealendedwiththissignificant

warning：’AnyforcewhichGovernmentmaysenddownshouldnotremainfor

alengthoftimetogether，butthattoavoidthepossibilityofanundue

connexionbetweenthepeopleandtheMilitary，asuccessionoftroopsshould

beobserved。’Solongandsobitterwasthecivilwarrousedbyanenclosure

whichParliamenthadsanctionedinabsolutedisregardoftheopinionsor

thetraditionsorthecircumstancesofthemassofthepeopleitaffected。

MostprivateEnclosureActsprovidedthatifacommissionerdiedhis

successorwastobesomebodynotinterestedintheproperty。

SirJohnSinclaircomplainedin1796，thattheBoardhadnoteventhe

privilegeoffrankingitsletters——AnnalsofAgriculture，vol。

FromtheSelectCommitteeontheMeansofFacilitatingEnclosuresin

1800，reprintedinAnnualRegister，1800，AppendixtoChronicle，p。

85ff。，welearnthatthefeesreceivedaloneintheHouseofCommons(Bill

fees，smallfees，committeefees，housekeepers’andmessengers’fees，and

engrossingfees)for707Billsduringthefourteenyearsfrom1786to1799

inclusiveamountedtonolessthat£；59，867，6s。4d。Asthescaleof

feesintheHouseofLordswasaboutthesame(Billfees，yeoman，usher，

door-keepers’fees，orderofcommittee，andcommitteefees)duringthese

yearsabout£；120，000musthavegoneintothepocketsofParliamentary

officials。

BedfordReport，p。249。Cf。writerinAppendixofReport

onMiddlesex，pp。507-15，’agentlemanoftheleastsensibilitywould

rathersufferhisresidencetocontinuesurroundedbymarshesandbogs，than

taketheleadinwhatmaybedeemedanobnoxiousmeasure。’Thissamewriter

urges，thattheunpopularityofenclosureswouldbeovercomewerecaretaken

’toplacetheinferiorordersofmankind——thecottagerandindustrious

poor——insuchasituation，withregardtoinclosures，thattheyshould

certainlyhavesomesharesecuredtothem，andhetreatedwithagentlehand。

Keepallintemper——letnorightsbenowdisputed……Itisfarmoreeasy

topreventaclamourthantostopitwhenonceitisraised。Thosewhoare

acquaintedwiththebusinessofinclosuremustknowthattherearemorethan

four-fifthsoftheinhabitantsinmostneighbourhoodswhoaregenerallyleft

outofthebillforwantforproperty，andthereforecannotpossiblyclaim

anypartthereof。’

’Allowtothecottageralittlelandabouthisdwellingforkeeping

acow，forplantingpotatoes，forraisingflaxorhemp。2ndly。Convertthe

wastelandsofthekingdomintosmallarablefarms，acertainquantityevery

year，tobeletonfavourbletermstoindustriousfamilies。3rdly，Restrain

theengrossmentandover-enlargementoffarms。Theproprietyofthosemeasures

cannot，Ithink，hequestioned。’——TheCaseofLabourersinHusbandry，

p。103。

AnnalsofAgriculture，vol。i，p。52。

ThisschememarksagreatadvanceonanearlierschemewhichYoung

publishedinthefirstvolumeoftheAnnalsofAgriculture。Hethen

proposedthatpublicmoneyshouldbespentinsettlingcottagersorsoldiers

onthewaste，givingthemtheirholdingfreeofrentandtithesforthree

lives，attheendofwhichtimethelandtheyhadredeemedwastorevert

toitsoriginalowners。

ThePoorMan’sBestFriend，orLandtocultivateforhisownBenefit。

LettertotheMarquisofSalisbury，bytheRev。S。Demainbary，B。D。，1831。