The Shocking truth about Who REALLY Owns England?

[@pwhitewick]

Go Buy Guys Book/s. Link here: uk.bookshop.org/p/books/who-owns-england-how-we-lost-our-land-and-how-to-take-it-back-guy-shrubsole/1740267

[@brizlee]

See also the book "Who Owns Britain", by Kevin Cahill 2001

[@pwhitewick]

@@RebeccaHollyGreen Sales man? We were not paid for this. To be clear. We make videos we enjoy and feel passionate about. I make videos about ancient landscapes, thats tricky when they are increasingly difficult to access.

[@pwhitewick]

@@RebeccaHollyGreen Thanks for the explanation Rebecca. For me this video was born out of frustration from not being able to access what was once accessible to the community and the signs thereafter that are potentially illegal and imply no access to an open access piece of land. There was no deliberate set up or anything on my part. This is how I found Guys work specific to the area. My goal here is to understand how you can receive subsidies as a going concern from a government in the UK and have the company that pays tax on its profits registered in Luxembourg. Its that simple for me. no agenda other than to try and understand where we have gone wrong.

[@stuartd9741]

You guys might find this interesting, search; _Geoff buys cars_ Malvern hills. ... It's all about the future of Malvern hills trust.

[@leeboss373]

@@pwhitewick I’m not sure what your point is? You didn’t say what the aristocracy are doing with the land that you don’t agree with🤔

[@gibbson130]

In my younger days i did a brief bit of volunteering with a wildlife charity. They used to send gangs of us out to these big estates and have us do work for them under some guise of something fluffy like "creating a wild flower meadow" even though we were destroying nature and habitats. I just found it all hard to swallow, and one day there was a woodland manager from the actual estate we were working on there, i started asking some questions and he took me aside out of earshot of everyone else and told me everything. How the land we worked were all owned by landed gentry and aristocrats, including his boss who lived overseas, how what we were doing was essentially useless, a free workforce that enabled him to apply for millions in subsidies for the landowner from the EU and UK govs and even how the CEO of the charity was "one of them" and it was all one big money making scam. Really opened my eyes as a young man what really goes on in this country. "It's a big club and you're not in it"

[@claireseyeviewonredbubble]

Wow! Explains how the rich always get richer. Govs keeping the elite happy at the expense of the poor.

[@BromideBride]

In the early 80s I got roped into a _conservation project_ to build a wildlife pond for the (highly respected local 🙄) owners of a large hotel chain under much the same circumstances. The habitat was destroyed in order to rearrange things more aesthetically on an noted ancient natural pond that could be viewed from the owner's property. I may have sabotaged some things, unintentionally I'm sure, and quit the job. 😇

[@ianrichards4907]

the last line says it all !

[@janebaker966]

@@gibbson130 I absolutely believe that. It's all.about subsidies and grants etc.

[@quanchyplimp]

Love your final words, the George Carlin quote. Spot on!

[@vkdrk]

In Slovakia, there is a website, very similar to Google maps, where you can zoom in and see who owns the land. Every single square metre of land in the country, all buildings, forests, roads, rivers, creeks, lakes, anything you can imagine... and everyone has access to it (free of charge). You can see who owns the land, when they got it, and how they got it (purchased, inherited, gifted, etc) and their current address in case you need to contact them. There is no inheritance tax in Slovakia (it's illegal because it's considered as double taxation), so the ownership of land is changing regularly and they also update the data regularly on that website. I think it's great to be able to check who owns land around you. Slovaks love having access to this kind of data online. You can even check how much your local council spent on toilet paper or pens last month because they have to publish all invoices online when they spend your tax money 😂

[@robertbaldwin177]

Us Brits need to learn from the Slovaks, sounds a very fair and transparent system. Thanks for sharing.

[@aleksanderszczurek8629]

I think there's sth like that in Poland too I'm pretty sure

[@catsploitation]

Same in France

[@walsakaluk1584]

Same in the world.

[@sunny5610]

well, our money is going down the toilet and there is obviously no receipt for it 😊

[@rayganter8029]

A poem from the 18th century reads as a protest of the inclosure acts: They hang the man and flog the woman Who steals the goose from off the common Yet let the greater villain loose That steals the common from the goose The law demands that we atone When we take things we do not own But leaves the lords and ladies fine Who take things that are yours and mine The poor and wretched don't escape If they conspire the law to break This must be so but they endure Those who conspire to make the law The law locks up the man or woman Who steals the goose from off the common And geese will still a common lack Till they go and steal it back

[@djinnxx7050]

That's a great poem, is it yours? I've never heard it before but it's very similar to a saying I have: The law protects the rich as it subdues the poor. (I'm a simple man) It's somewhat disheartening to know that such has been known for centuries, and yet nothing has changed. No man owns land, you can't own a planet, the land owns you and will consume you upon death. If you want to be weird about it, the earth is god, and no one owns god or a piece of it. And there are quite a few gods, so there's my customary middle finger to the abrahimic faiths in a topic entirely unrelated to them.

[@rayganter8029]

@@djinnxx7050 No its not mine I believe it was written at the time of The Inclosure Act..........It is Inclosure Act not Enclosure

[@djinnxx7050]

@@rayganter8029 Who wrote it? I want to see what else he's got cooking, or had, cause obviously he's brown bread by now.

[@joshaynes7853]

Well, the Enclosure Acts were a long time ago (and were passed over a few hundred years) and they created a viable farm structure. Do you really think that farmer with a hundred different strips of land in a hundred different places is going to be an efficient farmer. And would you really like the high cost of production when it came to your food prices or your taxes?

[@tomfinney3416]

thankyou for recalling this part of our history and culture , the poem echoes with honesty centuries after it was written , even the inclosure not enclosure , ive always called it the enclosure acts our land stolen from us by a few rich men , whilst we got forced into slums and satanic mills owned by the very same richmen who stole the good green earth from us

[@umaspencer2119]

"Who Owns England?" I'll be purchasing the book to support the cause. Thank you for enlightening us!

[@dghtr79_36]

the real question is why offshores are even legal anywhere? because it is straight up legalized theft of taxes, there is no other way of looking at it, there are countless and countless businesses who do business in country X and never ever pay a penny of income tax in said country even though they extracted wealth from that country

[@matthiuskoenig3378]

They did sales tax there. Income tax is already theft. It was introduced as a temporary measure, but like almost all temporary government policy it is treated as permanent.

[@AntonyoKnight]

Brits created Offshore. There's a very interesting story behind which helps you to understand the puzzle.

[@scienceevolves4417]

@@AntonyoKnight what puzzles? Are you telling me you willingly pay 10x more taxes than are due simply because you wanna go patriotic? Lol

[@silverXnoise]

@@AntonyoKnightYeah I think I understand the “puzzles” fairly well. They actually don’t seem all that puzzling-rich wankers want to live in their own tier of society where they can remain obscenely wealthy without paying anything back to the economies they exploited. Oooh…so complicated!

[@AntonyoKnight]

@@scienceevolves4417 Offshore available everywhere but not every country leadership is patriotic to its own people and nation. The UK government and leadership needs changing not the taxpayers.

[@BIBIWCICC]

A simple way around this is to make all foreign owned land accessible to the public. If you don’t pay tax in the UK on your land then you don’t get the same rights as someone who does. This will also act as a tax avoidance deterrent and benefit the British public.

[@TIMMEH19991]

the problem is the people who make the rules are the very ones benefitting from our rubbish tax laws.

[@savage-goose]

American here... so in the UK you don't pay property tax on your land if you don't live in the country? In the US, we pay an annual property assessment tax to the county. If you don't pay this, the county will seize your land and auction it off to the public. It doesn't matter who owns it or where they live, if it doesn't get paid the county assessor is coming for the property.

[@romankacin8365]

Yes, all problems in the country are caused by foreigners. Let’s get them.

[@cpyart]

@@savage-goose no inheritance tax on farms here www.gov.uk/guidance/agricultural-relief-on-inheritance-tax

[@AKUJIVALDO]

​@@savage-goose so your owned property must pay taxes in the free land? LOL

[@spitfire1962]

“We live in a Democracy” If you believe that then you need to look into it further.

[@janebaker966]

Exactly

[@stuartd9741]

No democracy with the recent election, with such a massive majority.. .. All hell is about to break loose now they have all that power.

[@paulgibbons2320]

Brexit has exposed this nonsense.

[@ManNoName-c9u]

Are you annoyed you forget to vote last month?

[@djinnxx7050]

​@@ManNoName-c9uIf voting changed anything of importance...

[@chrisrand5185]

I used to work for a Local Authority and we spent years trying to trace the owner of a parcel of unregistered land, including posting site notices, notices in the London Gazette and asking members of the local community, but to no avail. One day a family of Travellers set up camp on and adjacent parcel of abandoned highway. Within 24 hours we knew who the landowner was when they demanded that we evict the Travellers. Postscript: we allowed the Travellers to stay for a set period and charged them for waste collection. They left the site as agreed and in a better state than they had found it.

[@planescaped]

Sounds about right. A lot of those smaller plots tend to be owned by... let's call them surly old people...

