Enclosure Movement

The centuries-long conversion of England's common land into private, fenced holdings, ending the traditional rights of commoners to graze and gather there. From the first parliamentary act of 1604 to 1914, over 5,200 acts enclosed some 6.8 million acres, about a fifth of England. It made the improved rotations of the agricultural revolution practical, and it broke the small farmer, the cottager and the squatter, sending the displaced into the industrial towns; both halves of that ledger are the milestone. This description is adapted from Wikipedia contributors under CC BY-SA 4.0; changes were made. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/