If you glance at a map of the East Kent Downs you will notice several settlements with the suffix Minnis. The name probably stems from the Saxon word (Ge)maennes, and refers to areas of open heathland that once played a key role in the medieval rural economy, providing spaces for landless peasants to graze their animals, forage and collect firewood.
Over the centuries, the minnises were gradually “enclosed” by the lords of manor who owned them and vital access to the commons was cut off. This process was accelerated as the rural population grew and demand for land increased, and the privatization drive was eventually legalized by a series of parliamentary acts of enclosure. By the mid-19th century, nearly all common land in Kent had been parcelled up for private property owners.
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