What Is Common Land?

Common land, as defined by English tradition, is land that multiple people have the right to use for different purposes, such as grazing or fishing. It may also be a village green, a right of way or a footpath. Although the land is in theory not owned by any one person, it is technically owned by the person during their use of it. Some confusion still exists over how common land should be classified, with the 1965 Common Registration Act attempting to regulate and record what land fell into this category. When a piece of common land is converted into private ownership, the process is known as enclosure or inclosure. It is also expected that a piece of common land will be managed or maintained in some way by the community, most notably contingent cooperators, who establish rules of maintenance and limit the amount of direct involvement by individuals on the land.