第14章

SeeforthissubjectCambridgeModernHistory，vol。viii，chap。

andP。Sagnac，LaLé；gislationCivilsdelaRé；volution

Franç；aise。

Jackson’sOxfordJournal，September11，1830，saidthatasingle

cottagersometimesclearedasmuchas£；20ayearbygeese。

OxfordUniversityandCityHerald，September25，1830。

HouseofCommonsJournal，February17，1815。

AlexanderCroke(1758-1842)，knightedin1816，wasfrom1801-1815

judgeintheVice-AdmiraltyCourt，NovaScotia。Asalawyer，hecoulddefend

hisowninterest。

Dunkin’sOxfordshire，vol。i，pp。122-3。

Jackson’sOxfordJournal，September18，1830。

Ibid。，32。Ibid。，September18。

SeeJackson’sOxfordJournal，andOxfordUniversityand

CityHerald，forSeptember11，1830，andalsoAnnualRegister，

1830，Chron。p。142，andHomeOfficePapers，forwhatfollows。

OxfordUniversityandCityHerald，September11，1830。

Jackson’sOxfordJournal，March5，1831。

ChapterFourTheVillageAfterEnclosureThegoverningclasscontinueditspolicyofextinguishingtheoldvillage

lifeandalltherelationshipsandinterestsattachedtoit，withunsparing

andunhesitatinghand；andasitspolicyprogressedthereweredisplayed

alltheconsequencespredictedbyitscritics。Agriculturewasrevolutionised：

rentsleaptup：Englandseemedtobetriumphingoverthedifficultiesof

awarwithhalftheworld。Butithadonegreatpermanentresultwhichthe

rulersofEnglandignored。Theanchorageofthepoorwasgone。

Forenclosurewasfataltothreeclasses：thesmallfarmer，thecottager，

andthesquatter。Toalloftheseclassestheircommonrightswereworth

morethananythingtheyreceivedinreturn。Theirpositionwasjusttheopposite

ofthatofthelordofthemanor。Thelordofthemanorwasgivenacertain

quantityofland(theconventionalproportionwasone-sixteenth(1*))inlieu

ofhissurfacerights，andthatcompactallotmentwasinfinitelymorevaluable

thantherightssocompensated。Similarlythetithe-ownerstoodtogainwith

theincreasedrent。Thelargefarmer’sinterestswerealsoinenclosure，

whichgavehimawiderfieldforhiscapitalandenterprise。Theotherclasses

stoodtolose。

Forevenifthesmallfarmerreceivedstrictjusticeinthedivisionof

thecommonfields，hisshareinthelegalcostsandtheadditionalexpense

offencinghisownallotmentsoftenoverwhelmedhim，andhewasobligedto

sellhisproperty。(2*)Theexpenseswerealwaysveryheavy，andinsomecases

amountedto£；5anacre。(3*)Thelordofthemanorandthetithe-owner

couldaffordtobeartheirshare，becausetheywereenrichedbyenclosure：

theclassesthatwereimpoverishedbyenclosurewereruinedwhentheyhad

topayfortheveryproceedingthathadmadethemthepoorer。Thepromoter

oftheGeneralEnclosureBillof1796，itwillberemembered，hadproposed

toexemptthepoorfromtheexpenseoffencing，buttheSelectCommittee

disapproved，andtheonlypersonsexemptedintheeaseswehaveexamined

werethelordsofthemanorortithe-owners。

Iftheseexpensesstillleftthesmallfarmeronhisfeet，hefoundhimself

deprivedoftheuseofthefallowandstubblepasture，whichhadbeenalmost

asindispensabletohimasthelandhecultivated。’Stripthesmallfarms

ofthebenefitofthecommons，’saidoneobserver，’andtheyareallatone

strokelevelledtotheground。’(4*)ItwasacommonclauseinEnclosureActs

thatnosheepweretobedepasturedonallotmentsforsevenyears。(5*)The

smallfarmereitheremigratedtoAmericaortoanindustrialtown，orbecame

adaylabourer。Hisfateinthelastresortmayperhapsbefrustratedby

theaccountgivenbythehistorianofOxfordshireoftheenclosureofMerton。

’Aboutthemiddleoflastcenturyaveryconsiderablealterationwasproduced

intherelativesituationofdifferentclassesinthevillage。TheActof

Parliamentfortheinclosureofthefieldshavingannulledallleases，and

theinclosureitselffacilitatedtheplanofthrowingseveralsmallfarms

intoafewlargebargains，(6*)theholdersofthefarmswhohadheretofore

livedincomparativeplenty，becamesuddenlyreducedtothesituationof

labourers，andinafewyearswerenecessitatedtothrowthemselvesandtheir

familiesupontheparish。Theovergrownfarmerswhohadfatteneduponthis

alteration，feelingthepressureofthenewburden，determinedifpossible

tofreethemselves：theyaccordinglydecideduponreducingtheallowance

ofthesepoortothelowestratio，(7*)andresolvedtohavenomoreservants

