Heritage Talk – Common Ground: the History of Common Land in Britain with Angus Winchester

12th October 2026 6:00pm (Doors open at 5:30 pm)

Kirkgate Centre

Common land accounts for over one million hectares of Britain today, almost all of it ‘half wild country’ (to use the late Alan Everitt’s evocative phrase): mountain, moorland, wetland, scrubby woodland or heath. As well as being an integral part of the livestock farming system in northern and western Britain, commons are valued more widely by modern society, as open ground for recreation and for the richness of their semi-natural ecosystems. Common land thus carries multiple meanings which sometimes collide in current debates around managing the rural environment. To fully appreciate commons today requires an understanding of their history.

Angus Winchester's interest in the history of common land arose out of his longstanding research interests in hill farming and upland landscapes in the north of England during the medieval and early modern periods.His latest book, Common Land in Britain: a History from the Middle Ages to the Present Day, was published by Boydell Press in 2022. Originally from Cockermouth, he is Emeritus Professor of History atLancaster University.