[@adenwellsmith6908]

we allowed the Travellers to stay for a set period and charged them for waste collection. ========= You're not the land owner. Tell me your address and I'll give some traveler mates permission to use your gaff.

[@chrisrand5185]

​@@adenwellsmith6908 we were the landowner, it was public highway.

[@adenwellsmith6908]

@@chrisrand5185 Within 24 hours we knew who the landowner was when they demanded that we evict the Travellers. ====== That implies it wasn't the public.

[@ukbigjon]

​@adenwellsmith6908 how are you not following what they have stated? The landowner that they hadn't been able to trace, demanded they evicted the travellers not from "his" land... but from the adjacent land they had set up camp on. 🤷🏻‍♂️

[@nicklovell7745]

For those who think they own their own home look at your deeds, the clue is at the top, Tenant free from rent. You own the right to live there for free unless they ie the crown needs it, wants it or you’ve done something wrong. Before anyone says I’m wrong look up Allodial title and understand the Uk

[@kamj2948]

This comment needs way more attention.

[@Andyd2585]

That is only on the isle of man and scotland since they abolished the feudal system

[@nicklovell7745]

Isles of Man and Shetland plus Orkney 👍

[@Andyd2585]

@nicklovell7745 Scottish and English nobility are two separate things. King only has so much power in Scotland. The feudal system was abolished in Scotland in 2004

[@ohnoitisnt]

So dont put your land on the registry? Pay cash sign paper contract with seller and witnesses and live free

[@alphatoomegabeyondthematri5166]

Very strange I bought 5 acres of land in Wales so excited I spent my first night on it in my car. The next morning a man came to the gate wanting to be friendly I went up thought it was local farmer as I reported a stuck sheep to a neighbour who owned a large house. Anyway he was a Council Enforcement officer and wanted to check their was no caravan on the land I said no I had only just bought the land. I let him in to see and then he went on to say you're not allowed to live on the land and went on and on. Remember I had only stayed on my own bought land 1 night. How did he find out so fast and why did he come out in one night? Very fishy when you write to the Government and it took them 1 month to respond with on sentence re being land. So you see these large estates unaccountable. I would be happy to see responsible people I can choose to allow to go onto my land alas public liability will be a bit of a issue but I want to vet people due to certain people are not responsible and can be very nasty. Normal British people fine or any who respect the environment but there is a whole section of our country now who do not respect any British people or anything British, let alone the land. I want to farm the land as forest horticulture I've planted many trees I also want to introduce with rare breeds animals. However the hoops one has to jump through for anything to cut a tree permit which costs, put a polly tunnel on permit costs also waiting for response you name it all money gabs. I will not get grants all have rules that make no sense at all. Like tree grant require a huge number of trees in a small area which is not good for the environment. My God it is enough to give one a heart attack and I struggling to find somewhere to live hopefully now found a place to live cross fingers only taken me 3 years. Only allowed to stay on my land 28 days so doing anything is useless 28 days does not mean you can manage land you need to observe wilds flowers habitat damp spots light levels etc Try doing that in 28 days. I do actually believe small permaculture properties would across the country managed well live on would be great for wildlife and can feed the population. We are heading for a huge famine yet every obstacle is put int he way of producing food yes it is on purpose they want depopulation so let's starve the public.

[@sylviasimpson-n2o]

Similar to a condo time share then ! What a racket.

[@van-gabondramblinrose6398]

Get livestock. They have to let you stay for animal husbandry.

[@alphatoomegabeyondthematri5166]

@@van-gabondramblinrose6398 Alas they are now still throwing people off and taking live stock but working on it just frustrating. So may famers are giving up its very concerning as we need more farmers.

[@p0llenp0ny]

@@alphatoomegabeyondthematri5166 All by design. You will own nothing and be happy.

[@patrickcolclough2423]

So you were hoping to live o the land then?

[@GrahamWalters]

The experience in my family is that most farmers do not own the lad they farm, My grandfather was a tenant farmer on the Foley estate, my Uncle was as a tenant farmer as well, when my Uncle eventualy retired my cousin took over the farm, house and and stock. His farm forms part of the massive Clive estate in Herefordshire.

[@JulieWallis1963]

Oh those rent lads!

[@Hugh_de_Mortimer]

My ancestors were tenant farmers for 800 years in Leicestershire on a 500 acre farm but it was on an estate owned by an aristocrat with connections to the Norman Conquest.

[@TheSockWomble]

I have a good mate in Hampshire who is also a tenant farmer well said 👍

[@NoOne-hq9cp]

Been on a socage tenant since 1066 no allodiol title Isle of man have allodial title the powers that be obviously know that The queen was the king is still the overseer for pope

[@E_L1000]

This is sad. More farmers in the UK needs to own their land.

[@zlamanit]

We pay thousands in council tax for small parcels of land. Imagine how much tax these large landowners must pay... NOT!

[@OlonLife]

based on last sale in the area which is like a hundred years ago. the law is made with this in mind... get money from the money to give it to the few.

[@Applepie409]

I wonder how tax is avoided these large swathes of land.

[@server1ok]

The property tax that you pay on a private residence + a small garden is not a land tax. It's a peoples tax. If you own 50.000 acres, then you are taxed in a different way since you can't use such a enormous landmass for your personal needs. Typically, there's a company, foundation or a lease to farmers to work on the land, then, the farmer + consumer pays various taxes that indirectly start at the land. The problem here isn't the economics. It's the walling off and erasing the historical right to pass the land on foot or horseback. In addition. Think about the poor wildlife. They routinely get stuck, can't meet up with family, a new partner and sometimes can't get to water. As they say. It looks green but you are looking at an "ecological desert" in the background footage. A wild rabbit has a higher chance of survival in the deserts of Mongolia or Algeria, than in lush green England.

[@Treeborer]

Using holding companies to register land sounds like one almighty tax dodge to me.

[@pwhitewick]

We certainly should be asking questions

[@mayhem1988]

It almost certainly is, I would imagine it's specifically aimed at dodging inheritance tax, which, rightly or wrongly, has been the ruin of many estates and country houses since it's introduction.

[@ianrichards4907]

@@pwhitewick "they" will not let you !

[@DjDolHaus86]

Taxing wealth/assets (what you own) rather than what you earn is the only way to fix our broken tax system. Anyone with money knows that the tax man can't get it if you turn it into appreciating assets. That £300k bonus won't look so great once the revenue have taken their half but if you were to buy a house with it before the april tax deadline, aside from minor taxes and upkeep, that £300k is only ever going to appreciate in the form of rent and property value, you're getting passively richer with every year and the tax man is only getting a fraction. If you ever need to extract the cash to invest in something else then you just sell the house. Money making money for the rich while us wage monkeys feel the squeeze of ever growing taxes to fill the deficit left by those who could easily afford to pay.

[@rakido7388]

If you sell a house you don't live in, you're liable for CGT.

[@minimal3734]

While others have left this behind, the UK has largely remained a feudal society.

[@SuperChrisDub]

The details may differ from country to country but almost all countries are owned by a tiny minority and it's getting worse. Not sure where you are from because you posted from a sock puppet account but the wealth and land distribution in the States is as bad if not worse than the UK. Ours is feudal because we actually have a history that goes back to feudal times. It's the same all across Europe - because they all have an actual history. The US may win at everything else but are not even in the top 100 when it comes to history. When it comes to the crunch - the world is owned by the rich, which should be pretty obvious, right? The richer the better the more sophisticated and covered up it is. I agree the UK is fucked but so is the US, France, Australia, etc. But they get the rest of to hate each other while they take all our shit. The richest have no allegiance to the country they were born in.

[@Anon54387]

True. And odd that UK people so often criticize the limits placed on US government by the Bill of Rights when that was an attempt to shake off that feudal system.

[@matthiuskoenig3378]

How so? The 1% own more land in the US than in the UK. The 1% own 66% of the land in the US, while it's only 50% in the UK. In the EU the 1% own 60% of land. World wide 70% of land is owned by 1% of people. The rich own an abornormally small % of land in the UK.

[@minimal3734]

@@matthiuskoenig3378 Other countries in europe have abolished and expropriated the aristocracy, the uk has not. Here these people still own titles and a large part of the land. This wealth is not justified by any personal merit. Or think of the "house of lords", a political body in which "lords" influence the country without any legitimacy. These are the characteristics of a feudal society.

[@oliveoil7642]

I always contemplated how it was that all of the major monarchies were dissolved after WW1 but Britain’s remained and still does🤔🧐

[@KamilSkalny]

People of Great Britain slowly realising that this is not their country.

[@gyrogearloose1345]

Do you mean Great Britain, Crate Britain (?) or just something ... else? Never heard of Grate Britain, is it something to do with going down the drain/

[@KamilSkalny]

@@gyrogearloose1345 Apology for my dyslexia.

[@Dannysince1985]

Finally realising how the government does not care about the people or the country.

[@para.realist]

People of the world slowly realising that this is not their world. All those so called "conspiracy" people are starting to look sane about now. Those few thinking people have been trying to warn the sleeping masses for ever, but are ridiculed and labeled "conspiracy theorists". Wordplay: Cons and Piracy against the people, think about it.

