This article was written by John Wright for the Baldons 2001 Local History Exhibition
There were various attempts to enclose the land in the Baldons in the 16th and 17th centuries; some were successful, others were firmly resisted. However a big step forward was taken in 1612 when Lewis Pollard completed a large enclosure at Little Baldon. This, with other enclosures at Little Baldon, resulted in the hamlet being depopulated. Thereafter, fewer enclosures took place until the 19th century and the medieval field system remained largely intact.
After the end of the Napoleonic War the question of general enclosure was once again raised and in 1821 Sir Henry Willoughby pressed Queens College to agree to it, as it was no longer possible to get tenants of 'skill and capital' to take land which they were obliged to cultivate in a 'barbarous mode'.
By the 19th century there were also valid other grounds for enclosure. Over time ad hoc developments had resulted in scattered ownership of strips within the strip system, resulting in much wasted time and effort by the owner or tenant. The whole system was badly in need of rationalisation.
Coupled with this, substantial strides had been made by then in the development of agriculture generally. The pedigree breeding of animals was becoming understood and agricultural implements, e.g. the seed drill, were being invented, leading to the need for enclosed land on the one hand and large single fields on the other.
The matter of enclosure rested until 1830 when Richard Collinson made a survey of Toot Baldon for Queens College and six years later an Act was passed 'for dividing, allotting and laying in Severalty, lands in the parishes of Marsh and Toot Baldon'. This Act, similar to ones being passed at that time throughout the country, was essentially an enabling Act setting out the powers and responsibilities of the Commissioner (in this case one Thomas Tatham), who was to adjudicate on the allotments and the provisions for appealing against the judgements.
The Commissioner's awards for Toot Baldon were made in 1837 and for Marsh Baldon in 1840. A copy of the latter can be seen at the Oxford County Records Office. It is a very detailed document, pronouncing on quite small parcels of land. Apart from Sir Henry Willoughby, the only other allotment of note was to the Rector, Durham Leys Farm and Parsonage Farm. Marsh Baldon Green was specifically excluded from enclosures, as were the local roads, bridleways and footpaths with the award specifying the width of each.
The Enclosure phenomenon was an essential prerequisite to bringing the country's agriculture out of the medieval past and creating an efficient system. However, it also brought enormous social change. It spelled the end of the communal decision making on land husbandry within the manorial laws and meant the extinction of common rights, such as grazing on common land; but most of all, by abandoning the strip system, it created a new wage dependency culture for the dispossessed.
