[Hardy-l] woodlanders historical context

[Rosemarie Morgan]

>Was the area  controlled by the State?

No --most of Dorset was still manorial and Felice Charmond owned most of 
the "Woodlands'" region. Remember the issue over Giles' lease-renewal?

The Enclosure (Inclosure) Acts of 1750-1860 (amending earlier Acts) gave UK 
Commissioners the right to enclose -- & fully "privatise" --  England's 
open fields and common grazing lands. I say "fully" because these 7 million 
acres of "free" land (approx - at Hardy's time) had always been under 
private (manorial) ownership but included communal rights to freely graze 
cattle and so on. The Enclosure Acts, depriving so-called "peasants" of a 
living, had the effect of driving them to the cities and into the sphere of 
capitalism (see proletariat).

There are vestigial indications of these communal rights today --: for 
example, all people have the right to freely walk/hike/picnic/ride (bridle 
paths) through the entire countryside of Great Britain.

  Anyway, although Mrs Charmond owns the local land the Woodlanders have 
fundamental rights (under certain conditions) to occupy them in the sense 
of farming them, planting them and even living on them. The "State" as you 
call it -- which is commonly spoken of as the "government" in Britain -- 
would intervene only to pass laws which were, themselves, a reflection of 
the will of the people (democracy) -- although the "people," in Hardy's 
day, were not yet fully enfranchised (women and most low-salaried working 
men, didn't yet have the vote) Hence the "ruling classes" carried sway.

This is a very rough outline, Pat and inevitably inadequate.

Best
Rosemarie

>who had access to the woodlands in those days. Was the area  controlled by 
>the State? Or did private businesses have contracts?
>Pat  Louw