Rowley - The Enclosure Act - Part 3 Little Weeton and Riplingham

By now you will know something of the early enclosure of lands in Bentley and Risby, but in 1801just about everything changed in Little Weeton (as it was), and Riplingham, and fast. Rumours of change would have been rife but when George III put his signature to a certain Act it affected every person in our parish overnight.
This was “An Act for Allotting and Inclofing the Open Fields, Sheepwalks, Commons, and Wafte Ground, in Little Weeton and Riplingham in the Parifh of Rowley in the Eaft Riding of the County of York, and for making a Compensation in lieu of the Tithes thereof and of Antient Inclosed Lands in Little Weeton, Riplingham and Hunfley in the same Parifh and Riding.” (Apologies about spelling but that is how the Act is–I promise not to use it again).

The Act gives its reasons as follows:- “And whereas the lands of several proprietors of the said L.W., and Riplingham, Open Fields, Sheepwalks, Commons and Waste Grounds, lie intermixed and dispersed in small parcels and the cultivation thereof is inconvenient and expensive, and they are in their present state capable of but little improvement, and the receipt and payment of tithes in kind of the said ancient inclosed farms and lands are troublesome; and although the dividing and inclosing the said Open Fields, Sheepwalks, etc…, and the making compensation for the tithes of the said ancient inclosed farms and lands would be of public utility, and considerable benefit to the several persons interested therein, yet the same cannot be effected without the Aid and Authority of Parliament”.

The Act gives the process to be used; by today’s standards it appears singularly democratic. Three Commissioners, and one Surveyor were appointed to consult all, to measure, and to agree actions. Progress had to be publicised after divine service in church, by notices pinned to the outer door of the church and posted throughout the parish, and also in the press; plans had to be available and public ‘perambulations’ made to confirm or correct Commissioner’s and Surveyor’s interpretations.

Step one was to lay out ‘roads, dikes, watercourses, sewers, bridges, becks, cloughs or banks’; to designate pits for roadstone and lime and building stone; and to allot public ponds for watering cattle, passing stock, etc. Carriage roads were 40 feet between hedges or dykes, private roads and bridleways 20 feet, and footways 10 feet, etc. Next all land was to be surveyed and ownership identified, and valued; this must have been a formidable task–it included 300 acres of ancient inclosed lands (houses and gardens, Sockenwoods wood, turnpikes, bridleways, etc.), and about 2000 acres of inner and outer field strips, commons and waste ground. Then every owner–effectively each family in the parish–was allotted land equal in value on the common land. Once the allotments were agreed they had to be hedged or fenced by the recipients, to be stockproof within ten years, typically with the miles of quickthorn that we see today.

The final stage was agreeing a value for tithes, those payments to the Rector or Church made under the centuries-old tradition of a tenth of all produce from the land. This had always been a contentious matter between church and villager. So-called ‘large’ and ‘small’ tithes, the latter usually to the curate, maintained the church, paid the rector and the parish clerk, but also went to look after the poor of the parish. The arguments came down to how much produce was to be tithed, and how the rector used it. The commissioners had great discretion but the bartering must have been keen.

Ultimately the ‘Parish Award’, a large handwritten scroll together with an ‘Award Map’, was put before the Justices in York for approval. It identified each owner’s allotment, and his duties, the cash or labour payments in lieu of tithes, and the parish’s responsibilities for roads, collection of dues, etc. The ‘Award’ is the important document and, despite some of its duties having been taken over by borough or county authorities, it may still be invoked in law if necessary.

I am sure that we can all see that this really was a huge time of change; the Act was signed in 1801, the Award is dated 1803, and all had to be in place within ten years. Can we imagine today how this altered the parish? All was not as intended but this is for the next part.

Big Thank You to Barrie Heaton for his historical articles.

We are always updating the site so please keep us informed of your news and events>> email

Today is: