ABSTRACT

This article examines the circumstances surrounding William Combe’s attempted enclosure of open fields at Welcombe, Stratford-upon-Avon. Whilst there are many references to this episode, due largely to William Shakespeare’s involvement in its early stages, its place in the wider study of pre-Parliamentary enclosure has not been discussed in any detail. This can be attributed to certain features not shared by other early seventeenth-century enclosure disputes. It was not, for instance, accompanied by serious public order disturbances. Furthermore, the opposition was led not by a loose alliance of the disaffected but by a legally constituted body, the Stratford-upon-Avon Corporation, which was able to put together a strong case to persuade, first, the justices of assize, and then the Privy Council, to call a halt to Combe’s efforts despite the fact that the government was becoming increasingly reluctant to enforce anti-enclosure measures.

摘要

本文考察了威廉·康布（William Combe）试图在埃文河畔斯特拉特福的韦尔科姆（Welcombe）围堵空地的情况。尽管有很多提到此事件的原因，很大程度上是由于威廉·莎士比亚（William Shakespeare）参与了其早期阶段，但并未对它在更广泛的国会前围墙研究中的地位进行过详细讨论。这可以归因于其他17世纪早期的住房纠纷没有共享的某些功能。例如，它并没有伴有严重的公共秩序混乱。此外，反对派不是由不满的人组成的松散联盟领导，而是由合法的机构埃文河畔斯特拉特福公司领导，该机构能够提出有力的理由，首先是说服大法官，然后是说服大法官。枢密院