As for the other fields they were divided into strips and the farmers, people from the village would own a strip sometimes they owned them in different fields would farm them. One strip was a furlong long (around 220 yards) and a chain long (around 20 yards). They would be allowed to grow their crops within in this area, so each farmer would get an equal share of the good and bad land. Beside each strip there was a pathway called the balk, the main advantage of having a balk was so the farmers would not walk all over their own crops. There was one major disadvantage of having a balk, as it wasted space were the balk was you could be growing crops and along with wasted space of the fallow their was a lot of wasted space. The method of sowing was very poor, they used broadcast sowing which was basically too randomly to throw the seeds onto the soil by hand. The major problems with this method was that you would not always get the seeds were you wanted them, there would be patches of nothing and you could accidently throw them on rocks.
Cows, sheep and poultry were all kept and were allowed to graze in the meadow, fallow and the common. In the winter some animals were kept for eggs, milk etc. and hay from the meadow were used to keep them warm. The common land was a piece of land that everyone in the village would own, although there were no legal documents. It was also a place were villagers could grow vegetables and small animals. There was three parts to the common the meadow, woodland and the common. The squatters would live on the common land in a wooden shack the men would look for jobs in the village while the children and women would look after animals on the common. The Glebe would be the land which would be farmed on in the church and would be looked after the church parson so the church could receive a little money for the crops. The Squire and the Aristocrats would own most of the land in the village. The land would be rented by the people to farm on, and the Squires and Aristocrats would take a share of the profits. The open field system was self-sufficient. This means they would farm for themselves and keep the crops for them to eat and would then sell any left over, if there is any.
The main reason for the change in the open field system was the changes going on to the UK and a self-sufficient mode of farming was no longer good enough. One reason was the change of farming was because of the rise of population which also led to the development of industry. With the more people more food was needed also there was not enough space for everyone to farm yet they still needed to work. So they would get a job in industry which also led to the development of industrial towns. Population was growing in 1700 there was approximately 8 million people, in 1800 14 million and in 1900 the population was 42 million. And there was not enough land for everyone to farm for themselves and with not everyone farming and land being used up by new factory and houses self sufficient farming would have to change.
This was not the only reason it had to change during the end of the 18th century and early 19th century Britain were involved in the Napoleonic wars and Emperor of France, Napoleon was preventing countries in Europe from trading crops with us. So Britain’s food was entirely down to the food grown by the farmers. With this strain for food farmers needed produce food for everyone but the open field system was self-sufficient and could not do this, so it would have to change.
Now there was a strain for food prices were raising so farmers were becoming richer. So farmers could take out loans so they could invest money in the new farming methods of enclosure while the bank would get money through interest. There was also an improvement in roads and canals were being built. There was also an improvement in transport through trains and later on trams so the food could go a further distance before it would rot, so they could sell their crops to a much larger area so could bring in more money. This would encorouge farmers to convert from a self-sufficient method of open field to Enclosure.
It was in the 18th the method of farming finally had to change due to a numerous amount of resons which required more food and the open field system could not match these requirements. I believe the most important reason was the rise in population as there was more people they needed more food to feed them and with the extra houses their was not enough land. So the open field system would have to change to Enclosure.
