Scholars Crossing
Faculty Publications and Presentations Helms School of Government
7-30-1980
Enclosures, Rebellion, and the Commonwealth Men, 1536-1549
Steven Alan Samson Liberty University, [email protected]
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Recommended Citation Samson, Steven Alan, "Enclosures, Rebellion, and the Commonwealth Men, 1536-1549" (1980). Faculty Publications and Presentations. 272. https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/gov_fac_pubs/272
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Tudor Ie INTR ODUCT ION The Tudor period or English history is recorded as a time or tremendous social change and dislocation.. The population was just then returning to the level :tt had reached in the rourteenth century berore a ser'ies or plagues reduced 1 the population by haIr between 1348 and 1379.. The rirst haIr or the sixteenth century savT such rapid population growth, in fact, that 8~~icultural production railed to keep pace, 2 resulting in serious, sustained inflation by the 154 Os .. Inrlation was symptomatic or a general transformation or the economy rrom a feudal to a commercial base. England1s strength in the emerging international economy lay in the wool trade" But the pasturage required ror large sheep herds was not fully compatible !Ni th the pa ttel"'n or small-scale rarming that was prevalent.. New opportunities ror accumulating wealth precipitated changes in land tenure through such practices as rackrenting and app:povements that had the errect or uprooting the peasantry in many localities" customary rights and obligations 1.rere disrupted by the rederinit or legal and political relationshipso The enclosure or land became a symbol everything people reared about these changes in status and occupationo In re ospect, it is evident that sixteenth century England v,ras undergoing the ear'ly stages or a proces s or moderniza- tion that characterizes many developing societies even today. Although the changes did not take place all at once, they were noticeable and consequently stirred considerable resistance Q Land titles were disputedo Net'll courts, such as the star 2 Chamber and the Requests, were used to service these controver- sies and help adjust shifting power relationships", Similar adjustments stirred the upper echelons of the political establ::tshment. The nob ::tty found itself in a position of declining influence and independence. The fortunes of Some of the gentry and the merchants were rising", The star of a strong monarchy was also rising", Henry VIII cemented his dynastic pOirrer and la::td the foundation for the mercantilist policies of izabeth and the stuarts by centr'alizing financial and political administration. The bureaucracy became a new avenue for the upwardly mobile to exercise influence, s::tgnifying an important step to't-rard modernization while , at the same time, preservin..g much of the familiar hierarchy. Henryts concentrat of temporal and spiritual pOvTer in his person made it possible for him to identify his fortunes with those of the nation. The Protestant reformat::ton and the Separation broke the traditional hegemony of the Catholic church and" 1rdth it, the semblance of an
international community of faitho Increasingly, the n~tion became the focus of men's dreams of a commonwealth and divisive passions could be directed outward against foreign enemies", Nationalism became the basis of an international system based 3 on imperial competition. The reality, however, fell far short of the ideal of commonwealth. The disruption of traditional patterns of rural life was punctuated by outbreaks of violence in places far from the court at London.. Local traditions were not easily uprooted and particular grievances were often made to stand for a vanishing way of life. Among these grievances were changes 3 the mass, the dissolution the monasteries and chantr s, and the enclosure of common lands.. The enclosure issue was especially representative or symbolic of the rifts in the soc fabric. It was often accomplished through a legal literal- ism 1,rhich had formerly been moderated by custom.. Indeed, the issue was so sens ive that enclosure had, by this time, already been the subject of leg (rarely enforced), royal proclar~tions, investigative commiss , lawsuits, and popular b Enclosure v-Tas listed as one of the grievances rebel stoes fr'om the years 1536 and 1549.. The issue even divided the pol ical est lishmen-t;. Her.ry I ordered enclosures destroyed 1526 and 15290 The Duke of Somerset fe from power largely because of his handl:tng of this sue" For a group of clergymen and politic knO'lrln as the commonv-real th men, OSU1"e 1117as a griev01..1s example of ustice ing from the ed of men.. Enclosure, rebellion, and the idea of cOlJ1..!nonweal may be frui t.fully the erplay
