Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1880-02-01
How England's Great Land Owners
Obtained Their Estates.

The London Echo has just published
an interesting series OF articles en-
titled Our Old Nobility" in which the
growth of the noble families of England
portrayed. In concluding article the
writer thus summed up hisviews:
In 100 chapters we have briefly
sketched the agrarian history of ma
jority Of our most notable aristocratic
houses. In my selections I have not
been guided mainly by the greatness OF
their possessions, but rather by their
historic interest Or present prominence.
Thus I have included some like the
Erskines and Fanes, whose estates are
small, and have altogether omitted peers
like Lord Tredegar, with over 100000
acres, and Lord Penrhyn, with a rent
roll of 100000. 1 have dealt in all with
121 mobiles, owning nearly 100000 Of
acres, with rent-ro1 OF nearly $780,
900, an average ownership OF $4,000
acres, and an average rent-roll OF over
e46,000.
1t certainly has not been my object
to seek out examples of what, for want
of better word, I will call the illegiti-
mate acquisition of landed property.
Yet the result is that those who can
claim that they have obtained their
lands by money solely acquired in COM
mercial or professional pursuits are
singularly few-perhaps about dozen
in all. Compared with other peoples,
we are landless nation, and we are
landless nation in consequence Of con-
tinued encroachment upon the rights
our ancient forefathers possessed.
Throughout the reigps of the Han
overian Kings landowners Parliaments
were constantly passing Enclosure acts,
desirable fer the most part, with view
to increase production, but resulting IN
the appropriation Of between 1900, 600
and 100000 acres of common land, of
which the common people retained but
a very small proportion-not more than
10000 acres in all. Occasionally I
have been able to point out where vast
estates have been increased by these
acts, but generally it has been impossi-
bic to obtain exact information.
It is worthy of note that aneiently the
lavish grants of the crown were checked
by the power of resumption. Most Of
the vast estates seized and retained by
William the Conqueror were dissipated
by William Rufus, who was compelled
subsequently, to resume the grant which
he had made. About the middle of last
century the grasping avarice OF ono of
the Lowthers, in attempting to obtain
for himself large tract of crown lands,
which had been previously granted to
the Bentincks, occasioned the passage
of what is known as the NUllus Tempus
act, which secured the grantees of crown
lands against any resumption of their
properties. It is obviously impossible
to reckon up acre by acre the quantity
of land which has at various times been
obtained otherwise than by purchase.
The agra1ian history of many of the
great houses is complicated by the acqui-
sition of property by marriage. Ihave,
however, traced the previous history of
such lands in sufficient number Of
cases to show that we may safely pre-
sumo that, as rule, they have been ac-
quired in much the same way as the rest.
After a careful consideration of all the
houses I have noticed, bear In mind the
modern Enclosure act, and the increased
value oflands due to the improvement of
tenants, cannot yet arrive at the con-
clusion that not one-tenth of the estates
in question have been acquired Tor
value received. All the rest, in one
way or another, has been obtained for
nothing.