It created a law that enabled enclosure of land, at the same time removing the right of commoners' access.

[2] The act required the procedure to start with a petition delivered to Parliament signed by the landowner, tithe holders and a majority of people affected.

In 1774, Parliament added an amendment to the act under the standing orders that every petition for enclosure had to be affixed to the door of the local church for three consecutive Sundays in August or September.

[3] The act eventually limited the amount of traffic on culverted paths as they often fell within land that was to be enclosed.

This often meant that traffic eventually stopped going along certain routes, such as the path above the culverted Shit Brook in Much Wenlock.