soc 1 as manifestat of reaction tr8.c1i tional men to an emerging nev,r soc order 0 These three themes s be examined s e together in order to re ct events c s they s II"
osure8 that were st r such contl'overs
Seve s enclos'LJ..re must be distingu d ansvJering this
J... • Sulon .. Commons t of 1236 d landovJne~C's the right 4 to ose waste as right of approvement ... Th me that such land could be removed from the eommon of pasture" Th l"ight, hovlever, did not extend to pis 4 hing privileges), turbary (the right to cut turf or peat), and estovers (the right to certain necessaries, such as wood
timber).. .f;, grov.Jing demand for woollen cloth expo:rots favored an incI'ease in sheep hold ings .. Small :farms 1,,;-ere engros sed .. Rents were raised.. \.h.ihen rent approached the annual value o:f the property, it was known as rack renting.. Entry :fines were o:ften ra ed so high that many :farmers faced dispossession, or else peonage i:f they paid" Freeholders lNere irly "tATell pro- tected.. Eric Kerridge noted that usecurity o:f tenure was 5 firmly established in law and equity. B serious problems did occur in many parts of the country, the most 1 of vJhich were concentrated in the Midlands 0 The greatest outcry was directed at the enclosure glebelands (arable land) for sheep grazing, but private game parks were also denounced .. Patterns of enclosure varied.. Hedges, fences, and ditches
I~Jere the most ic physical. boundar So Some enclosure, however, was generally acc d.. Kerridge distinguished between four means o:f enclosure in order to balance the trad ional negative picture of the practice" In the order of their severity, the four means of enclosure were by custom, by unity 6 of possession, by composition, or by commission" The :first two means lacked an element o:f agreement.. The custom of the manor often allowed the enclosure o:f estovers and turbary, although enough waste was supposed to be le:ft to meet the requirements of the commoners" Tenants had recourse to equity when the lord enclosed the 111Tastes of the manor, but the ir gal claim depended on the existence of an original lease, which was oftentimes 7 conveniently lost" 5 Farmex's 1N"ho lacked an estate, or interest, in the land (tenants at will) could be evicted once the ir lease expired" This allovJed the O'tvner to enclose by unity possession"
~~Uni ty or pos ses s ion was occas ionally brought about also by the engrossment or estates through purchase or similar ac- 8 quisition .. u Enclosure, however, was more typically a result or agreement .. Composition was a tvJo-party agreement which was orten accom- panied by exchaIi..ges of land and the transfer of specified rights from one tract to another.. An alternative to composition, lNhich was endorsed by the experts, was enclosure by commission in which a disinterested third party was commissioned to supervise 9 the division and award or tracts of common fields or l...:rastes e It V.ras the open-field farmers, the cus tornary tenants, lATho suffered the most from enclosures o They based their claim on the existence of a copy of the court roll the manor.. These copyholders.ll along '!! For look in vJha t parts of the realm doth gro~r the rine stand therefore dearest v.Tool, there noblemen and gentlemen, yea and certain abbots, .. e .. yea much annoying the weal public, leave no ground for tillage, they inclose all pastures; they throw down houses; they pluck down towns, and leave nothing standing, but only the church to make of a sheephouse ..1 0 6 IV[ore t s metaphors are biblical.. Instead of the good shepherd tending his flocks, MoreYs sheep and shepherds are out