S2Q = 60 
British Agriculture. 
Enfranchise- 
ment of copy- 
hold lands or 
buildings. 
Number com- 
pleted. 
of small landed properties have been created, and labourers' 
field-gardens in the rural districts have been afforded in larger 
proportion to the extent of the land than appears by the Agri- 
cultural Returns to exist elsewhere in England. 
Though the best of the land was probably first dealt with, 
there can be little doubt that much of that which still remains 
uninclosed may be advantageously brought under the operation 
of the new law, which, in the altered state of the circumstances 
since 1845, provides more fully for the public interests of the 
neighbourhood, and especially of large populations ; and at the 
same time may yet be found, in less populous quarters, the 
useful instrument of adding some considerable extent of avail- 
able land to the solid resources of the country. 
Lands or houses held by copyhold tenure may be enfranchised 
through the Copyhold department of this Commission. These 
are held by record in the book of the lord of a manor, anciently 
on certain terms of service, now commuted into a money pay- 
ment. The tenants of a manor, which was held by the lord 
from the Crown under ancient grant, gradually acquired the 
right to be placed on the court roll of the lord on the same con- 
ditions as their predecessors, and became entitled to demand 
copies of these conditions, which, so long as they were fulfilled, 
gave them a title to their estates. The conditions of the tenure 
are governed by the customs of the manor as shown in the rolls 
of the Manor Courts, and by constant and immemorial usage : 
and the title is simply a copy of the court roll, authenticated h) 
the steward of the manor. Two conditions are essential : first 
that the lands are parcel of, and situated within, the manor ; an( 
secondly, that they have been demised, or are demisable by cop 
of court roll immemorially. 
The ease with which a title can be given is the only ad 
vantage which this kind of tenure possesses, the uncertai 
nature of its services, reliefs, escheats, fines and heriots, an 
rights to timber, being a great obstacle to any kind of improvi 
ment. In 1841, the Legislature, with a view of removing the ij 
disadvantages, passed an Act for commuting manorial righl 
and facilitating the enfranchisement of copyhold propert 
This was amended and extended by subsequent Acts of t' 
Legislature. Since 1841 upwards of twelve thousand enfra 
chisements have been completed under the Copyhold Acts, a: 
they are now proceeding, through the instrumentality of t 
Copyhold Commission, at an average rate of 600 a ye 
Resides these, a very large number have been effected throuf 
out the different parts of the country, without the intervention, 
the office, owing to the stimulus to voluntary enfranchiseni) 
k 
III 
Ml 
jail 
iSU 
m 
sot 
