Note 80 — Chapter XIV · ENCLOSURE OF COMMON FIELDS WITHOUT PARLIAMENTARY SANCTION.

An older description of piecemeal enclosure is given by John Houghton: “Would they who plough in champain grounds but change their little parcels; would they who have 6 or 8 acres together make a ditch of 6 or 7 foot wide and deep, and fill it if they would with water, and carry away the bank that it might not be thrown in again, hedges might chance to thrive, and in 2 years (tho’ they to please the people might at certain times lay it open) they would raise more money than they use to do in six.” (Collections, September 16th, 1681, p. 16.) This gives me a pretty fair idea both of the profit and of the unpopularity of such enclosure at the time.