of character.. The sheep have run wild and consume the land" The shepherds lead this plague of sheep: And as though you lost no small quantity of ground by forests, chaces, lawns, and parks, those good holy men turn all dwelling-places and all glebeland into desolation and wilderness e Thererore that one covetou.. s and atj~ab cormorant and very plague of his native country may compass about and inclose many thousand acres ground together w one pale or hedge .. e .11 The analogy may be vlith the nabomination of desolationt! or money-changing in the Temple, but leaves the impression of sacrilege.. More clearly had an affinity with the prophetic trad ion in Chr tianity.. Th tradition was carried on in the protests of the common.'t-Jealth men a gene ion later and, still later, in the Putney debates and the efforts of 19th century reformers to abolish slavery, extend the franchise, and guarantee humane treatme prisoners, orphans, and pauperse Some scholars trace modern social welfare legis ion back to the Tudor Poor Lai.ATs, v-Jhich attempted to remedy some the under- 12 lying causes of poverty and vagrancy .. Morels polemic was, in ct, ssed to the root causes of ste ing .. Legis or prohibit enclosu!'e already had a long history by the Tudor period<> Two statutes of approvement, one passed at Ner·ton in 1235 and the other knov.,rn as Westminster II (1285), provided some safeguards against abuse vJhile recognizing the customary right, of the landlords enc e portions of the irJaste" The 1285 fixed punisr®ents for destroying ditches and hedges.ll and provided remedy aga t usurpation of the 13 common .. Henry VIII s parliament began the series of Tudor 7 legislation aimed at engrossing, enc ing, and depopulation .. The ,tict of 1~B9 was for the maintenance of tillage and the prevention of depopulation" T'tvo acts were passed in quick succession in the fifth and sixth years of Henry VITIls reign" The second tlAct avoiding pullin..g dm1in of TOirms tt irlaS very succinct: ~"Jhosoever suffereth any Town, Hamlet, or House of IIttsbandry to deCEty $ or doth convert Tillage into Pasture, the Lord of the Fee shall have the Moiety of the Offenderv s Land, til the Offence be reformed.,14 Evidently this legislation was not very effective because two years later, in 1517, (',.Tolsey initiated a commission of inquiry o enclosure, and another the following year. The findings are a source of continued debate, because they did not disclose any considerable degree of enclosure during the thirty 15 years that liJere 6;1:amined.. Much of the problem appears to have been due to speculation, in 1t>Thich merchant adventurers or trade smen would engross several farms !J although they vJould be 16 unable to maintaIn tillage in all of them. Henry VIII occasionally sued proclamations to enforce existing legislation, noting his great displeasure at tea covetous persons?! (151L~), issuing summonses to the Chancery (1526), or ordering the destruction of enclosures (1526 17, 1529).. l~ct of 1531.~restr ted sheep holdill..gS to 2000 and specified that a penalty of three shillings, four pence 18 per sheep vlOuld be imposed on any exce s s CO> Edward VI appointed another corn..mission, headed by John Hales, to investigate enclosures, but this was a small-scale effort which failed to yield clear information" Additional legislation was passed and numerous commissions iATere sent during subsequent reigns, but the picture is one of rearguard act 8 against a powerful economic demand$ Parliamentary statutes, appeals by the Crown, and actions at had a neglig ib impact on a phenomenon that vJaS confined, in its worst excesses, to a fe't culprit for the depopulat farming areas (> Fe'lt] villages 't,yere completely depopulated but the dispossession of even a few families disrupted village life, as illustrated by a recent film about peasant life in nineteenth century Italy.., entitled The Tree ,(looden Clogs" The human factor and fe justices roused pity in thought people" But sheep T'aising was a vit part of the national economy and severe restrictions could not have succeeded", A sheep tax introduced 15L~9 d such determined opposition that it 'ltJaS repealed the follov-ring year o The statist data concerning enclosures