The Board of Agriculture’s General Report on Enclosures (1808) quotes with approval an anonymous pamphlet published in 1772: “The advantages and disadvantages of enclosing waste lands and common fields,” by “A Country Gentleman.” This tract appears to be a very able and impartial attempt to estimate the effects of enclosure on all the classes interested. The way in which Acts then originated, and the manner in which proposals were received, is described thus:-- “The landowner, seeing the great increase of rent made by his neighbour, conceives a desire of following his example; the village is alarmed; the great farmer dreads an increase of rent, and being constrained to a system of agriculture which neither his experience nor his inclination tempt him into; the small farmer, that his farm will be taken from him and consolidated with the larger; the cottager not only expects to lose his commons, but the inheritable consequence of the diminution of labour, the being obliged to quit his native place in search of work; the inhabitants of the larger towns, a scarcity of provisions; and the Kingdom in general, the loss of inhabitants” (p. 1). The general conclusion seems to be that all these anticipations and fears, with the exception of the last two--a scarcity of provisions for large towns, and a general loss of inhabitants for the kingdom, are well founded. With regard to the landowner and tithe-owner:-- “There can be no dispute that it is the landowners’ interest to promote inclosures; but I verily believe, the improprietor of tithes reaps the greatest proportional benefit, whilst the small freeholder, from his expenses increasing inversely to the smallness of his allotment, undoubtedly receives the least” (p. 25).[43] [43] This is badly expressed. He refers to the fact that a small allotment is more expensive to fence, proportionally to its size, than a large one. Of the small farmer:--“Indeed I doubt it is too true, he must of necessity give over farming, and betake himself to labour for the support of his family” (p. 31). With regard to the increase or diminution of employment for labourers, he gives the following statistical table, an estimate based on his observation:-- ┌───────────────────────────┬──────────────────┬─────────────────┐ │ │ Before Enclosure │ After Enclosure │ │ 1,000 Acres of │ gives │ gives │ │ │ Employment to │ Employment to │ ├───────────────────────────┼──────────────────┼─────────────────┤ │ A Rich Arable Land │ 20 families │ 5 families │ │ B Inferior Arable │ 20 ″ │ 16¼ ″ │ │ C Stinted Common Pastures │ ½ a family │ 5 ″ │ │ D Heaths, Wastes, etc. │ ½ ″ │ 16¼ ″ │ └───────────────────────────┴──────────────────┴─────────────────┘