Rural Revolution

Tudor enclosures hold the attention of historians because of the fundamental changes which they wrought in our system of farming, and in the appearance of the English countryside. At the same time, the subject is continually being re-investigated, and as a result it is no longer presented in the simple way that was once found convincing. 

It used to be sufficient to say that all over England men were enclosing their land and turning it into sheep pasture, because the wool of the sheep was more profitable to grown than any other produce of the farm. Enclosures, it was said, were carried out with ruthless disregard for the rights and interests of the smaller farmers and cottagers, and were the cause of much misery and social unrest. 

A moment's reflection should raise doubts concerning the accuracy of such an account...