is questionab and scholars have drawn diverse conclusions about the impact of enclosuI'es on peasant life", Of concern here fI however, is the reaction of the spokesmen of the times to the issue" Some men chose to speak with the s"t-lTord; others with the pen. Let us begin with the rebe .. II" REBELLION Uprisings were a fact of life throughout the Tudor era as they have been with almost any time. But rebellion, like tressonfl is a loaded word. Many rebels were unw ling to accept that appe tion as a definition of the actions .. First Amendment guarantees of free speech, free assemblYfi and petit for grievances had no place English at that 9 time. These present day rights owe the existence and character to subsequent revolutions$ But the time of Henry VIII one 'vJaS not even liberty to think treason.. Few avenues for meaningful protest 1f)'ere open" A state monopoly on printing made prior restraint the .. The line that separated legitimate protest from sedition was ible" Accounts of val" rebell icate that they be caut ly and irresolutely as those who wanted redress for injuries pa fully v.reighed the consequences of even giving the appea~rance of rebellion.. ~·1any of them must have felt the noose tighten once the die had been cast 1\1 No iATonder many reb leaders" like Robert Aske" refused to accept that the actions were rebellious and protested their loyalty to the king" Certa COl11.rrton values 'VJere acknm'ITledged by rebels and loyal ts al right of revOltltion 1fJas not one of them" One key concept was the Gre Chain of Be ,which 1-18.S Greek orig but had been im.ported into Christ writ , as welle This idea, a direct 1 ancestor of later speculat about evolution during the Enlightenment, established the ion commoners to the to !fi and the to God$ The soc r vms legit ed by Godls cre ion and H lavlS" The was His temporal sentat on ear'th.. Each person was b by alleg to h 1 and this commonal:lty represented a comrnom,realth" Henry VIII asser d h:ls sovere authority vJhen he dec England to be an emp " proper atti e tone! s superior vms deference obed .. Th vias another c "Rebe lrJas the ve antithes of ed e timate ion aga t God 10 Even those IiJho a dged the seriuosness of rebel vances, like Hugh Lat and John Cheke, were shocked at such ss act ions.. --_._--abed I,Jas the t it of one of t S Th man t as a preached s e obed nce to pr e $I vJhich vIas b 19 bv they came" T ris , the Pilgrimage more religious The se c r !J Ketti s Hebe v18.8 p b"\T,J more ee But " reI ec s played a s b So I\n se mot s t t r e 0 D The II As P GraGe e _~ s ~ s Tovlfer on e beeIl e ta t as the ief eapta ,sman l'med Hthys rna its reI lous At a meet Dece pres a 1 t th enth eh re and be put exeeuti VII.:; to be d H20 " The act to :re ment e osures or s "\ATaS ace to Thirsk,ll a d P ce legislation., Neverthe ss, the ject of oBU.res s rec 22 conce rebell s truct to tiJ.e of is Slle : One commons excess to rece the r as they The d s monaster s, ver!1 vms perhaps an even more immediate cause the upris began an inventory churches~ goods at Tadcas r and a rumor that se s be o one (> Pee oI'd to c ton, a Coune compatriotsr; as d meno The 'D .L itJas seen by t as an serve, to str the commorMe ,so irJaS state!li ho'ltJever', that As c s a c:r'ime he c re d!! much as c communists c to s ason dur purges 0 Th s the poitJ"er of' an idea which no d uni ty" 12 the capacity of a rebel to reaffirm his sworn allegiance e Enclosures also figured as issues three rebellions during the Protectorship of Somerset,. The first occurred in Cornwall the spring of 1548,. John Strype attributed the cause to the ndecay of tillage" and the enclos ing of land for 26 Once the 'HEtS quel1ed$ VI issued a proclamation against enclosures and anrlOUllced that an inquiry would be led by John Hales, a member Parliament 't'>Tho had headed a similar commission 1518., The ravages enclosure vIere denounced in a language similar to Hore 1 s: _A_ that land v.rhich heretofore 1'11'a8 t d and occupied with so many men" and did brin..g forth not only divers fami lies in wo!'k and labour" but also capons" hens, chickens" pigs" and other such furniture of the markets" is now gotten by insatiab.le greediness of mind 0 one or two men~ s hands, and scarcely dwelt upon l'11'ith one POOl" shepherd", So that the realm thereby vJaS brought to a marvellous desolation, houses decayed, parishes diminished" the force of the realm weakened" and Christian people, by the greedy covetousness some men" eaten up and devoured of brute beasts" and driven from their houses by beasts and bullocks II 27 The Earl of \.\!arwick" however" u grew much displeased l1ith s, l-Jho acted very honestly in this commission" and favorably 28 to the corrilllons" n l'JarTtJick expec d that Hales! purpose vJas to prevent the hedging of lands general and to set the commons aga t the nobility and gentry, ace ing to Strype Q Hales denied these charges~ attributed the motives true Christian charity to the promoters of the commission and blamed the greedy avarice of the gentry for the commissionYs lack of 29 success Q suspicions eontinuedo Two rebellions broke out ing the sumrner led to the downfall of Somerset, vJ'ho vJaS replaced by 1·Jarwick ... larnation t osure s Has fol101rled by scattered r in Hay" The king a gene mid , but new troub erupted o ful1-se month the st idestern Rebel1 nevonsh I ster reI ious d 8en8iono by the ene ure is sue "A e to 1 ins d, an Eli than c tt!s e wIt a ru.ro.or ommons s s enclosed cer sture 21.0; ors to t om d at Greene of nevI 'ilee r, h, e ed t e Kett, H me er 1"', 1>ms c a H 8 s sarne e T r1 1.J u, EtS se jVIaster .l- .1_ t II U 31 ra on dovm 11 s dit s~ ., .L , e 1 H C ~t_ Ct'" u outs c re v Here jo d .. " by some ci"ty' s inhab s by res of Suffolk .. The rebe cut off from the surr ing countryside and i,JOn some concessions from the maYOJ', although the right to s thl"ough the c .At Household, establ d a government, elected governors to preserve ace and order, is counterfeit commissions with sto s some Doctor Parker', the rebe to return to their homes, but was forced to flee~ ording to John , men t"Jere murdered Q Kett, however, mainta that a fully acc d -vdth those of a true sub ject" Hop to quell the turbance s, the sued proc ing saga t ures, r ers, order mar"t la1iJ aga 32 ers who raised unlawful assembl So The rebe refused the pardon and were f ly ed k arr a 1 e of sold rs .. tt irJaS exe cuted ott 1J. he k he needed to t Somerset .. These rebe shared several common tr s.. They as unplanned outbursts R s then enlis d support of gentry, as sllilled s as leaders and smen.. A march was on county seat, a manifesto sued, the support "the was s ® The Pilgrimage most peace Kett t S Rebe , by c was sub by cons ide T ra es a quest why the difference? In 1536, Henry been securely on the throne ti;lienty- 15 seven years.. fllthough ties 'VJith Home had been severed.l1 potential invaders 1<>lere unable to make cornmon cause against Henry.. England enjoyed considerable peace, despite the tremendous polit changes that were being introduced .. If anything, these chang~ maintain a high level of expectancy among the middle classes.. The s and wealth of the gentry, merchants, and eholders 1tJas increas ing" The declining power and independence the nob i ty 'VIras perhaps seen favorably by these groups" The king became more c the chief d penser of favors,and the city London became the center of commerce and polit opportunity.. Resentments, however, were bound to grow as the independence of outlying reaches of the country were brought more firmly into orb arO'llnd the court at London .. The king could rema above local politics, his ers, who 1,..Jere often outsiders, were in the thick of ito i:,mat could be more natural for a citizen than to bypass the kingis officers and make a direct appeal to the king himself? Government was highly patriarchal in nature and personal loyalty governed a subject's political consciousness o The Pilgrimage of Grace was a reaffirmat of an old trad ion that placed the idea of commonwealth and allegiance to the king above particular grievances .. The kingts servants were blamed, but the king.. The king was a benevolent father figure" The infancy Ed'VIrard VI, on the other hand, must have altered percept on both side s" The strong leadership of Henry jrJas miss ing in 1549" The Duke of Somerset v-Jas already in serious pol ical trouble.. There was no strong unifying factor 16 either to minimize the dangers