[@perhaps565]

@@Sam-th4gh No. There is something wrong this that.

[@lancewalker5895]

I agree with what you say about companies that own land here should pay tax here. I would expand that to companies that earn any revenue here should not be allowed to move their profits off-shore and avoid tax. They should pay their taxes here. That should also apply to Trusts and inheritance tax.

[@johnb6723]

Inheritance tax should be banned. It breaches God's Word, specifically Ezekiel 46.

[@malcolmrichardson3881]

Excellent, very informative video, which highlights the extreme concentration of land ownership in much of the UK, and why, as a consequence, so much of the countryside remains not only 'out of bounds' to the general public ('no public right of way'), but also 'out of country' in the sense that so much of it is registered in tax havens abroad. Thank you and well done.

[@HesderOleh]

Until this video I thought that Georgism was an outdated idea as land isn't where real power is but it stocks and capital. I still don't know if Georgism is a solution, but I can't believe I didn't realize how crazy it still was.

[@BinkySocks]

Never had a clue. It’s rather disheartening that citizens only own 5% of all the land. Thanks for a great video 👍

[@Biigfish559]

But do we? It's a form of rental in it's own way. There are freehold and leasehold properties which implies that especially in the latter, the property will never fully be your own. OK, you wish to buy a home. The old English way (for the commoners) is to basically borrow money from the super rich. One way they remain super rich is charging you interest on that money, usually at way above bank rates. But not only that, they then calculate the interest and charge, erm, interest on THAT! Then you use up your life working for some other super rich owned industry and paying 20 times what your house was worth originally then you die. But at least my children can have an easy start in the housing market ....HA f@@@ off, the agents of the rich (Governments) make you pay obscene inheritance tax (Unless....super rich...havens yadayada) . That poem above from the 17th century sadly proves that this situation will never change.

[@matthiuskoenig3378]

Why? Only 1% of the population are farmers/work on farms. And only 1% of land is housing and gardens. The vast majority of the population are effectively urban (even if they live in built up areas classified as rural). Ofcaurse the vast majority of people only own a small % of the land. Considering only 1% is housing and farming, 5% is very high for 'citizen' ownership

[@oliveoil7642]

And yet they were conned into fighting a war for King and country! 😳🤔

[@roywalsh9676]

You are not citizens in England, you are subjects . It is a legally mix of democracy and aristocracy , hence a king as head of state and a House of Lords

[@ionutz9366]

and 82 % by they.

[@HumunculousInPants]

There's a place called Tusmore Park that is currently owned by Wafic Saiid who is a Middle Eastern arms dealer and fraudster. He bought it from the Royal family and immediately erected a monument dedicated to the Queen. It's my suspicion that this monument was his act of faith showing that he will eventually return ownership to the royal family. So, essentially the royal family is laundering money earned from selling the weapons that kill British soldiers by "selling" these properties. Think about it, they have absolutely no need to sell it. Either they wanted this arms dealing fraudster to live in England so badly that they willingly cut off their own estate to give to him (and if that's the case, then why?) or there is something else going on. Either way, someone should look into it.

[@almaysri743]

The same way your country was fraudster to others, you are being treated with your own medicine. What goes around comes around... good for you.

[@samanthahardy9903]

This could explain part of the problem of what is currently happening in the UK. Own the land and eventually own the people imo.

[@HumunculousInPants]

@@samanthahardy9903 Agreed. If they are so rich, why would they need to sell any of it? It's fishy to me. Very suspicious.

[@benediktmorak4409]

what Prosecutor or Judge will want to convict the Queen or King?

[@Shaun-sn6nn]

Taxpayers money 💰

[@lloydd.984]

England (as well as elsewhere) is a big farm. The people are livestock. If they are lucky, they are provided a pen and little more. If you remember your place within this framework, everything begins to make sense....everything.

[@helenswan705]

and you dont mean a writing-pen do you. You mean a cage. You may have heard the saying: "what colour would you like us to paint the bars of your cage? (or walls of your cell). when is a choice not a choice.

[@johnburns4017]

Winston Churchill was a strong supporter of Land Value tax (LVT) for all land, every inch of it. He believed it was a fair and efficient way to return benefits to the public that had been given to landlords. Churchill called land monopoly _"the mother of all monopolies"_ saying that landowners take wealth from others without effort. He believed that LVT would prevent speculative land hoarding, ensuring the most valuable land was developed first, and eliminate property bubbles. Churchill... _"Roads are made, streets are made, services are improved, electric light turns night into day, water is brought from reservoirs a hundred miles off in the mountains - and all the while the landlord sits still. Every one of those improvements is effected by the labour and cost of other people and the taxpayers. To not one of those improvements does the land monopolist, as a land monopolist, contribute, and yet by every one of them the value of his land is enhanced._ *_He renders no service to the community, he contributes nothing to the general welfare, he contributes nothing to the process from which his own enrichment is derived_* _... the unearned increment on the land is reaped by the land monopolist in exact proportion, not to the service, but to the disservice done."_

[@adenwellsmith6908]

How's the state going to pay the tax on its land holdings? Other examples of land horders. National trust and the RSPB are in the top 10 of land owners. Huge potential for development, housing etc, farming. That's a massive tax bill for them.

[@B.Ies_T.Nduhey]

​@@adenwellsmith6908For the collcetor of that tax. Sure 🤦🏼

[@LWQ15881]

@@adenwellsmith6908the state barely owns its own infrastructure it doesn’t own land.

[@adenwellsmith6908]

@@LWQ15881 It does own land. Forrestry Commision. State owned 2,200,000 acres MOD, 1,101,851 acres Crown Estate 678,420 There's 3 for starters RSPB, 332,000 acres and National Trust, 589,748 acres. Can they pay the tax? What about Common land, like the New Forrest. Who pays the tax?

[@DavidJarrold-e7j]

Both the national trust and rspb are heritage and nature conservation charities. Aside from the obvious reasons for not building on their land most of it would be unsuitable for housing. In terms of farming about 80% of NT land is farmed, all by tenant farmers, small tenancies open to all. A LVT is a no brainier and it’s hard to work out why no government has done it. Easier to strip pensioners of their heating I guess.

[@marcinsobczak2485]

I live in the ROI and, with all due respect, I feel like a rat in a maze. everything is private, fenced off and inaccessible. only public roads are so narrow that there isn't even a one place during a long car trip to pull over and take a piss, not to mention go for a walk. My family who visit me sometimes are amazed that there is nowhere to go except in a car, kids say there is nowhere to play outside except narrow sidewalk next to the busy street in the estate. to go cycling or walk the dog I have to get in a car and drive there first for miles. truly depressing place to be

[@RelativeLiberty]

Public footpath networks are undervalued as a national heritage asset. Any time I visit a place that doesn't have them, the countryside feels very hostile and claustrophobic.

[@flyingrat492]

Maybe being by the coast I have a different perspective, but there’s a bunch of beaches near me, as well as the small town my family’s from having a reasonable amount of places to go. But I agree in some ways, fuck all footpaths or anything, in Scotland you can walk from one end of the country to another entirely on public right of ways, and if that’s too easy if you wanted to you could walk anywhere you want in the countryside save someone’s back garden directly next to a house. (Also this is from the perspective of a northern Irish person, though quite close to the border)

[@pussypostlethwaitsaeronaut8503]

You mean pavements and footpaths: there's no such thing as a 'sidewalk' in the ROI. It's not the USA.

[@robertcapa6668]

That is totally fucked up.....

[@AntonyoKnight]

​@@robertcapa6668it's worth to discover Sweden. Hugebland low density of population...

[@marcomcdowell8861]

A thousand years of land control by a select few. It's pretty remarkable that it has rarely been contested.

[@janebaker966]

Because like all truly,really ,rich people they keep a low and discreet profile. I had to laugh when people said that the neighbours of parvenu Jeremy Clarkson were jealous of his wealth and fame. This is deepest no public transport oxfordshire. I'm guessing his obscure neighbours all have got 10 times his wealth but we won't know any of their names. And they like it that way.

[@1258-Eckhart]

It doesn't get contested because the landowners broadly respect English customs and mores concerning Bridleway access, good husbandry and land management. Here in Bavaria, we have vast unsightly (though not as bad as Ukraine) prairie landscapes with hectares and hectares of monoculture. Although England was for decades in the same administration as we are (the EU), the landowners have broadly preserved the very beautiful English "country park" aesthetic, and well done too. I love to fly into Birmingham Airport over the Forest of Arden because England is SO BEAUTIFUL.

[@Biigfish559]

@@1258-Eckhart yes, like the good old fashioned fun pastime of chasing animals on horseback with packs of dogs and ripping the animals apart. I'd conserve the land if given millions in subsidies etc and then stashing the proceeds in tax havens.

[@1258-Eckhart]

@@Biigfish559 I come from a hunting county and I'm in favour of the Hunt!

[@mikeoglen6848]

@@1258-Eckhart So, you support the unspeakable pursuing the uneatable all over England?

