Common Land Research
The common land of England and Wales is an important common resource with multiple (and often conflicting) land uses. It provides some of our most ecologically sensitive environments and landscapes; it is an important agricultural resource (especially in the uplands); and a recreational resource that provides public access to the countryside for walking and other recreational uses.
The Contested Common Land project brought together historians from Lancaster University with expertise in manorial court archival research, and environmental lawyers in Newcastle Law School, to examine the environmental governance of common land from an interdisciplinary, historical and contemporary perspective. Virtual reality imaging software was developed by the Informatics Research Institute at Newcastle University.
The project undertook:
an examination of the management of common land since the 17th century using historical methods of enquiry. This involved the legal mechanisms for regulating land use and the principles applied to the governance of common land e.g. through the former manorial court system.
an examination of modern governance mechanisms and the emergence of sustainable land management as a discrete objective for the future of our Commons.