of rebellion or to moderate the suppression and aftereffects of rebelliono Henry operated from a pos ion of strength 1536. Somerset, however, appeared weak, and his 'Heakness threatened an already 'Hol"ried nob it Yo The weakness of the government must have likewise impressed itse on the rebels. Kettfis Rebe was of a more se popul t nature~ Kett 'Has accused of trying to set himse up as king. spurned a pardon where Aske ier had accepted" even to the point putting himself at s servicee So the political circumstances had changed,by 1549 .. Inflation was severe" The liturgy vJaS being noticeably changed,. The kingW s officers" not the king,fl t,rere the real power in England" High expectat of a decade earlier must have cons rab by 1549 .. iciently comple stat t evidence is lacking, but the ions in l51~9 reve a greater potent for political violence" Rebe do blithely sacrifice the lives for the sake of lost causes" t'iske,fl Kett,fl and other rebel leaders must have quickly perce d the fate that awaited them if they failed,. All of them pa with the lives. took a complete rift the pol establishllJ.ent one hr.l.ndred years later for a successful revolu tion to be made e The theory of re ive deprivation holds that violence s when a period of general economic and soc progress that ra es expectations is followed by a noticeab revers People begin to feel a stake the future and when the gap between their expec ions and their str'aitened circumstances becomes too vI Ii they 33 may seek to restore the by force e The theory relative deprivation properly belongs to political psychology rather than economics cause it is the perce d a de ine to some previous vel of status or wealth creates the violence potential, not the degree to wh extremes of wealth poverty ex t side by side e The traditional social order, as expressed by the Great Chain of Being, legit mized qualitYI/> But this social order v~s undergoing changes that robbed it of many of its symbolic justifications" Reform in the Church in one generation could be withheld from other d injustice the next generation!/> MJ.en reform was designed pub 1 display, s controvers aspects could be moderated c But Somerset Has less tactful to traditional sensibilities, pushi:t1g for the s e rather than the semb reform the Church and taking pers steps to enforce s utes concerning enclosures.. The old verit s suffered as a result.. Conservatives and ica had ample ground fearing loss, iolhether religious ritual, personal salvati wealth, influence, or any combination of these" The year 1549 was led with uncertainty .. III" c LTH ~;JEN This uncertainty was reflected in the I erature of the per and is perhaps most evident in the 11\1ritings and sermons of a group ists in the humanistic tradition 1oTho wer'e 34 to the enemies as ComrnomJealth Men..lllthough many of them, like Hugh imer, John Hales, and Thomas th, had . ~ Deen promJ.nenv. l oe11g10n or politics during reign VIII, the colle 'UlTaS t most torship of Somerset. Ace to il.T .. K-- .. These gover'nme second and them seem d Protestants religious iments; oddly enough, born; of them posses ~-~d 1 powers of a very orde Y' .. .);;. en B es r r the reign VIII, but got o t 1539 over the s d Six A ic s, resigned his post, and was later c to TO'Ulrer se access "VIras the most popular preacher his day pres d two sets of sermons the Somerset r After Somerset's fall" back 0 ret , was oned by ]\1ary, tr sy, and During is per s 1ATRS a member iame the commiss st ing ures .. was a member of the Privy Counc ,but had been ordained as a priest.. During s reign r served VaT' as 8.n am- bass to as a seCT'e state, a t he had 36 he r we Cons r the thought, re that se men d countrys The a commonwealth ses \Aras a i soc s the use y c who were d t rvor an Amoso R. He T ..... ulC, d r'B vehemence nounc ures but rec a d s me s, and conc On quest t without authoritYQooo as to the hurrying forward on a com.merc ia1 bas , 1 misery of iples by wh d from T v e as earl r been s manor' oms, iflhen dared, o ep come more was ing because the high for ad were b stico most ure t E , an ogi ctors ace osure l' sand 39 rhet the teerso The motives as s are re the 1 dur ReI f te s ~ras sought the tv,Jo c the ar Chamber the Re