The parish of Preston-cum-Sutton Poyntz was Inclosed as a result of an Act of Parliament dated 1794. The Inclosure Commissioners report, and the Tithe Map dated 1838, show the dramatic effect this had on the landscape, generating substantially the countryside we see now. In place of the old open strips, enclosed fields were created to a pattern that is still clearly recognisable today. The main tenants still had the same amount of land in total, but far less scattered than it had been, and therefore much easier to farm efficiently. Sub-tenants - the bulk of the population - lost what common rights they still had.
The majority of the parish was now divided into five main farms. Northdown Farm, still existed, on the east and north-east side of Sutton Poyntz, probably mainly as a distinct diary-producing farm. Jordan Farm also pre-dated enclosure - this occupied the area west of the river Jordan between Preston Road and the sea. The new farms were Sutton Farm on the west side of Sutton Poyntz, Wyke Oliver Farm to the west of Preston Road, and Southdown Farm mainly in Lodmoor. The pattern varied slightly from time to time; for example Jordan Farm was amalgamated with Northdown Farm for a time in the 1840's, while in 1925 Northdown Farm had been divided into two farms, Northdown and Court Farms.
A Short History - Six snapshots - 1840 - Effect of Inclosure
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