The Transformation Of Rural Social Economy And Landscape Change In Early Modern England

Rural landscape is closely related to agricultural social economic activities.The research of landscape change,which can reflect the development of rural society in England.This thesis studies rural landscape changes from the perspective of the transformation of rural social economy in early modern England.The purpose of this thesis is to help us understand the transition of rural society in England more deeply.The first chapter investigates the transformation of rural social economy in early modern England.In the 16th century,England's overall population had began to growing,which intensified contradiction between human and land resources.Encroachment on common fields increased.Along with the population growth,the prices were soared especially in livestock products,which made stock farming profitable.With the commercialization of agricultural and animal husbandry in early modern England,the rural agricultural production was transitioning to modernization.These economic activities were deeply changed the rural fields.The second chapter discusses the transitional process of rural fields which were influenced by enclosure and commercialized farming activities.The development of animal husbandry had strongly stimulated the enclosure movement of the whole country,which made deeply changed in rural landscape.Midland is the most typical district and its open fields were changed.People developed pasture via enclosure large blocks of land by agreement.The hedges and ditches were featured in enclosure landscape,which indicated the privatization of land ownership.As the irregular open field system in East Anglia,the process of enclosure movement was far more quickly than Midland and other areas.And East Anglia was the earliest one to conform to the trend of the transition from farming to husbandry.There were large scale enclosed fields because of strips were concentrated,which could set up large capitalist farms.East Anglia formed a unique landscape,because there was near to the London and have a good regional commercial agriculture.The third chapter studies rural settlements and housing rebuilding in early modern times.With the development of enclosure movement,a large scale open fields were enclosed.The nucleated villages in open fields were out of the original region.People set up new farmsteads and cottages in marginal land.The nucleated settlements became dispersal,which altered the living pattern of rural community.At the same time,villagers had enough money to repair or rebuild their houses,which caused the Great Rebuilding in the country.The modern houses especially the country house and gardens became a splendid landscape in rural districts.The last chapter's focus is their view on the transformation of field appearance and settlements.With the enclosure movement in 16-17th century,lords sank in the confusion of traditional moral belief and realistic economic interests.In that case,lords chose to enclosure by agreement or developed precision farming,which influenced the method of enclosure and the course of field transformation.The progress of agricultural improvement ideas promoted the development of convertible husbandry and water meadows landscape in the enclosed lands.Under the influence of the idea of "individualism" in Puritanism and the kinsfolk and community's impact declined in nuclear family,the private space in the house have increased,which reflected people's deepest desire for privacy.To come to a conclusion,rural social economy had a great changes in early modern England,which had influences on rural landscape.The study of the transformation of filed appearance and rural settlements,which was not only showed us the real meaning behind the transition of ancient field system and villages,but also reflected a shift in social mentalities beyond spatial layout.