Containing 11 chapters, the terms of the statute were agreed at Merton between Henry[1] and the barons of England in 1235.

It was another instance, along with Magna Carta twenty years previously, of the struggle between the barons and the king to limit the latter's rights.

Amongst its provisions, the statute allowed a Lord of the Manor to enclose common land provided that sufficient pasture remained for his tenants, and set out when and how manorial lords could assert rights over waste land, woods, and pastures against their tenants.

Having long been disused, it was revived under Duke of Northumberland John Dudley in January 1550 to enable lords to enclose their land at their own discretion, out of keeping with the traditional Tudor anti-enclosure attitude.

The Statute also dealt with illegitimacy[3] – stating that "He is a bastard that is born before the marriage of his parents".