<P> The enclosure of common land for sheep farming and the consequent eviction of villagers from their homes and their livelihoods became an important political issue for the Tudors . Reflecting royal opposition to this practice, the anti-enclosure acts of 1489 and 1516 were aimed at stopping the waste of structures and farmland, which would lead to lower tax revenues, fewer potential military conscripts for the crown, and more potential underclass rebels . The Tudor authorities were extremely nervous about how the villagers who had lost their homes would react . In the sixteenth century, lack of income made one a pauper . If one lost one's home as well, one became a vagrant; and vagrants were regarded (and treated) as criminals . The authorities saw many people becoming what they regarded as vagabonds and thieves as a result of enclosure and depopulation of villages . From the time of Henry VII onwards, Parliament began passing Acts to stop enclosure, to limit its effects, or at least to fine those responsible . The first such law was in 1489 . Over the next 150 years, there were 11 more Acts of Parliament and eight commissions of enquiry on the subject . </P> <P> Initially, enclosure was not itself an offence, but where it was accompanied by the destruction of houses, half the profits would go to the Crown until the lost houses were rebuilt (the 1489 Act gave half the profits to the superior landlord, who might not be the Crown, but an Act of 1536 allowed the Crown to receive this half share if the superior landlord had not taken action). In 1515, conversion from arable to pasture became an offence . Once again, half the profits from conversion would go to the Crown until the arable land was restored . Neither the 1515 Act nor the previous laws were effective in stopping enclosure, so in 1517 Cardinal Wolsey established a commission of enquiry to determine where offences had taken place--and to ensure the Crown received its half of the profits . </P> <P> Alongside population growth, inflation was a major reason for enclosure . When Henry VIII became King in 1509, he found the royal finances in good shape thanks to the prudence of his father Henry VII (reigned 1485--1509). But this soon changed as Henry VIII doubled household expenditure and started costly wars against both France and Scotland . With his wealth rapidly decreasing, Henry VIII imposed a series of taxes devised by his Chancellor, Thomas Wolsey (in office 1515--1529). Soon the people began to resent Wolsey's taxes and the administration had to find a new source of finance: in 1544, Henry reduced the silver content of new coins by about 50%; he repeated the process to a lesser extent the following year . This, combined with injection of bullion from the New World, increased the money supply in England, which led to continuing price inflation . This threatened landowners' wealth, which encouraged the landowners to become more efficient, and they saw enclosure as a way of doing this . </P> <P> The debasement of the coinage was not seen as a cause of inflation (and therefore of enclosures) until the Duke of Somerset became Lord Protector (1547--1549) during the reign of Edward VI (1547--1553). Until then enclosures were seen as the cause of inflation, not the outcome . When Thomas Smith advised Somerset that enclosure resulted from inflation, Somerset ignored him . It was not until John Dudley, 1st Duke of Northumberland became de facto ruler that his Secretary of State William Cecil (in office 1550--1553) took action on debasement to try to stop enclosure . </P>

Who created enclosures in the 16th century england