[@glenfordburrell1076]

One doesn't need to investigate. There's a classic book titled: the who's who of Britain and Ireland. It's a voluminous read that is still available in most bookshops even today.

[@theenergyflowtribejamesbro1302]

This video landed on my home page today and very interesting indeed. What you may discover in this and virtually any other research is that there is always a hidden hand that seems not to want to get its hand dirty or even become revealed. Paul, whilst you state you own your land, I must ask you to consider the question of subsoil rights. Imagine if you found a highly valuable resource, a mineral such as oil on your land. How soon would it be for this legal eagle to swoop and get its claws in? Where would ownership of land stand in light of a compulsory purchase order! Do keep the videos coming and also remember the saying "See how the land lies" or at least how those that seem to own the majority of it do so!

[@alexjames1146]

My title deed states that mineral rights are mine. Very deep as well. Many people only own down a few metres.

[@theenergyflowtribejamesbro1302]

@alexjames1146 Excellent and I hope you may find some valuable resources should you choose to investigate what is below the surface.

[@tardismole]

It might be a surprise to many, but most farmers are tenant farmers. Over five hundred hears ago, a branch of my grandmother's family was gifted a parcel of land, on which we built homes, farmland, a village and a clay quarry. The village is still there, but ownership was taken from us, without warning, and we were all made homeless. I have no idea who owns it now, not even who lives in the houses my family built with their own hands. I totally agree that there needs to be more transparency and democracy involved in land ownership. Public right of ways are disappearing and public land is swiftly becoming inaccessible enclaves.

[@janetjacks3406]

Wow, didn't know this about land being taken away 500 years ago, have you got a link so could learn more, this makes my blood boil. At every turn I learn this parasite class have been up to this for centuries and have now turned into globalists to further the control us mere ants whose job seems to be as debt slaves.

[@joshaynes7853]

Extremely surprised! And you are wrong. "In England in 2021, the majority of farms (54%) are owner occupied, followed by 31% mixed tenure and 14% wholly tenanted." A search on the internet first prevents one making these howlers.

[@robertbrown7470]

@@joshaynes7853 I've heard two different opinions. Doesn't make yours right.

[@robertbrown7470]

How was ownership taken away from your family?

[@TS-jm7jm]

how was it take away from you?

[@Leshelwynbeteski]

The land registry are bone idle, they don't update ownership records until you have to go to court and prove it. This happened to me!

[@van-gabondramblinrose6398]

Makes it easier for them to steal should they require.

[@Shaun-sn6nn]

Brown envelopes ✉️ 💸 💰

[@Leshelwynbeteski]

Has always been this way

[@Alex-cw3rz]

You find the same issue with the high street most of your high street is owned by REITs in either London or across the world in Hong Kong, Monaco etc. That's why it's in such a state of disrepair and are fine with them being empty as they have calculations for how many they can keep vacant and still get the promised return for the investors. It's a big problem for councils ehen they want to do anything as they have to contact people all over the world

[@pwhitewick]

Thanks, never knew this.

[@rogerphelps9939]

Most roads are adopted which means that they become the responsibility of the local authority to maintain

[@stuartreynolds4480]

@@pwhitewick it went as far as Oxford Street, with a proliferation of american candy stores and harry potter shops in multiples.

[@LoremIpsum1970]

I'm not getting the direct link between ownership and the disrepair of the 'high street'. How do you come to that conclusion? So, it has nothing to do with out of town supermarkets and shopping centres, or even online ordering? At the end of the day the State own all the land, and there's always compulsory purchase orders 😉

[@rednammoc]

*REITs (real estate investment trusts).

[@hartpa]

Thank you for your time researching this!

[@got2bharmony]

Paul, you should acknowledge the work of Kevin Cahill, who wrote the first definitive book on British land ownership in his book Who Owns Britain. I have a copy his book and it helped open my eyes to the lengths the establishment will go to hide information from the masses. We must register our property with the Land Registry, we must pay our taxes, but don't kid yourself that the privileged few play by the same rules. The establishment doesn't want this information to become common knowledge because it hides some of the most important sources of wealth in the UK. So Kevin and Guy will have had to put enormous effort into ascertaining who owns what, and they no doubt haven't been able to uncover everything with certainty. Don't expect reform any time soon. Those protecting the secrets are significant donors to political parties, and we're talking about extreme levels of wealth here, and very few people who seek power can not be bought.

[@davie941]

hello again Paul, another extremely interesting video , always enjoy them , well done and thank you 😊

[@pwhitewick]

Many thanks

[@jackwatsonepic626]

Paul 👍👍👍good video 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

[@PaulTimlett]

Brilliant video Paul and as you know a subject close to my heart. Guy is superb. I think this video will become a great reference source for years to come. Brace yourself for all the comments about we have plenty of footpaths and that the public can't be trusted not to trash the countryside!!

[@pwhitewick]

Haha... There are a few comments awaiting approval!

[@WC21UKProductionsLtd]

Years ago, a customer showed me an amazing collection of maps of England. Basically they went back to the conquest and at intervals since. Of course, what it showed was that the descendants of the barons still owned pretty much the same land. Good work, Paul. Eye opening stuff.

[@pwhitewick]

Cheers Boss. Not got around to watching yours as yet... tis on the list.

[@janebaker966]

Quiet,subdued discreet wealth. The real kind.

[@WC21UKProductionsLtd]

@@janebaker966 yes Jane, that’s what I felt. Literally generation after generation benefitting from an ancestor being given confiscated lands!

[@djinnxx7050]

​@@WC21UKProductionsLtdThat's why we should just kill off the concept of inheritance. No one gets to just sit and wait for a relative to die and get a sudden boost to their own wealth, or be boosted above others because of a single grandparent or other ancestor who had the solid work ethic and the sociopathic tendencies required to truly succeed under the current paradigm. On death, any remaining wealth you have, regardless of its current form, should be dissolved, or put into the system to help others. Call it a death tax if you wish to be uncharitable. You know how people like to frame things when they perceive it as a threat to themselves. Think about it, instead of a single person inheriting, say a few million pound, and that being spent in such a way as to be entirely selfish, and to avoid taxation. Instead it gets inherited by the wider community (technically, the family member is still inheriting as they are part of that community, it's just spread amongst a wider concept of family if you will. With the youngest placed as highest priority to benefit.), and can be used to help care for the elderly, pay for kids within that community to go to university, or pays for improvements to their school, better school trips etc, to ensure that the future generation regardless of their own family's financial status has the same education and opportunities. That will improve that community overall, not only by building a greater sense of what it means to be apart of one, but also generate wealth within it that can then, hopefully, be shared outside of it with neighbouring communities as opposed to hoarding it within like certain communities do. Would also help to pay people better wages so a single worker can sustain a family, build larger homes to encourage multi-generational living to safeguard the elderly against loneliness and the expense of carers and the abuses found within care homes. The best thing about that is it would encourage larger families due to the extra hands at home, that means more hands within a community overall to help it become self sustained in terms of its own food production, essentially returning to how things used to be before cities stole the soul from the idea of community and replaced it with vapid ideals and selfishness.

[@cathjj840]

@@WC21UKProductionsLtd Hmmm - is Israel followng the same model?

[@thepointedhat]

Superb video, this is exactly a question I've had for a long time. Not surprised by the answer. We really need to understand the power and wealth (in money, power, land and resources) in the UK, it's so easy for us to be manipulated when our history has holes in it. We need to understand how common land was transferred into private ownership and how astoundingly long some of these families have enjoyed the privilege of holding that land and the wealth it has provided them (and removed from the general public). It is essential that we understand their purposeful obfuscation of information. They know that information is power, and they know how mad people would be if they understood. Thanks for introducing me to Guy and his work, looking forward to finding out more.

[@Garwfechan-ry5lk]

This is the most informative You Tube Channel on the Internet. You are right!

[@leanneclare3750]

Yup..from someone who used to do rights of way work for the local council it is absolutely shocking to realise who owns the land throughout the country. The Land Registry only has info on land that is required to be registered . Registration of land has only really been enforced with any real commitment until recently..circa 1980’s. You can voluntarily register your unregistered land but I don’t think the uptake is very high. Local councils underwent this process several decades ago and registered what they owned . It took several years to do !! This is a great topic to explore. 😉

[@pwhitewick]

Thank you.

[@affalaffaa]

I get the feeling things aren't going to be changing much anytime soon. A way of control over people and security of the owners forever, in the vast amount of cases.

[@pwhitewick]

I am sure you are right, we can but bang the drum!

[@hemtet5500]

I’m not sure here we have this information which I haven’t really heard about for most of my quite long life.

[@colinireson9339]

"Who owns land in England?" The same people who own everything else, the rich. Britain is still back in the medieval period. Sad isn't it.

[@stevepowell491]

Okay, so if you did a bit of online searching, you'd find that the Forestry commission owns the most land - 2.5 million acres. Crown estates (largest single owner) is 677,000 acres. Church is 200,000 acres. There's 60 million acres of land in the UK - so you can go work out the percentages from there (Hint, Forestry is 24%).

