In 1801,1836 and 1854, the General Enclosure Acts were passed. The General Enclosure Act of 1845 superseded the Parliamentary committee which examined Enclosure Bills by Enclosure Commissioners, who, instead of sitting at Westminister, moved to the scene. The Enclosure Commissioner presented their findings to Parliament in the form of a general bill for passage into law. The Squire expanded his holdings and expanded the 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 was, however, not the case for smaller freeholders. An Enclosure Bill was not enough to drive a freeholder off the land because 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 the enclosure, which was an expensive process, varying from about 200 pounds to nearly 500 pounds. If unable to pay, then he had to s...
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