Ny tid över tegarna : Nyodling och skifte i Torstuna härad 1750-1914

The purpose of this thesis is to elucidate the importance of the enclosure movement for the agricultural development in the area of Mälardalen, Sweden. This is done through a case study of Torstuna härad between the years 1750-1914 by sampling five points in time. By studying the long term development of land reclamation and its correlation with meadow acreage, crop rotation and animal stock the thesis argues that the the radical enclosures in the 1850’s was a course of action to regain opportunities for agricultural expansion. The most intense period of land reclamation was after the implementation of radical enclosure which brought with it a change from communal land use to private ownership. Private property rights meant a new set of advantages for the individual farmer to plan and invest and balance the arable and the meadow