Enclosure and improvement: an investigation into the motives for parliamentary enclosure
Average rating
Cast your vote
You can rate an item by clicking the amount of stars they wish to award to this item.
When enough users have cast their vote on this item, the average rating will also be shown.
Star rating
Your vote was cast
Thank you for your feedback
Thank you for your feedback
Authors
Brown, David GeorgeIssue Date
1992
Metadata
Show full item recordAbstract
This thesis establishes and examines the variety of motives for parliamentary enclosure. Its aim is not to determine their importance or frequency, except in general terms, because the detailed research of all the acts where suitable sources survive is beyond the scope of a single doctoral thesis. The, aim is rather to show the accepted view that the 'agricultural profit' motive alone (via the agency of higher prices, land values and rents) accounts for the parliamentary enclosure movement is unsatisfactory. It is argued that to understand the variety of motives for parliamentary enclosure, detailed research in estate papers, parish records and newspapers is required, rather than a statistical approach matching price rises or interest rates with the frequency of enclosure acts. The latter can establish coincidences but not definite correlations. The thesis draws together existing and often overlooked studies with extensive primary research to establish a variety of motives for enclosure apart from agricultural profit. After demonstrating the legal benefits to be derived from acts rather than agreements, other reasons for obtaining acts are examined. The most important of these motives were opening up mining areas, helping town development, funding local institutions, reducing the poor rate, allowing landscape enhancement around country seats, satisfying the desire for improvement among many landowners and increasing the supply of food at times of national crisis. It offers an alternative model to explain the phenomenon of the parliamentary enclosure movement - the notion of 'improvement' - which unites all the motives identified and was acknowledged by contemporaries as an important motivation for human enterprise.Publisher
University of WolverhamptonType
Thesis or dissertationLanguage
enDescription
A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements of the Council for National Academic Awards for the degree of Doctor of PhilosophyCollections
Except where otherwise noted, this item's license is described as https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/