Chapter XXIII: Appendix: A

STATISTICAL SUMMARY OF ACTS OF ENCLOSURE ENCLOSING COMMON PASTURE AND WASTE ONLY.

┌─────────┬─────────────────╥──────────────╥─────────────────╥────────┐ │ │ ║ Acts not ║ ║ │ │ │Acts specifying ║ specifying ║ ║ │ │ │ Acreage ║ Acreage ║ Total. ║ │ │ │ Enclosed. ║ Enclosed. ║ ║ Acres │ │ ├──────┬──────────╫─────┬────────╫──────┬──────────╢Enclosed│ │ │Acts. │ Acreage ║Acts.│Acreage ║ Acts.│ Acres. ║ per │ │ │ │ as ║ estimated. │ ║ annum. │ │ │ │ stated. ║ │ ║ │ ║ │ ├─────────┼──────┼──────────╫─────┼────────╫──────┼──────────╫────────┤ │1727–1760│ 49 │ 65,203 ║ 7 │ 9,315 ║ 56 │ 74,518 ║ 2,192 │ │1761–1792│ 292 │ 411,952 ║ 47 │ 66,307 ║ 339 │ 478,259 ║ 14,946 │ │1793–1801│ 153 │ 230,249 ║ 29 │ 43,642 ║ 182 │ 273,891 ║ 30,432 │ │1802–1815│ 469 │ 615,970 ║ 95 │123,773 ║ 564 │ 739,743 ║ 52,839 │ │1816–1845│ 202 │ 164,994 ║ 42 │ 34,306 ║ 244 │ 199,300 ║ 6,643 │ ├─────────┼──────┼──────────╫─────┼────────╫──────┼──────────╫────────┤ │Totals. │1,165 │1,488,368 ║ 220 │277,343 ║1,385 │1,765,711 ║ │ └─────────┴──────┴──────────╨─────┴────────╨──────┴──────────╨────────┘

From 1727 to 1760 the number of Acts of this class passed per annum was steadily increasing, the Seven Years’ War (1756–1763) apparently acting as a stimulus. During this period the average acreage enclosed per Act was 1330·7 acres. The increase in the number of Acts continued up till 1792, and again at a greatly enhanced rate after the beginning of the great French war. From 1761–1792 the average acreage enclosed per Act was 1410·8 acres; from 1792–1801, 1504·9 acres. In 1801 a Clauses Act, termed “A General Enclosure Act” was passed to facilitate Parliamentary proceedings. This had the double effect of increasing the average number of Acts passed per annum from 20 to 43, but of reducing the average acreage per Act to 1313·4 acres. From 1816–1845 the average acreage per Act was 816·8 acres.