After William I invaded and conquered England in 1066, he distributed its land amongst 180 barons, who held it as his tenants in chief, establishing a feudal system. … See more

Enclosure
• Was the removal of common rights that people held over farm lands and parish commons.
• It was the re-allocation of scattered strips of land into large new fields that were enclosed either by … See more

Historically, the initiative to enclose land came either from a landowner hoping to maximise rental from their estate, or a tenant farmer wanting to improve their farm. Before the 17th … See more

Enclosure riots
After the Black Death, during the 14th to 17th centuries, landowners started to convert arable land over to sheep, with legal support from the See more

There were essentially two broad categories of enclosure, these were 'formal' or 'informal' agreements. Formal enclosure was achieved either through act of Parliament, or, from 1836 onwards, by a written agreement signed by all parties involved. The … See more

The social and economic consequences of enclosure has been much discussed by historians. In the Tudor period Sir Thomas More in … See more

• British Agricultural Revolution – Mid-17th to 19th century revolution centred around agriculture
• the Diggers – Group of Protestant agrarian socialists in 17th-century England
• Gerrard Winstanley – English religious reformer, philosopher … See more