The Enclosure Maps of England and Wales 1595-1918: A Cartographic Analysis and Electronic Catalogue

Description

This book offered the first comprehensive study of the enclosure mapping of England and Wales. Enclosure maps are fundamental sources of evidence in many types of historical inquiries. Although modern historians tend to view these large-scale maps essentially as sources of data on past economies and societies, this book argues that enclosure maps had a much more active role at the time they were compiled. Seen from this perspective of their contemporary society, enclosure maps are not simply antiquarian curiosities, cultural artefacts, or useful sources for historians but instruments of land reorganisation and control which both reflected and consolidated the power of those who commissioned them. The book is accompanied by a fully searchable, descriptive and analytical web catalogue of all parliamentary and non-parliamentary enclosure maps extant in public archives and libraries and offers an essential research tool for economic, social and local historians and for geographers, lawyers and planners.

Review of the hardback: 'Overall this is an interesting reference book for those interested in historical geography, the history of mapping or indeed anyone who needs access to historical cartographic information.' Reference Reviews Review of the hardback: 'Kain, Chapman, and Oliver's volume can be regarded as the definitive survey of the enclosure maps of England and Wales. The free availability of all the detailed data via the World Wide Web catalogue considerably aids the dissemination and extends the value of the resource'. David Fletcher, Department of Law, Governance and international Relations, London Metropolitan University Review of the hardback: 'This is a invaluable encyclopaedic work for anyone searching for enclosure maps of England and Wales.' H-Albion Review of the hardback: '... we should be in no doubt about the immense amount of labour that has gone in to producing this well-produced and attractive volume, and its associated catalogue. The latter will almost certainly be used by landscape historians as a stand-alone tool, while the former will remain the definitive statement on enclosure maps for a long time to come.' Landscape History Review of the hardback: 'This book is a tour de force and one grasps the full significance of that comment if one visits the web site on http://hds.essex.ac.uk/em/index.html. One can only be impressed by the huge amount of work the authors have undertaken. ... The book is a major reference book which contains a wealth of information.' Open History Review of the hardback: ' ... this is an immense catalogue of enclosure maps which should be a standard source for generations of future researchers.' The Agricultural History Review Review of the hardback: '... a very valuable source for enclosure maps of England and Wales extant in national and local archives ...The book and database are a very rich source for researchers of parishes transformed by formal enclosure.' Jean Morrin, University of Winchester