Langford Enclosure

In 1814 there was an attempt to enclose the open fields of Langford. The main landowners, Sir William Welby, the Vicar – Rev George Mossop, Dean and Chapter of Westminster, together with Perigrine Piper, Mark Norman, and George Edwards all met to prepare the way forward for a petition to be sent to the House of Commons for leave to introduce a Bill. After a year this came to nothing because of an objection and a counter-petition by the Abbey of Westminster. So Langford retained its open field system whilst other villages were being enclosed. A second attempt was made in 1827 and this time the petition was successful. The instigators or commissioners were Perigrine Piper, Mr Pym and George Edwards. They met at the Crown public house. The enclosure would rid the village of the payment of tithes which had been paid since the Middle Ages. However, the tithe owners had to be compensated for their loss of tithes and they received parcels of land.

All the lands had to be surveyed and assessed for quality and accurately mapped. Claims for compensation had to be considered taking into account the requirements of the Act and so this work continued until completion in 1829. Landowners previously holding land in the open field system were compensated with roughly equal amounts of land in the newly enclosed land, the lords of the manors were compensated for loss of manorial rights, tithe owners were compensated for loss of tithes and commoners were compensated for loss of common rights. Highways, drains, ditches and boundaries were defined or created. The main people who benefited were Sir William Welby of Lincolnshire, Rev George Mossop of Biggleswade, George Edwards of Henlow, and Major-General Raynsford of London. 

List of sources at Bedfordshire Archives: 

• AA28: Langford Enclosure Act, 1827
• MA57: Langford Enclosure map, 1829
• Award Book N: Enclosure award, 1829