[@colinireson9339]

@@stevepowell491 Thank you for making my point for me.

[@FlyingSpaghettiMonster2000]

Duke of westminster owns 50% of Mayfair and 300 acres. In belgravia... ​@@colinireson9339

[@SuperChrisDub]

Name one country that the rich don't own the majority of the land - that's why they are rich, ffs. If you are American, then isn't it sad that you haven't learnt from the mistakes of your progenitor. In America, it may not just be the old money that owns the land but instead it is massive, nameless, faceless corporations, owned and controlled by - drum-roll - old money and bankers. Americans hate that they do not have history and I mean real history. America was founded on a some good ideas and - slavery - the ownership of other human beings. Well done. The constitution was so well written that it had to be amended umpteen times and all we ever hear about is the amendments (2nd, usually - not sure why you are all so keen on arming bears!?!)

[@davidmaule3266]

England and Britain aren't the same. In Scotland there is the right to roam. It's still ridiculous how much Scottish land is in the hands of so few people but at least we have the right to walk on it. Essentially you can walk wherever you like outside people's gardens.

[@lindsayheyes925]

I know a farmer whose rents his farm from his brother. The family have been there since the Norman Conquest. He maintains several miles of public footpath, but gets trespass in a few areas. His concerns are over public safety and the safety of his animals after incidents with dogs, litter, wild camping and destruction of fences and woodland habitats he conserves. It's close to a tourist area, and in the summer there are wild campers in his woodland and on a field set aside for ground-nesting birds every weekend. He's remarkably sanguine about it. But I can see why landowners get very protective. A farmer whete I used to live had to repair his fences near the edge of town every week because people cut the wire to walk their dogs through his crops. I've a share in four acres, and travellers broke in to occupy part of it this summer, intending to stay for six weeks (having been evicted from land where they'd been for three months). Some hippies once claimed they had a sacred right on the land because one of them had dowsed an "energy-line" there. Others tried to claim that it is public land because a government grant had once been given for clearing an eyesore there. And then there's encroachment, which my parents experienced three times, with neighbours moving their garden fences and even holding a party in the back garden. That's why people get funny about land. If uou own a prominent patch, every couple of decades somebody will try to arrogate it to themselves by lawfare, claiming that they're doing so 'in the public interest'. As for responsible access, some of my land is publicly accessible. We provide clearly marked recycling bins for their litter, but the majority of litter is put into wrong bins. We can now be fined for their contamination, and our waste disposal company refuse to dispose of it. So I have no confidence in responsible access at all.

[@Umski]

"protecting wealth and power" - who would have thought they'd want to hide that 🙄

[@ukrytykrytyk8477]

I'm just about 1/3 into reading Guy's book and it is fascinating and infuriating at the same time! Very often I hear people saying that there are too much people on this tiny island. Every time I hear it I think of the Netherlands that has greater population density that England and yet they are classed as the second food exporter in the world! All from a very tiny land! Yet UK has to import a lot of food from abroad...

[@matthiuskoenig3378]

Not all land is equal. The Netherlands is flat, highly fertile soil. The UK has mountains and rocky hills, and poorer grade soils I've most of the country. Aditonally the food exports of the Netherlands is exaggerated by the fact they export food from other parts of Europe. The Netherlands produced about the same amount of food as the UK, despite haveing 1/3rd thr population.

[@tealkerberus748]

The UK produced a lot more food for itself during the war years. Typically, you can produce more food if you have more people working in food production - a tightly managed home garden is extraordinarily productive compared to a wheat field! Lush flat land is certainly helpful, but if you want to grow more food, you need more people growing it. Currently, those people are being paid more to do other things.

[@ukrytykrytyk8477]

@@matthiuskoenig3378 Any source of data to back up those claims? Or just making excuses? You're saying that Netherlands produces about the same food as UK, but it's 5 times smaller! Smaller population would also mean more produce per person working in agriculture! Regarding the soil quality, when I read about it last the soil reclaimed from the sea, which makes quite large portion of land there, is best suited for grass growing but not the fruits/veggies. That's due to having a lot of salt content. I've been there several times and I can assure their farming operations, as well as efficient city design, far exceeds anything I've experienced in the UK.

[@robertcapa6668]

You don't want to produce too much food just in case you want to legitimately starve the population.....

[@ukrytykrytyk8477]

@@robertcapa6668 have you recently walked UK streets and seen how many obese people there are around?

[@FrankTompson]

Excellent video Paul, thanks. Possibly even you most important to date. Very well done in raising a really big issue.

[@pwhitewick]

Many thanks

[@tednruth453]

Those offshore companies are more than likely owned by british affluent old money families and are tax dodging (legally of course) 🤨

[@alungriffiths8611]

Organised crime syndicates a the corrupt banks!

[@Hugh_de_Mortimer]

Yes, of course.

[@stuartd9741]

And members I Of parliament.

[@michaeldowson6988]

Duke of Westminster perhaps?

[@tednruth453]

@@stuartd9741 not that many, some tories, mostly the house of lords.

[@mongolmcphee7791]

Excellent video. Hints at a wider problem in the U.K with the wealthy and companies doing as they please with our nation. Keep up the good work.

[@katiebaby60]

Farmers now have to rewild 10% of their land and plant trees on 10% of their land. So the growing capacity has shrunk by 20%. Then take into account the government is offering farmers 2500 pounds to plough back in their wheat, which means no straw for the cattle, and no bread for you. Now why on earth would they do that? And all fertilizers factories in britain have closed, so it is imported and very expensive. Also slurry laws have changed making it almost impossible for farmers to farm, there is lots more happening to farmers, that is designed to stop them producing crops and dairy why??? We will no doubt find out sooner rather than later

[@OsirusHandle]

to be fair weve destroyed an enormous amount of this country already. it used to be 90% forest and is now only 11% and weve lost 97% of our wildflower meadows. there is basically no room for wild animals if we farm absolutely everything... but we do need to farm. so yeah major changes needed.

[@_Hewman_]

feed the humans not the animals

[@OsirusHandle]

@@_Hewman_ without animals the entire ecosystem collapses. also like. thats not fair no?

[@_Hewman_]

@@OsirusHandle im obviously referring to farmed animals... f

[@OsirusHandle]

@@_Hewman_ oh lol

[@GrahamBunneh]

I saw a thing earlier from an Irish lad visiting and he couldn't believe how commodified everything here is. Like simple things like how you need to pay to park at beauty spots and similar. Access to the countryside is being increasingly commercialised and has been since enclosure and such like

[@peterhealey7964]

Paul. I lived for 25 years in nearby Kintbury and walked my dogs on Walbury hill until approximately 2005 when the fences appeared. Up till then it was a local asset. Sadly no more. Great vlog.

[@janebaker966]

Ive heard this is happening all over.

[@johnburns4017]

The Enclosures is has never stopped. Still ongoing.

[@michaelmayo3127]

In Scandinavia they have all-men's-rights. However, walking a crossed a cultivated field and thereby damage crops, can be an expensive affair. However, after havesting on-one will bark at you, for stretching your legs. The Scandinavians also have a beach right and in some land areas, hunting rights. All forest; private of other wise, but with the exception of nature reserves, are open to the public. Information in the landregistre is comprehensive, digitalised and access is free of charge.

[@OsirusHandle]

in most fields here you have a path that goes around the whole field and then often one path that cuts through it though not always.

[@4wdflying]

In England a lot of people won't know the difference between crops let alone when they might or might not damage them, and some would take delight in damaging areas by any means possible.

[@OsirusHandle]

@@4wdflying then educate them. we basically do have footpaths everywhere though, ireland however is fully locked off. also in the uk they have to prove damages to get a tresspass through court

[@michaelmayo3127]

@@4wdflying Yes, but the English feudale culture still exists. The peasants vs the landlords. We were visiting Devon, the guys and I were on a fishing trip; we had never seen so much barbedwire, some places It look like Flanders field.You'll only see wire fencing in Scandinavia where there are nomad animals and barbedwire is a product that only the armed forces use. I heard that in Scotland, that they have; wondering rights.

[@WilliamBrown-e3t]

@@4wdflying What a parochial (and wrong) perspective.

[@StudioComposer]

A simpler approach to legitimately barring access under private ownership would be to legislate that privacy 'keep out' notices must also state who owns/manages the property in question. How can it be that absolutely anyone can stick up a notice or a chained gate and expect automatic protection under trespass laws? Britain is a shambolic class-divided country, as it has always been.

[@pwhitewick]

@@StudioComposer couldn't agree more.

[@leecooper3852]

I heard this fifteen to twenty years ago , that one percent of the richest people in the country own half the land and the other eight percent is lived on by ninety five percent of the population..

[@Bobrogers99]

In the US, in my state of New Hampshire, there is a property tax. Every square inch of each municipality is accounted for for tax purposes. The property record cards can usually be viewed at no charge, and they have the name and address of the owner. There is a charge to obtain a copy. There is a tax map that identifies every parcel, and the record folders may have copies of maps of any official survey that has been made.