stS,9 as as the common c Sill The Chamber, Hhich de matters, J:)" , was 0 n s the reign VIIE> The C Requests,? Hhich he c case s, was es 1 even r was never d 20 s It be came Imown as the or t S Court .. These c the pol s c umstances of the Tudor iod", The nature of some ep soc 1 beh s spec ific sues as e ure., tance, a:c Chamber a ser s of cases a dis over e s be en habit s the Thingden enc ss the years from 1494 to 1538 .. It soc thought i pract s 01-.LJlme are most concern The comrnon- we ct through the t ir of s them a more refresh sub ject mere st spe tor's 0 They ed on lti re S,l b they o a record of the aims, ch can d o the actlon" on bel that the commol11rJ'e t se men more than orthodox med body, di b rests Indeed, I."hat a 11e we i ere once a:pous men 1 d ell 15L~9 .. p of e to rstit 21 HOI'S s re 1'1 t sermon before c e summeI' i011. : Covetousness 1i.TaS cause of e covetousness;; e 1 rHe!} t~ a soc tice ans red y t de 1:3e an earl t1 bor 1 to es conse ive 22 ions ie C e rel '(,.Jere ass oe some eommorIIi-Je s John rs man at Cambridge so e last se as .1-"'ult; t Kettts Che 1 ved vanees t 1J.Jere mere screens that s Sf> the hid beh religion: relig you? ye were r'eligi ye ought to fl so th yet you intend to fight" in the truthJl ye ought to suffer !i you 'tv-ould s :'Le like <:> Thus religion you keepe no religion, and neither' 1 f'olloirJ the eounse of Chr t!; nor the constancie of' martyrs"o .... Ye see no religion, be deee, tradit They that tea,ch you!; bind ,that so t you, dece you)f6 d e1 t to aga t rich" He opposed the vel social s8es ace the soc as an I S design: 1 is the ouerthro'TrJ l' e re our more, if lust 'Tr,rithout right take vnder tense of e ltie 'TrJ:'Lth bringing in of nesse.!l "V"hi the COrn111On= Health; and not amendment t rna e ine comrnon-we equal ie!J then ye take o come to be e1' es Che justif'ied social as the means of' ensuring mobil :.tty would re d statuses c mn men to poverty 't-Ji thout of relief" This be the lthes a COmmOnitIea an jury to b ie" l;J , a c of the eOmmOniiJe me 23 a t at that time, entit d _~_--'''- ___,--_, v.rhich advocated cornpulsory education, the pre ion of ures, the hme gambling drunkenness, suppress of S 3, and fa wages and So Although litt is mown out the author, the tract I'TaS ded ed to Somerset" Each class was entre d to its r bus SSe , lords '\tIere ored to trade: Fo~(" and men highe nob tee, or indude \,j possessions e, to vse thoff of thinferior degree, to chaungel} aduantag s to ge I} as Merket men dothe, it sittethe not the ate: or ffermys tencroche whiche oother myght releeue; ! suche doinges, (nodowte,) d many hart~s ue,,'-1-8 R ert Crowleyls The appeared 1550" Cheke~s it was a response to the ions the Somerset period e Crowley vms a Pur an V.ras d a deacon 1551 Ridley .. h the cause sedit Greedy men of all sses were devoid consc nee and fear God: gredye ; yea, men that \I\l"ould eate & chyldre are the causes Sed es ouer our headdesl} y bye our our handes, they our rentes, they gre (yea vnreas ) they enclose oure commons 1 e .. e the countrey we can tar'ye, but we must be theyr sues lab.Oure tyll 01).3: hertesbrast, they mus t haue e 14- The best mo't-In t r I} vel", was a , entitled of of I} which was t publ 1.1)81. It en ~~=~ var Iy attributed to Thomas and John s" In Mary DeNar has tr to ce some be en th 'GTork the ?! qual the commonirJealth 1 e quotes George to the e ct that represents Htthe most advanced statement ec thought Tudor England .. i tl T the frequently excess moral ing tone of a Latimer or a CrowleYe DelAiar c ims that Smith.jl rather than Hales.ll 'Gras definitely the o places some d tance betir.reen the others s Thomas Smith vms spec ly regarded as a commomvealth man may have had Catholic sympathieso He vTaS seen as too moderate.. Certa regarding the enclosure sue he vTaS careful to make distinctions out the typeso Only some enclosure were at the he of the problem: I mean of enclosures, nor yet commons" but only of such enclosures as turn co~non arab fie o pastures, and viole enclosures of commons without just recompense of them that have right to comrHon there in" For if were severally enclosed to the intent to continue husbandry thereon every man that had right to common had his