Common land

Common card · No. 281355

Common land is collective land in which all persons have certain common rights (although sometimes only those whose nation governs the land), such as to allow their livestock to graze upon it, to collect wood or water, or to cut turf for fuel. A person who has a right in, or over, common land jointly with another or others is usually called a commoner. In Great Britain, common land or former common land is usually referred to as a common; for instance, Clapham Common and Mungrisdale Common. Due to enclosure, the extent of common land is now much reduced from the hundreds of square kilometres that existed until the 17th century, but a considerable amount of common land still exists, particularly in upland areas. There are over 8,000 registered commons in England alone.

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