Solomon's Column

Woolen manufacture was England's most prominent industry in 1750,while crude oil has been Nigeria's major income earner for several years.  Stakeholders in the wool industry were based in the West Riding of Yorkshire,here cloths of medium quality were made, In East Anglia, here coarser fustian were produced and in South west of England,where fine and good quality cloth was made. Woolen cloth was a major export product and as a result the industry was closely regulated. Production was still in the hands of small masters in the West Riding and East Anglia. The export price of cloth was fixed as far back as the 10th century,and extraordinary steps were taken to disallow the export of the raw wool. As the market for woolen cloth expanded,the ownership of capital and the control of credit gained prominence. The cottage workers were financially incapable of purchasing large quantity of raw materials neither could they afford to sell the finished product on creditor source for mark

In 1801,1836 and 1854, the General Enclosure Acts were passed. The General Enclosure Act of 1845 superseded the Parliamentary committee which exmained Enclosure Bills by Enclosure Commissioners,who instead of sitting at Westminister, moved tothe scene. The Enclosure Commissioner presented their findings to Parliament inthe form of GeneralBill forpassage into law. The Suqire expanded his holdings and expanded tothe land of ejected tenants, in addition to common land and waste,while the larger freeholders held on to their claims and increased their holdings. But this,washowever, not the case for smaller freeholders. An Enclosure Bill was not enough to drive a freeholder off the landbecause he had legal claims to his holding. Aspects of the Enclosure which negatively affected the freeholder include : He had to pay his share of the expenses of enclosure,which was an expensive process,varying from about 200 Pounds to nearly 500 Pounds.If unable to pay,then he had to sell off the plot