56 FARMING FOR PROFIT 



the reign of George III. That movement is described as enclosure, 

 and it is generally treated as necessarily destructive to the old 

 village farms. But the word includes various processes, some of 

 which rather strengthened than weakened the open-field system. 

 Some enclosures, such as closes for stock-feeding, intakes from the 

 common for arable purposes, even the not uncommon practice of 

 fencing portions of the open-fields for several occupation, whether 

 temporarily or permanently, were really efforts to adapt village 

 farms to changing needs. Another form of enclosure was the culti- 

 vation of new land obtained by clearing forests, approving portions 

 of wastes, or draining fens. Here also village farms were not 

 directly affected. Indirectly, indeed, these new enclosures pro- 

 duced a considerable effect. Much of the reclaimed land was tilled 

 for corn ; thus the ancient arable soil was relieved from the former 

 necessity of bearing grain crops, and might not improbably be put 

 to the use for which it was best adapted. A third process was the 

 direct enclosure of open-fields and pasture commons. This form 

 generally appeared in the neighbourhood of towns, where the 

 demand for animal food and dairy produce was greatest and labour 

 found a ready market, or in counties where some manufacturing 

 industry prevailed and small grass holdings made a less exacting 

 claim on the time of the handicraftsmen than tillage. But what- 

 ever form the enclosure took, the general drift of the movement 

 was towards individual occupation of land. It was therefore 

 always, and particularly in the sixteenth and eighteenth centuries, 

 directly opposed to the open-field system of farming in common. 

 At both periods that special form of enclosure was prominent 

 which meant the break-up of the mediaeval agrarian partnerships 

 and the substitution of private enterprise for the collective efforts 

 of village associations. But in details the earlier and the later 

 movements were strongly contrasted. In the sixteenth century, 

 the change was opposed and partially arrested by legislation ; in 

 the eighteenth century, it received from Parliament encouragement 

 and support. Under Henry VIII., it was mainly inspired by com- 

 mercial advantage ; under George III., it was alleged to be enforced 

 by necessity. In the sixteenth century some of the grass-land was 

 undoubtedly used for grazing beasts. But it was mainly to supply 

 the growing wool trade that Tudor husbandmen substituted pasture 

 for tillage, sheep for corn. They took their seats on the wool- 

 sack, and maidens of all degrees were spinsters. Hanoverian 



