The town and village greens of England and Wales

This paper considers the nature and significance of town and village greens within the landscape of England and Wales. It reflects on problems of definition and on the limited availability of data concerning the origins and geographical distribution of greens. The paper draws attention to the registration of greens following the Commons Registration Act 1965, and summarizes information collated from the registers subsequently prepared by local authorities. Details of numbers of greens and their spatial density at county level are presented, and reference is also made to rights of common on greens, and to the ownership of the greens themselves.