port a piece of the same to himse ed" I think no harm but rather good should come reof, evel'y man did agree thereto.. B yet would be suddenly done thereby many a thousand c tagers in England" wh no lands to live the ow:!). but their handy labors and some refx'eshing upon the sa commons:J if they were suddenly thI'USt out that comraodity, might make a great tumult and d order in the CommonweaL And percase also men were suffered e e the ground under the pretense to keep it still in tillage, within a y,jhile after they tur'n all to pasture as we see they do now too fast" Pllthough many ingredients is are in the others, even th short excerpt reve how greatly th differs them emphas is I) No vJOnder 1"s have praised itt It is fully cons tent "lrJith the the ope1"ty that Tavmey sa com~ng to be accepted by all c ed soc ties: that , the as mas l' of h own, free to oit it to personal ad vantage, and un"J.'8 s c1 exce y 1 t pas h a ne ighbors!J OT' to g acc 52 ions to 8. H h " am 8t re some cos ives:; .0 .L d 01f111erS .. most cons t s h t men 11 conv .l-ulons• success act on 1 at some ma c OrtllTlon cans e e :s at crit 1"" So se men e1 c ora1'ie8, to omers t s e I'mons I'e ct an s c d men s, to ans,-l ed remed so lfJ6re t ice 0 .1\ c Onll110n soc ic oses" sue 3. t ,So SOUI'ce " ·ter ion e ized The bee " lIes OlTLYnOnirJe t se ions se men es our ve even t " FOOTNOTES 1 J.. Do Chambers, .I~0.12ulq:!2.i2n, Ec o~c~.nlI' Soc ie"tY P~-Illdus.:trial ~and, eo. .. by 'It.!" As Armsi.,rong rLoria.'on: Oxford University Press, 1972), p" 19" 2 L .. A .. Clarkson, ~ql§!. Pre-In Histor:;y of Eggland (New-Yorli:uHarper and Row,,-197~-), pp" 4 lb3- " 8 - - - 64 Kerridge, 1'1.grari~n Pr~~lems, p .. 96. 9 Kerridge, 1'1.gr8]:ian pp .. 99-1030 10 Sir ThoI"l1as Jl1ore, nUtopia,!1 The Harvard Classics, ,,36, eO." Charles ~V .. Eliot (New York: P .. F" Colliera::r1d"Son, 1910T, po 155 .. 11 ]\10re, "Utopia, n in Ha~~ "Ql~s,s.~cs, p" 155 .. 12 See Frances Fox Piven and Richard A .. Cloward" ~§l..B.u"lati~ ~ Poor: The (New York: Random House, 1971), pP:-12=22 .. 13 13 Edwo I, Westm" ee, e" 46" 14 7 Hen .. VIII, c" 7" 15 See, for example, Joan Thirsk, IIEnelosing and Engrossing,tI The ArJZ..ilril2E: Histor:.:;y Engla]1d ..§-.go. \A!ale.~, a - Li-!, eO. Pc Re Finberg Cambridge: University Press, 19b7;, pp .. 200-~5; Kerridge tiThe Heturns of the Inquisitions of Depopulation,!! English , 70 (A ,1955), 15 Thirsk, HEnelosing, n in Histor,.:;y, pc 215 .. 17 Paul L .. Hughes and James F .. Larkin, eds" Tudor li-0,.IB:,.=!:. !!oclamatiq~, vol.l: ~ *j,r:tt ~ (1485-1553) (Net'" Haven: Yale University Press, 196 ,pp .. 122-23;-165=;4; 154-56, 186" 18 I, e " 19 , The TudoT' TheoT'v Yale Univers 881940) / pp .. , A Hist Po ical Thought the Cent (Lona ornpany, 19'20);- pp .. 20 21 ThiT's ~~Enclos ing,?' in p ...... ""'-";.;;;..;.....,;.;;.;~ 22 The Letters and s re nces 23 T .Lie I} ""'1:'0, xiio 98 (po 24 L" & , xiL, 392 (p .. 182) 25 & F@, xii(2) .. 292 (po 121) 26 vol. 2, 1 (Oxford: C 27 strype, 28 Strype, 29 30 1 Holinshed" and Ireland, S8$' -~1965/, po 9 31 Holinshed, .. 963-64 .. 32 Hughes and LaT'kin, 1, pp .. L~51-53:; 46 33 James a Theory of Revolution," James ChOv-lniYl-.g Dav s (Nevi ppo 13LI--47; Ted Robel"t Gur Y', ton sity Press, 1970)" ompany) :; : The orgeAllen 35 Jordan, 36 F.. JI'Iait A 37 Tav-.meYfl 38 Tat,(fley, po> .Lq.-I 7 " 39 e Land, ~~~ ~~~~~: (Ipswich: The Boyde 41 be sa C A. C (London: and ,Company, 1899), p .. 85. I,atimer, s r ( .. 14-7-48 .. po 988 .. LI-7 Ho1inshed, p" 990~ 4.8 T <.I .. (London~ 50 52 " s C un iL A Van" 1 c Fe ton ve~e He Ii 1 If Kerr Land, Lat r, Go 1968", :t s Thomas" nutop " !W Charles W" Eliot. New P 1. TEn,mey, Fe Th o 01 Q H0 Press, 1967& i on, ures, Rebe ions, and Commonwealth Jl.1en H "ORE O1JTLnm 1.. Introduct A.. Impact of' modern B .. Tudor soc II" E u:t'es A.. t 1 .. s of' enclosure 2 .. Impa e 08U1'e .... B .. Leg to C.. lamations D .. Commissions III" Rebe A.. Hierar'chy and obed B .. 1536 1549 CIJi Theory of' re deprivation IV", The Commonwe ~J[en A.. Background B.. Latimer C.. Cheke D.. Author ( s or Smith) SOURCES Ferguson, Arthur Be The .;;.;..;;.;;;=.;;.;;;;,;.;;;...;;..;=";;,,.;;.. I> Durham: 1 .. Engrossing .. " LI_ .. ed o H", P .. Press, 1967 ..