[@mfaizsyahmi]

Things are obviously easier in the New World. Start by clearing the slate from the Native Americans, divide the land into squares, sell. England on the other hand has not had a drastic restart from a clean slate since 1066 when the Normans invaded.

[@Bobrogers99]

@@mfaizsyahmi It's a pity that William the Conqueror's entourage didn't bring their laptops to computerize the Domesday Book. But I suppose there was noplace to plug them in....

[@nirodper]

​@@mfaizsyahmi is there no land tax in the uk?

[@19valleydan]

@@mfaizsyahmi Boot them out and keep only the Saxons!

[@DavidBright-f6c]

@@mfaizsyahmi East of the Mississippi River, it was not done that way. The person who wanted the land staked out what he wanted, got the surveyor to map it properly, paid a small fee and owned the land -- the best farm land he could find that was not already owned. This made a real mess of land owned and poorer land unowned. Routing roads around the owned land (as much as possible) is the reason so many of our roads, away from the many highways, twist and turn so often.

[@davidp4456]

When William I and the Normans invaded Britain the land was divided between the Crown, the Church and the Barons. I can’t recall the numbers, but whilst the Church and the crown have lost some ownership the land held by the families descended from the Barrons has changed very little and we continue to be serfs in our own country.

[@JamieW-o7b]

Sometimes, bars do not a prison make!

[@ColinDaviesNZ]

were there barrons back then. I thought the first barron was created in 1387

[@JamieW-o7b]

@@ColinDaviesNZ Same mentality, different labels!

[@effiemills5251]

Henry XIII gave it a good shuffle …

[@mykota2417]

Serfs = slaves!

[@stuartreynolds4480]

This is great, and should be shown in schools as a public information film!

[@helphelpimbeingrepressed9347]

Followed by the French national anthem with English subtitles!!

[@joshaynes7853]

Is that misinformation, disinformation or malinformation? Just asking. It all depends on the way you look at life.

[@gyrogearloose1345]

Well, that is a great idea! Never going to happen though, schools are not for education (in a real sense), they are for getting young people all on the same page - the one under the thumb of the rulers.

[@doscwolny2221]

​@@joshaynes7853dont know about there, but here in Aust truthful public information like this would see you cyber banned

[@timstubbs4827]

Great video. A very balanced discussion and for me at least even more engaging because of it. Thank you and will search out Guy's book 👍

[@PeterCrawley-j7k]

Great bit of journalism. The word should be spread about this!

[@paulinehedges5088]

Another excellent and informative video. Thank you for bringing these inequalities to our attention. Guy has worked really hard on our behalf..thanks to him too. 👏👏👏

[@Herbie1978]

Inequality is a necessary aspect of life

[@darrensaquaticsworld]

Can I come and walk through your garden when I feel like it?

[@matthiuskoenig3378]

1% of the land in the UK is houses and gardens. 1% of people work in agriculture, with 70% of land being agriculture. The fact of the matter is inequality is natural, especially with the division of labour. And there is nothing wrong with generational wealth. Infact generational wealth is why serfdom doesn't exist anymore.

[@johnduggan8656]

Perhaps it’s been mentioned earlier, the reason land is unregistered is that it doesn’t have to be registered, if not already registered, until it is sold. So land that has been in the same family since the 19th century will probably not be registered. For this reason almost all urban land is registered but a lot of rural land is not.

[@ubitubee]

And is that a good reason?

[@johnduggan8656]

@@ubitubee Well it is unless you want to go and stump up for the cost yourself or you probably think the government should do it . I’m mystified by this prurient attitude of some that they have to know everything about everyone.

[@ubitubee]

@@johnduggan8656 you do realise we’re talking about aristocrats, right? Yes, it’s 2024.

[@johnduggan8656]

@@ubitubee What’s wrong with aristocrats?

[@JK_Clark]

@@johnduggan8656 They're really lazy film makers

[@dave_h_8742]

If you pop over the gate, walk through the grass to the feature, return without damaging anything than who's to know 🤷‍♂️ after all the owners in the Bahamas so isn't going to catch you. If you are on a path they say is closed but on an os map than I'd say you can walk that path not stopping or deviating from said path into the field.

[@pauldavies1710]

The Bahamas is used to hide the identity of the owners. The legal title to the land is often held by offshore companies which hold it on trust for the aristocratic families and their heirs. That means they don’t have to pay the inheritance tax on death of the owner that everyone else is subject to.

[@ncot_tech]

And if you happen to encounter a farmer in his Landrover coming your way, you'll soon find out if you're supposed to be there or not. There is "most of the land is owned by the invisible illuminati plotting to make us all medieval slaves" but if they're off in some foreign country what they won't know won't hurt them...

[@Storm_.]

@@johncolley3317 it's a bloody field, lighten up.

[@Storm_.]

@@johncolley3317 yeah a house is the same as a field, that's exactly why we all live in fields. Righto.

[@JNCressey]

​@@johncolley3317, I'm betting it would be fun to ask you for your opinion on 'adverse possession'.

[@odysseus2656]

From what I remember, since William the Conqueror in 1066, the crown owns all the land, although it may sell it to you for your personal use, until the crown wants it back and buys it back from you. In the UK I believe buying it back is called "expropriation." In the USA it is called "eminent domain." They are not quite the same, but close.

[@SWIMMINGDOWN]

Great stuff! The convo is so much bigger than farmers v. the public, nobody on the "better access" side of the fence has ever advocated for abolishing farming haha! Very nuce succinct video on the topic.

[@StevenDavidson-y1p]

Just a note the companies house is under investigation for fraud and corruption at this time as well for irregularities in register with companies names certain companies are changing names to avoid liability claims,the government is also involved

[@jamesgilbart2672]

Well done for airing this issue. Knowing who owns the countryside might help stop those shady landowners who seek to limit the right to roam which is a very important part of our freedoms in the UK. This right sets us apart from some other nations (e.g. USA) where access to coast and countryside is very restricted.

[@janebaker966]

I rather think the Uniparty agenda is quite the other way. This weekend I learned,the whole central area of the city I live in was under a Section 60 order. What's that. It's one of the new law provisions slipped through Parliament in COVID time but never put in use by the ramshackle last lot. Labour intend to deploy these powers efficiently. It meant that anyone disturbing the peace could be instantly arrested and taken into custody. In theory. Actually try to spot a policeman ever if you are near someone who is behaving in an aggressive and threatening manner. Never see one.

[@sIightIybored]

In my opinion, a date should be set for land to be on the registry. Then if it's not on the registry, it returns to the Crown for open sale (I doubt much would be left to sell really). Then make the registry open, just like companies house.

[@davidp4456]

You can’t return it to the Crown! The Crown owns everything including the sea in UK waters. The Crown owns the land your house is built on. That’s why it says you own the ‘leasehold’ when you buy a property.

[@sIightIybored]

@@davidp4456 well mine says I own the freehold, but that is why I said 'return to the crown' since it would be the legally simplest way. It's what happens if you die with no identifiable heirs.

[@WhirledPublishing]

Return the land to the " crown " - wow - you are programmed, indoctrinated and mind controlled.

[@johnburns4017]

@@davidp4456 All land is owned by the Crown (defaults to us). You have _freehold_ which means you can *hold* the land *free* of charge. Leasehold is rental.

[@porkpie2884]

@@johnburns4017 Correct, but the Crown isn't us.

[@weebolddavy]

I moved to Wales from Scotland with my Welsh wife to look after her mother 22 years ago. As a mad keen photographer, angler and hill walker I felt almost immediately the restrictions of not being free to roam where and when I pleased. Until you've had that freedom which is as natural as breathing, you've never lived. In my 46 years living in Scotland I've rarely had to think twice about crossing a piece of land to get to the perfect place to get that shot. Something I really miss.

[@livvielov]

Just bought the book! Very excited to read it. You should collaborate with Gary's economics next

[@MarkCW]

£10-£100 Trillion held in offshore trusts.

[@drjamespotter]

My land is on the Registry, but one of the boundaries is very poorly defined. My neighbour and I have never agreed where the boundary between my fields and his private road are as its not the edge of the road, or the centre of the hedge, its some way inside the fields. The definition is by a total area of his holding done by hand in red biro on a map. He tried to charge me rent for the space up to the hedge. I said I would charge him for maintenance of the field and hedge. Some of the public are a nuisance - they happily wander across crops, let the dogs foul on them and drop litter, e.g. a glass bottle chucked on cut hay which was about to be baled.

[@TP-om8of]

Dog poop is fertiliser

[@J_Harker]

​@@TP-om8ofgoogle neospora for cattle and sheep mate

[@theoztreecrasher2647]

@@TP-om8of Especially for the algae in your carpets when you walk into your home. 🙃😁

[@matthiuskoenig3378]

@TP-om8of no it's not. It contains bacteria and what not that cause it to be a health hazard if used as fertiliser. It goes against health and safety rules to use untreated dog poo as fertiliser. Furthermore it is acidic and germnay bad for soil and plants.

