The Enclosures of 1809 09th Aug 2009

The Enclosures of 1809

2009 is the 200th anniversary of the Act of Enclosure passed by Parliament.

Two centuries ago this year, Parliament passed an Act to enclose the open countryside of the British Isles.  Although this fact is marked in history, very little is known about this episode, and it is rarely, if ever, talked about.  And no wonder; the effect on the rural dwellers of the time must have been cataclysmic.

One person, however, who minded the changes that so transformed the countryside, was John Clare, known as the Shepherd Poet.  He was a largely self taught peasant, an ardent and sensitive countryman, who knew nature and the seasons to the finest detail.  He was born and brought up in the village of Helpston, just north of Peterborough, and where he lived for most of his life.  Such was his dismay at what was happening to his beloved countryside, that he increasingly suffered bouts of depression which led to long periods spent in asylum.  Fortunately he continued to write throughout, and left some vivid and detailed descriptions of life of the time.  His was a simple, naive style, that conjures his images with great charm, and expresses his observations in the dialect of the day.

Here is an example of his work, a sonnet that expresses the effect of the enclosures and his feelings on the matter:   

                                           "I Dreaded Walking Where There Was No Path"

 

                                            I dreaded walking where there was no path

                                            And pressed with cautious tread the meadows swath

                                            And always turned to look with wary eye

                                            And always feared the owner coming by:

                                            Yet everything about where I had gone

                                            Appeared so beautiful I ventured on

                                            And when I gained the road where all are free

                                            I fancied every stranger frowned at me

                                            And every kinder look appeared to say

                                            You've been on trespass in your walk today.

                                            I've often thought the day appeared so fine,

                                            How beautiful if such a place were mine;

                                            But having nought I never feel alone

                                            And cannot use another's as my own.