Nature of Source
Records from enclosure awards which effectively broke up the smallholding system of farming the land and consolidated vast open shared tracts of land in the hands of wealthy landowners with many small farmers turned into landless labourers. The process began in the 12th century but became widespread from 1750. Open land was allotted to landowners by private Acts of Parliament and later by the Inclosure Acts between 1801 and 1845. Private Acts of Parliament were enacted after failure to settle land disputes amicably between the landowner and tenants. The earlier agreements can be found amongst the equity Court of Chancery records. The actual legal process was called Inclosure.
The Acts of Parliament listed the landowner who had brought the case to parliament as well as the name of the appointed enclosure commissioner. The enrolled award itself detailed how the land was to be divided up between the landowner and others, together with the amounts of land. The survey of the land conducted by the enclosure commissioner provides a written physical description of the land and its boundaries including the names of the pre-enclosure fields, footpaths, roads and other features. Following the survey, the award lists the wealthy landowners and then the farmers and cottagers allotted land in lieu of their former common rights.
The awards do not, however, list landless people, so many parishioners are not recorded. Even if a person was known to have held land, it is not certain that his property will appear on an enclosure map as much land was enclosed by private agreement with no record made of the event. Another disadvantage is that most enclosures dealt with waste and common land and very few residents had any legal claims to these areas. Helpfully, in some parts of the open-field districts of central England the accompanying award lists not only the owners but every property in the parish with the name of the tenant. From 1836 the General Inclosure Act simplified the process and largely removed the need for parliamentary approval with the proviso that two-thirds of the parties agreed. Enclosure awards were often registered in title deed registers.
In addition to the award, a map of the land under investigation as part of the enclosure process might survive with the names of the landowners written on them. Most awards from 1801 were accompanied by a detailed map. However, the accompanying maps just deal with the part of the parish affected by enclosure.
Where Found
The National Archives (Records of Equity courts and copies of enclosure awards)
County Record Offices (Deeds, copies of the awards, estate papers and maps. Find the details of a local UK archive from a searchable list of over 2,500 archives hosted by The National Archives)
The Parliamentary Archives (Enclosure awards by private acts of parliament which you can be searched for in the online catalogue)
LSE Library (The library of the London School of Economics and Political Science)
Bodleian Library (The Bodleian Library is the main research library of the University of Oxford. Their collections include estate records, deeds, rolls and maps)
Period Covered
1750 – 1860
Genealogical Value
- Names of farmers and landowners and the land allotted to them.
- Large scale maps of the consolidated land.
- Names of tenants might appear in the schedule.
- Useful for researching house histories.
Further References
- Bradley, Harriett. The Enclosures in England, An Economic Reconstruction: HardPress, 2013
- Chapman, John. A Guide to Parliamentary Enclosures in Wales: University of Wales, 1992
- Curtler, William Henry Ricketts. The Enclosure and Redistribution of Our Land: Clarendon, 1920
- Hollowell, Steven. Enclosure Records for Historians: Phillimore, 2000
- Kain, Roger & Chapman, John & Oliver, Richard. The Enclosure Maps of England and Wales 1595-1918: Cambridge University Press, 2004 (Preview available at Google Books)
- Mingay, G. E. Enclosure and the Small Farmer in the Age of the Industrial Revolution: Macmillan, 1968
- Mingay, G. E. Parliamentary Enclosure in England: An Introduction to its Causes, Incidence and Impact, 1750-1850: Longman, 1997
- Munby, Lionel M. & Thompson, Kathryn (eds) Short Guides to Records: First Series-Guides 1-24: The Historical Association, 1994
- Neeson, J.M. Commoners: Common Right, Enclosure and Social Change in England, 1700-1820: Cambridge University Press, 1993
- Slater, Gilbert. The English Peasantry, and the Enclosure of Common Fields: Archibald Constable, 1907
- Tate, William Edward. The English Village Community and the Enclosure Movements: Gollancz, 1967
- Tate, William Edward. A Domesday of English Enclosure Acts and Awards. University of Reading, 1978
- Turner, Michael. English Parliamentary Enclosure: Its Historical Geography and Economic History: Dawson Publishing, 1980
- Yelling, J.A. Common Field and Enclosure in England, 1450-1850: Archon Books, 1977
Websites
www.surreycc.gov.uk/culture-and-leisure/history-centre/researchers/guides (Surrey History Centre Research Guide: Enclosure maps and awards. The Centre holds parliamentary enclosure maps and awards for parishes in the old county of Surrey, including those parts which are now London boroughs)
www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/help-with-your-research/research-guides/enclosure-awards (The National Archives Research Guide: How to look for records of Enclosure awards and maps. This guide will help you to find enclosure awards, and other related records including enclosure maps, at The National Archives. Large numbers of enclosure awards and maps are also held by local county record offices and archives)
www.kypwest.org.uk (Know Your Place: West of England. Explore historic maps collections of Bristol and the six surrounding counties of Bath & North East Somerset, Gloucestershire, North Somerset, Somerset, South Gloucestershire and Wiltshire. Map collections include: Tithe maps c.1840s; Enclosure maps c.18th-19th century, excluding Wiltshire and Devon; OS maps 25” 1st, 2nd, 3rd / revised editions c.1880s-1930s; OS Town Plans 1:500, c.1890s; Goad Fire Insurance plans for Bristol, Bath & Gloucester, Exeter & Plymouth late 19th century; National Grid sheets c.postwar-1965)
www.historic-maps.norfolk.gov.uk/enclosure.aspx (Norfolk County Council: Guide to the Enclosure Maps of Norfolk)
www.berkshireenclosure.org.uk (Berkshire Record Office: Understanding and studying Enclosure)
www.parliament.uk/about/living-heritage/transformingsociety/towncountry/landscape/overview/enclosingland (Parliamentary Archives: Enclosing the Land)
https://assets.cambridge.org/97805218/27713/excerpt/9780521827713_excerpt.pdf (The enclosure movement in England and Wales, extract from Kain, Chapman & Richard. The Enclosure Maps of England and Wales 1595-1918)
www.cartography.org.uk/resources (British Cartographic Society: Directories and Resources include a Directory of UK Map Collections and The Map Curators’ Toolbox)
Online Databases
https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk (The National Archives Discovery Catalogue: Search for a partial catalogue of available awards and maps)
https://hds.essex.ac.uk/emapweb/index.html (The Enclosure Maps of England and Wales. A digital catalogue and description of enclosure maps held in public archives and libraries between 1993 and 1997)
www.bedfordshirehrs.org.uk/content/publication/four-pre-enclosure-village-maps (Bedfordshire Historical Record Society: Pre-enclosure village maps. Explore large scale reproduction map of the village’s pre-enclosure field system and a detailed analysis of the ownership and usage of the land, published separately between 1928 and 1934 The maps include Oakley Reynes 1795, Renhold 1781, Aspley Guise c.1745 and Eversholt, 1764)
https://gis.worcestershire.gov.uk/website/tithesmapping (Worcestershire Tithe Mapping. Explore 18th and 19th century Tithe, Inclosure and Estate Maps searchable by name with transcribed entries from the original documentation. Digitised by Worcestershire Historic Environment and Archaeology Service)
www.historic-maps.norfolk.gov.uk (The Norfolk Historical Map Explorer: Online access to Norfolk enclosure maps dating from the late-eighteenth century to the mid-nineteenth century)
www.berkshireenclosure.org.uk (Berkshire Record Office New Landscapes: Access to historic manuscript maps and documents online. The maps and land awards on this site show the process of enclosing the common fields of the county of Berkshire between 1738 and 1883)
www.mkheritage.org.uk/shhs/encmap.htm (Sherington Historical Society: 1796 Enclosure Map, showing land holdings. Sherington is a village and civil parish in the Borough of Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire)
CD Roms
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