sothattheirparishionersmightexperiencenofurtherincreasefromthat

source。Inafewyearsthenumbersofthepoorrapidlydeclined：themore

agedsankintotheirgraves，andtheyouth，warnedbytheirparents’sufferings，

soughtasettlementelsewhere。Thefarmers，rejoicinginthesuccessoftheir

scheme，procuredthedemolitionofthecottages，andthusendeavouredto

securethemselvesandtheirsuccessorsfromthefutureexpensesofsupporting

anincreasedpopulation，sothatin1821theparishnumberedonlythirty

housesinhabitedbythirty-fourfamilies。’(8*)Anotherwritergaveanaccount

oftheresultsofaNorfolkenclosure。’Inpassingthroughavillagenear

Swaffham，intheCountyofNorfolkafewyearsago，tomygreatmortification

Ibeheldthehousestumblingintoruins，andthecommonfieldsallenclosed；

uponenquiringintothecauseofthismelancholyalteration，Iwasinformed

thatagentlemanofLynnhadboughtthattownshipandthenextadjoining

toit：thathehadthrowntheoneintothree，andtheotherintofourfarms；

whichbeforetheenclosurewereinabouttwentyfarms：anduponmyfurther

enquiringwhatwasbecomingofthefarmerswhowereturnedout，theanswer

wasthatsomeofthemweredeadandtherestwerebecomelabourers。’(9*)

Theeffectonthecottagercanbestbedescribedbysayingthatbefore

enclosurethecottagerwasalabourerwithland，afterenclosurehewasa

labourerwithoutland。Theeconomicbasisofhisindependencewasdestroyed。

inthefirstplace，helostagreatmanyrightsforwhichhereceivedno

compensation。Therewere，forinstance，thecasesmentionedbyMr。Henry

Homer(1719-1791)，RectorofBirdingburyandChaplaintoLordLeigh，inthe

pamphlethepublishedin1769，(10*)wherethecottagerslosttheprivileges

ofcuttingfurzeandturfonthecommonland，theproprietorcontendingthat

theyhadnorighttotheseprivileges，butonlyenjoyedthembyhisindulgence。

Ineveryothercase，Mr。Homerurged，uninterrupted，immemorialusagegives

alegalsanctioneventoencroachments。’Whyshouldthepoor，aspoor，be

excludedfromthebenefitofthisgeneralindulgence；orwhyshouldanyset

ofproprietorsavailthemselvesoftheinabilityofthepoortocontendwith

them，togetpossessionofmorethantheyenjoyed？’(11*)

Anotherrightthatwasoftenlostwastheprescriptiverightofkeeping

acow。TheGeneralReportonEnclosures(p。12)recordstheresults

ofacarefulinquirymadeinajourneyof1600miles，whichshowedthatbefore

enclosurecottagersoftenkeptcowswithoutalegalright，andthatnothing

wasgiventhemforthepractice。Othercottagerskeptcowsbyrightofhiring

theircottagesandcommonrights，andonenclosurethelandwasthrowninto

afarm，andthecottagerhadtosellhiscow。TwoexamplestakenfromtheBedfordshireReportillustratetheconsequencesofenclosuretothe

smallman。OneisfromMaulden：(12*)’Thecommonwasveryextensive。Iconversed

withafarmer，andseveralcottagers。Oneofthemsaid，enclosingwouldruin

England；itwasworsethantenwars。Why，myfriend，whathaveyoulostby

it？Ikeptfourcowsbeforetheparishwasenclosed，andnowIdon’tkeep

somuchasagoose；andyouaskmewhatIlosebyit！’(13*)Theotheris

fromSandy；(14*)’Thisparishwasverypeculiarlycircumstanced；itabounds

withgardeners，manycultivatingtheirlittlefreeholds，sothatontheenclosure，

therewerefoundtobesixty-threeproprietors，thoughnine-tenths，perhaps，

ofthewholebelongedtoSirP。MonouxandMr。Pym。Thesemenkeptcowson

theboggycommon，andcutfernforlitteronthewarren，bywhichmeansthey

wereenabledtoraisemanurefortheirgardens，besidesfuelinplenty；the

smallallotmentofanacreandahalf，howevergoodtheland，hasbeenno

compensationforwhattheyweredeprivedof。Theycomplainheavily，andknow

nothowtheywillnowmanagetoraisemanure。Thiswasnoreasontopreserve

thedesertsintheiroldstate，butanampleoneforgivingafullcompensation。’

LordWinchilseastatedinhislettertotheBoardofAgriculturein1796：

’WhoevertravelsthroughtheMidlandCountiesandwilltakethetroubleof

inquiring，willgenerallyreceiveforanswerthatformerlytherewereagreat

manycottagerswhokeptcows，butthatthelandisnowthrowntothefarmers，

andifheinquiresstillfurther，hewillfindthatinthoseparishesthe

PoorRateshaveincreasedinanamazingdegreemorethanaccordingtothe

averagerisethroughoutEngland。’