[@Bakers_Doesnt]

Get a determined boundary by a surveyor noted on your Land Registry title plan (which isn't done in "red biro" or ever has been - it's been computerised for many years now and when it was done by hand it was either carmine tint or Rotring Variograph). The plans are OS Survey extracts at either 1/1250 or 1/2500 scale (sometimes larger when appropriate). Specific measurements when not defined by a boundary will be shown but since most land is defined by boundaries shown on historical documents, standard practice is to use the centre line of hedgerows, ditches, walls, etc.

[@chillintheuk]

This was truly fascinating to watch and hearing guys story was inspiring, definitely going to buy the book!!

[@zetectic7968]

When someone asked William Waldegrave how to become rich/successful his reply was, it helps if an ancestor arrived with William the Conqueror. If you get a subsidy from the government/tax-payer then you should pay UK tax & not own a company registered in a tax haven.

[@mike-myke22]

Spot on

[@transplant-f3p]

While driving through Toronto Canada, I was listening to a radio broadcast and intially thought I was listening to BBC. Now I am aware of why so many English move to other countries. Especially if they were outdoorsmen.

[@RobertJohnLangdon-author]

Let's revisit the core of your question-who owns the freehold of the land? It's important to understand that a freehold is not true ownership, but rather a legal license. This license can be sold, but if the owner passes away without transferring it, it reverts to the Crown Estate. This system has its roots in the Norman invasion and the feudal system, when land was seized from the original owners and distributed to King William and his nobility. This 'land grab' from history remains largely unchanged, making the Crown Estate the de facto owner, representing the King's ownership. So, in response to who owns the land in England, it is ultimately the Crown Estate, which means the King. If we were to become a republic, the land would transfer to the government and, by extension, the people. In such a scenario, the Right to Roam Act wouldn't be necessary because everyone would have equal legal rights to the land, rendering the freehold concept invalid.🤓

[@janebaker966]

Except I don't think it would work out like that.

[@stuartd9741]

If king chuck owns the land my house is on. Is he liable for paying my utilities?🙂

[@Vince-l4k]

​@@stuartd9741royals are also german

[@pussypostlethwaitsaeronaut8503]

The noun is licence in the England; a 'license' is an Americanism.

[@tomwinterfishing9065]

That’s basically what I’ve concluded, although I don’t think the crown is the monarch. I’ve never been able to find out what the crown actually is.

[@AndrewJohnson-ur3lw]

We were brought up that if a path went through a field that the way through is to walk along the edges rather than across the diagonal, thus doing minimal harm to the crop. There should be a legal requirement that a right of way is granted to access every section of land that has public access. One group I was once involved with asked the question that should some of the footpaths be able to take mountain bikers as well but not be classed as bridal ways. Bikers can use green lanes, bridal ways but not footpaths. Access and ownership is a metaphorical minefield.

[@rogerphelps9939]

If a public right of way crosses a field the farmer must maintain that right of way. Going around the edge is a cop out especially when the farmer ploughs right up to the hedge 3:51 If the farmer plants crops on the right of way he should expect a very small loss of productivity as walkers flatten the crop.

[@robinbennett3531]

I was brought up that if it's clear on the map then follow the path. So that means there are now 2 or 3 paths used- the official one and maybe 2 more round the edges. A metaphorical minefield indeed!

[@mattwardman]

If it's a Right of Way then the landowner has a legal duty not to block it with crops for any more than a short period.

[@devonfuse]

I'll answer your question quite simply. England (etc) is owned in its entirety by The Crown. Individuals may hold pieces of that land "In Fee Simple". It is those titles that you are struggling with, but that is not the final answer as to who ultimately owns the land.

[@MJl-o2w]

The best answer yet

[@keepitreal3301]

Simply, "The best answer" 👊

[@sylviasimpson-n2o]

The Crown owns Canada too.

[@HyuLilium]

Nobody cares about the de jure, only about the de facto

[@Bakers_Doesnt]

I've tried explaining this to people quite a few times but they can't seem to grasp the idea that they are granted a freehold (or leasehold) and they don't actually own the land.

[@johnmurray8454]

250 people own 50% of Scotland, the SNP did nothing regarding land reform😊

[@AntonyoKnight]

Not just SNP.

[@lucmatter9601]

If the owner of land can’t be determined easily and freely, the public should be allowed on that land.

[@StrixTechnica]

as a practical matter, if the legal (or beneficial - an important legal distinction) owner can't be identified, how are they going to issue never mind enforce a trespass notice? trespass (usually) isn't a criminal matter so, to enforce a trespass notice, the owner, or their *provably* appointed agent, has to sue in a civil court. see also 'adverse possession'.

[@markwhalebone751]

I am still livid about all the enclosure acts!

[@DoktorBayerischeMotorenWerke]

Buy your own property, stay out of other people's land...

[@pwhitewick]

Coming soon

[@pwhitewick]

@@DoktorBayerischeMotorenWerke not really the point of the video. But sure.

[@DoktorBayerischeMotorenWerke]

@@pwhitewick Don't be a hypocrite, do you want strangers to have access to your land???

[@LastDanceSaloon]

@@DoktorBayerischeMotorenWerke Depends how much land I have and what that land is. For example: If I only owned a small residence and an innocuous garden, then, no, that would be silly. However... If I owned all of the land that separated two nearby centers of habitation so that there was no means to walk between the two as the crow flies, or even near enough, without traversing my land, then I would likely insist on ensuring there was a means for 'strangers' to have means to easily walk between the two centers of habitation. This would have benefit to myself as well as the community and would be a 'win win' scenario. Firstly, I would reduce the need to operate security across all my land, as anyone in a hurry would not have the need to trespass nor trample where they weren't wanted. Secondly, having a regular flow of law abiding citizens routinely patrolling my lands for free is a much more effective form of protection than employing potentially corrupt security services who's sole intention is to bleed me dry, likely from 'invented' threats. And all I'm forfeiting is a thin stretch of land that would likely be used by myself as walkway/machineway anyway. We could discuss this at length if you wish as I have hundreds of points I could make.

[@garfstiglz3981]

This is all very well but someone forgot to mention the whole of the UK is owned by the Crown in what is legally regarded as a superior interest. By law, if you own freehold land, technically you own the land beneath your property to the core of the planet as well as the rights above your property in its air space. The law mentions 'the upper limits of the stratum' in regards this, however aircraft have a legal right to fly in that airspace as long as they are more than 1000 feet above your property. Just because you own the freehold land, infrastructure built into the land beneath your freehold property is again not owned by you and you are legally obliged to give access to your property to maintain that infrastruture, if a gas or water company wanted to replace a gas or water main under your garden they can rip it up and do not have to restore your garden to how it was after the work is finished, that's your responsibility. If a company wished to build a gas or pipeline or some other facility they would have to consult you, but more often than not if it is national infrstructure or if it benefits many people you can refuse to have it go through your land nut you could be legally over-ruled. For the purposes of ownership of mineral and oil deposits you do not own these rights, again these rights are owned by the Crown. Land off shore (the first 15 miles) that wind turbines sit on off the coast is again owned by the Crown and leased to the operators of those turbines.

[@barryvaldek6882]

Antipodean / Australian laws follow the UK laws. Mabo made a ninth class of Title, Native Title

[@stuartd9741]

IIRC, the "homeowner" owns the first 6/7? feet of land below the property, After that is owned by the crown. .. (Oil & mineral rights). .. I would challenge you on the theoretical aspect of a gas company wishing and overruling, a homeowners refusal to have said gas pipe infrastructure installed across their property.. .. I would sense there would be health and safety and liability laws, that the homeowner could challenge [the utility] due to the commercial safety risk of a major gas infrastructure being installed onto "private" property? .. Private in the sense the utility doesn't own the land said pipe may go though...

[@joshaynes7853]

For Crown read Government, and who benefits from Govt income? The UK population. As for utilities going under or over your land, you agree to their maintenance when you sign the ownership documents.

[@Lapi-r3s]

Crown is NOT Govt​@@joshaynes7853

[@johnjordan5784]

Private Eye magazine has a map of land in foreign ownership.

[@tealkerberus748]

As a farmer I don't endorse this "right to roam" thing. If some person wanders across my paddock and annoys one of my cows, am I going to be liable for her actions in defending herself and her calf? I don't mind if there are fenced footpaths between each property and the next, or selected lanes across properties where the land manager has chosen to put them, but I've spent too many years cleaning up rubbish from city folk who don't understand taking their rubbish home with them. My cows have a right to quiet enjoyment, and that means being able to graze their grass without being annoyed by complete strangers walking through the middle of their home.

[@samdumaquis2033]

Thanks, just ket the footpaths exist

[@Cavetrolling]

You are making up a problem that doesn't exist in countries with right to roam... Unless you think Brits are degenerates and lesser than other people's

[@bigmansyndrome8945]

We'll see if you're still so selfish in a few decades when the government subsidies stop coming in. As the video implied, landowners are generally a selfish and greedy lot.

[@user-sx9hq7qwert]

@@bigmansyndrome8945 Projecting. Wanting your fields to not be trampled on by hordes of screaming Vandals or your cows to not be bothered by those same hordes is NOT being selfish. You can't even be bothered to read the original comment...

