Impact of Enclosure

• Enclosure of common fields had existed in the fifteenth century, but had relatively little impact
• Muddled legislation had been passed against enclosure in 1489 and 1515, but there was no real grasp of its extent or the scale of the problem
• Enclosure during this time was most commonly found in the east midland villages
• Further legislation in 1534 attempted to limit sheep ownership and engrossing had limited results