Thesecottagersoftenreceivednothingatallfortherighttheyhadlost，

thecompensationgoingtotheownerofthecottageonly。Buteventhosecottagers

whoownedtheircottagereceivedinreturn。fortheircommonrightsomething

infinitelylessvaluable。Foratinyallotmentwasworthmuchlessthana

commonright，especiallyiftheallotmentwasatadistancefromtheircottage，

andthoughtheHauteHuntreActbindsthecommissionerstogiveLordFitzWilliam

anallotmentnearhisgardens，therewasnothinginanyActthatwehave

seentoobligethecommissionerstogivethecottageranallotmentathis

door。Andthecottagershadtofencetheirallotmentsorforfeitthem。Anybody

whoglancesatanawardwillunderstandwhatthismeant。itiseasy，for

example，toimaginewhathappenedunderthisprovisiontothefollowingcottagers

atStanwell：EdmundJordan(11/2acres)J。andF。Ride(each11/4acres)

T。L。Rogers(11/4acres)BrookerDerby(11/4)MaryGulliver(11/4acres)

AnneHiggs(11/4)H。Isherwood(11/4)WilliamKent(11/4)ElizabethCarr

(1acre)ThomasNash(1acre)R。Ride(justunder1acre)WilliamRobinson

(justunder1acre)WilliamCox(3/4acre)JohnCarter(3/4acre)William

Porter(3/4acre)ThomasKing(1/2acre)JohnHetherington(under1/2an

acre)J。Trout(1/4acreand4perches)andCharlesBurkhead(12perches)。

Itwouldbeinterestingtoknowhowmanyofthesesmallparcelsoflandfound

theirwayintothehandsofSirwilliamGibbonsandMr。EdmundHill。

TheLouthawardisstillmoreinterestingfromthispointofview。J。

TroutandCharlesBurkheadpassingrich，theoneon1/4acreand4perches，

theotheron12perches，hadonlytopaytheirshareoftheexpensesofthe

enclosure，andfortheirownfencing。SirWilliamGibbonswastoomagnanimous

amantoaskthemtofencehis500acresaswell。ButatLouththetithe-owners，

whotookmorethanathirdofthewhole，wereexcusedtheirshareofthe

costs，andalsohadtheirfencingdoneforthembytheotherproprietors。

Theprebendaryandthevicarchargedtheexpensesoffencingtheir600acres

onpersonslikeElizabethBryanwhowentoffwith39perches，Anndunn(35

perches)，NaomiHodgson，widow(35perches)，JohnBetts(34perches)，Elizabeth

Atkins(32perches)，WillBoswell(31perches)，ElizabethEycon(28perches)，

AnnHubbard，widow(15perches)，andAnnMetcalf，whoseshareofthespoil

was14perches。Theawardshowsthattherewere67personswhoreceivedan

acreorless。Cottagerswhoreceivedsuchallotmentsandhadtofencethem

hadnoalternativebuttosell，andlittletodowiththemoneybuttodrink

it。ThisisthetestimonyoftheGeneralReportonEnclosures。(15*)

Thesquatters，thoughtheyareoftenspokenofascottagers，mustbedistinguished

fromthecottagerinregardtotheirlegalandhistoricalposition。They

wereinasenseoutsidetheoriginalvillageeconomy。Thecottagerwas，so

tospeak，anaboriginalpoorman：thesquatterapooralien。Hesettledon

awaste，builtacottage，andgottogetherafewgeeseorsheep，perhaps

evenahorseoracow，andproceededtocultivatetheground。

Thetreatmentofencroachmentsseemstohavevariedverygreatly，asthe

casesanalysedintheAppendixshow，andtherewasnosettledrule。Squatters

oflessthantwentyyears’standingseldomreceivedanyconsiderationbeyond

theprivilegeofbuyingtheirencroachment。Squattersofmorethantwenty

orfortyyears’standing，asthecasemightbe，wereoftenallowedtokeep

theirencroachments，andinsomecasesweretreatedlikecottagers，with

aclaimtoanallotment。But，ofcourse，likethecottagers，theylosttheir

commonrights。

Lastly，enclosuresweptawaythebureaucracyoftheoldvillage：theviewers

offieldsandlettersofthecattle，whohadgeneralsupervisionofthearrangements

forpasturingsheeporcowsinthecommonmeadow，thecommonshepherd，the

chimneypeeperswhosawthatthechimneyswerekeptproperly，thehayward，

orpinder，wholookedafterthepound。Mostoftheselittleofficialsof

thevillagecourthadbeenpaideitherinlandorbyfees。Whenitwasproposed

toabolishParliamentaryEnclosure，andtosubstituteaGeneralEnclosure

Bill，theParliamentaryofficials，whomadelargesumsoutoffeesfromEnclosure