The Common-Field Village of Midland England

Abstract

"The enclosure of the open fields farmed in common in the Midlands of England was accomplished in several stages. The enclosures of the seventeenth century were a turning point in the development of capitalist production. Paradoxically this was a triumph for open-field farming.

"This paper is based on an analysis of the local agrarian economy and illustrated from the writings of two contemporary protagonists in the national debate on development."