The Social Consequences of the Changes in 18-century Rural England
During the 18th century, there was a drastic change within England;
this was all due to the introduction of Parliamentary Enclosure. The
act, although very controversial, was passed in 'national interest'.
The reason it was so controversial was that an act passed in the
'national interest' should have taken into consideration the people it
affected the most, but the majority (commoners) who it severely
affected were not consulted. The commoner's rights and land was taken
by enclosure, and the compensation they received was minimal. Thompson
recognised that 1" Enclosure (when all sophistication's are allowed
for) was a plain case of class robbery, played according to the fair
rules of property and law laid down by a parliament of property-owners
and lawyers." This was generally true as it seems the only people who
gained from enclosure were the rich landowners; Dr R. Price stated
that 2"….modern policy is, indeed, more favourable to the higher
classes of people…". The Hammonds exposed3" damaging social
consequences of enclosure, because it destroyed the social fabric of
village and eventually was fatal to three classes, the small farmer,
cottager and squatter".
During the 18-century, a labourer called John Clare wrote a poem about
how the majority felt, a poem that can not be ignored when taking
enclosure into account and the damage it caused the labourer. He
wrote-:
4"Now this sweet vision of my boyish hours
Free as spring clouds and wild as summer flowers
Is faded all-a hope that blossomed free
And hath been once more shall never be
Inc...
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... 9 MARX K, Capital 1, (London 1976 edn), chs. 26-30
10Letter to the Bishop of Lincoln,1796, Reflections on the cruelty of
enclosure, pp 6,7,(see J.M Neeson, Commoners: common right, enclosure
and social change in England, 1700-1820)
11CHAMBERS J.D., 1940, Economic History Review
12 DAUNTON M.J., 1995, Progress and Property, pp108-110
13 YOUNG A., 1771, The Farmers Tour through the east of England
14SINCLAIR Sir JOHN, 1803, President of the board of agriculture, (see
Turner M., 1984, Enclosures in Britain1750-1830)
Other reading
COURT W.H.B., 1958, The Concise Economic History of British from 1750
to Recent Times, Cambridge University press.
HUDSON P, 1993, The Industrial Revolution, New York: Routeledge
POPE R, 1989, Atlas of British Social and Economic History-since
c.1700, London: Routledge
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