[@bigmansyndrome8945]

@@user-sx9hq7qwert Scotland and Sweden have right to roam. Where are these hordes of screaming vandals? Delusional paranoia.

[@jwar238]

As someone who lives on a farm. The primary issue i see with right to roam is that the landowner can be held liable for injuries to members of the public. When it comes to actively managed land a rambler could walk into genuinely dangerous situations. We would need an "at your own risk" clause to any rambling law.

[@pwhitewick]

Completely agree. Pop back to a vide we did in May. "What Right to Roam would look like" and we tackle that very point.

[@jwar238]

@pwhitewick ah fair dos ill give it a look! Otherwise, you raise some really interesting points.

[@scienceevolves4417]

​@@jwar238fair point

[@jimbo32234]

Likewise, if cows are put in a field where the public have right to access, then a fenced corridor around the perimeter should be provider to help prevent incidents.

[@daverose8082]

Land Value Taxation might bring the worms out of the woodwork.

[@rodden1953]

Definitely

[@porkpie2884]

No should pay tax. Tax is theft.

[@davidp4456]

One mans tax is another mans subsidy. The benefits given to land owners, public sector pensions and tax exemptions is ruining the country.

[@TalesOfWar]

@@porkpie2884 I'm sure you'd be happy living a 100% self sustainable existence without having any benefits of a wider society and civilisation then? Self sufficiency does't scale all that well.

[@johnburns4017]

@@porkpie2884 Land Value Tax is a misnomer as it is not a tax. It is Site Reclaim. It is _reclaiming_ commonly created wealth to pay for common services - perfect. LVT can eliminate Income Tax, which is a penalty on production. We: *i)* privatise socially created wealth (landowners appropriate land values); *ii)* socialise privately created wealth (income tax). We do the reverse, that is why we have boom and busts.

[@DaveNay6739]

Great video @pwhitewick about a very intriquing topic. What stops you from simply going through the gate to visit the trig point, and if anyone says "hey, get off my land!", you just reply "prove it."

[@pwhitewick]

Good shout

[@janebaker966]

My own experience says if you just do it no one notices or cares. Of course if you get gored by a bull or bitten by a dog youve got no legal get out,but take the risk,take the danger.

[@helenswan705]

Trespass is fine unless you do damage. if asked, you must leave by the shortest route. That's all.

[@Jack-xi8ji]

Unfortunately Paul not everyone is as public spirited as you, and as soon as some people perceive a 'right' they wrongly assume that means that they can do what they like; and therein lies the problem: dogs off leashes disturbing and killing farm and wild animals; wild camping; starting fires; etc. You simply can't police a 'responsible right to roam'. Basically managing land 'for the good of nature' is hugely aided by keeping people away; not by giving them open access. I've been rambling for decades in England, and every time I've wanted to explore off the path I just ask the local farmer. Even if they don't own the land themselves, they can still (and in my experience always have) given permission. I've never spent a single penny looking up the registry - it's just not necessary. So wanting to know 'who owns the land' and getting permission to visit a scheduled monument (for instance), are actually two completely different things. If you want to be land registry vigilante and shout 'power to the people', or uncover possible tax dodges (this I would totally agree with!) then fine, but please don't pretend that that has anything to do with asking a farmer to visit a motte or a long barrow, or protecting natural environments. And before anyone asks; no I'm not a landowner, and I have no connections with anyone who is.

[@stuartd9741]

Still a bit dodgy, all these landowners, being registered in another country...

[@grahamsmith2753]

You need to find a lot of volunteers who are each willing to fork out their own money to find out who owns a specific piece of land. So long as they each select a different piece of land, it should be relatively cheap, quick and easy. Then all these volunteers could send their answers to Guy Shrubsole.

[@ElliottSpencer-hn9qg]

What i find annoying is the problem of the housing crisis and homelessness here in the UK but there are thousands of empty properties both residential and commercial that are owned by people in other countries.

[@daytoday1098]

Incredible video ! Please, Pay attention guys, dangerous rabbithole..

[@pjofurey6239]

Trouble with “paying taxes” is that most of that money to the self same people who deprive us of everything else .Westminster childcare .

[@pjcarter8230]

Hi Paul, good video with an interesting subject. My wife and I own a fair bit of land. Most of it is unregistered. We sold a sliver to a neighbour but needed to register the piece of land. It was quite expensive. So it is not just expensive to find out the owner but also to register the land.

[@meme4one]

How do you end up owning unregistered land? How is the ownership managed if not registered?

[@pwhitewick]

That's an interesting point. And clearly something that needs to be made simpler.

[@pjcarter8230]

@@meme4one Quite a high percentage of land is unregistered, as Paul said if land has passed down the family line there was never a need to register it. As I said it was only after a neighbour asked if they could buy a sliver of land to extend their garden that I had to register that sliver.

[@I_Don_t_want_a_handle]

It's a tax, like any other. Once upon a time the charge was to deter vexatious requests, these days it's just another means of the state bilking the citizen. Registering is the same. Whose business is it who owns what land?

[@barryvaldek6882]

Excellent. I the Antipodean Continent of Australia, Australians DO NOT OWN ANY LANDS since 1770 when Jimmy COOK place a flag on an island off Kurnell. Jimmy never placed the flag on the MAINLAND. Your, King Charles the Third, believes he owns all of Australia except for the High Court of Australia decision on 3 June 1992, recognised that a group of Torres Strait Islanders, led by Eddie Mabo, held ownership of Mer (Murray Island). In acknowledging the TRADITIONAL RIGHTS of the traditional rights of the Meriam people to their land, the court also held that Native Title existed for all INDIGENOUS PEOPLE. Because King Charles believes he owns Australian lands, Charlie and his delegated representatives, Australian Government, State Governments and Local Councils can RESUME the Tenants Land. We are TENANTS on King Charles Lands. That is stated on our Certificate of Title. The Crown reserves the right to ALL MINERALS. Many years ago one "owns" from the centre of the earth to the corners of the land and all the skies, space above the land. When Aeroplanes came along you could charge Aircraft flying over your air space. Hence the law was changed. NASA owes our family mega dollars.

[@vanarunedottir]

In Hong Kong, the government owns all the land. They don't sell their ownership, but they lease land use to developers, usually for 99 years (though that's changeable). Selling new land rights to developers makes the government a lot of money (or at least it used to) which enabled them to keep other taxes low (such as income tax.) The big developer companies therefore have a lot of (money and) influence over the government, but the terms of the leases do specify what can be developed in each area, to ensure a mix of commercial, residential, and other uses. The developments are then usually privately managed, with private security guards to keep unwanted people out. At the end of a lease the land defaults back to government ownership so it can be resold and redeveloped, not merely inherited forever.

[@manticorenettleable]

In the area I visit frequently (Chiltern Hills) there's a very old footpath which goes across some fields. I was walking back from it when a very angry older lady leaned from her top model rangerover asking me what I thought I was was doing, trespassing on her land. I informed her I was walking back from the footpath. She angrily snapped "that footpath is closed!". I just glared at her and she moved on. I since went back and I can see there's been a lot of interference with the gates, attempts to make them as difficult to pass as possible. But, they can't remove the National Trust "Ring of Aylesbury" signs as that would draw too much attention as they know hikers would report them to the criminal court. So glad we don't live in a country where the justice system is up for sale!

[@jaykaygxd8497]

I’ve always known that the aristocracy in this day and age still own 75%+ of all registered land, I didn’t know we have all this surrounding it but for one of the most corrupt countries in the world it’s not surprising

[@cargumdeu]

Prior to gaining power Gordon Brown said he wanted to tackle the offshore problem. Then he did diddly-squat. The power of the City of London (which controls 40% of all offshore tax havens) is immense and seemingly untouchable. The City even keeps a functionary in Parliament with the title of 'Remembrancer', who's job it is to lean on the Speaker from time to time and remind him what is and what is not possible regarding legislation which might affect the interests of 'the City'. The City's own parliament is known as 'the grandmother of parliaments'. Nicholas Shaxton is the man who's written about this.

[@TheRealGeewizz]

Just a little bit of casual research will reveal that the idea of the City Remembrancer being allowed to influence the speaker as a function of his role is a common misconception. Given the quirkiness of some of the traditions and behaviours that do exist within parliament, its a perfectly reasonable assumption that the City would have an ancient right to have a non-elected person in parliament with the duty of influencing the speaker. In a way I would like it to be true and to be outraged but, alas, fiction in this case is more interesting than reality.

[@stuartd9741]

​@@TheRealGeewizzHmmm🤔

[@stuartd9741]

Sounds like, Gordon Brown encountered the same "resistance" as Ronald Reagan did with the Federal Reserve.

[@cargumdeu]

@@TheRealGeewizz from Wikipedia..'.The Remembrancer's department at the City of London is broken into three distinct branches of work: parliamentary, ceremonial and private events.[4] The parliamentary office is responsible for looking after the City of London's interests in Parliament with regard to all public legislation'. ok mr 'realgeewiz' whatever you say....

[@cargumdeu]

@@stuartd9741 leaned on by too many 'champagne socialists' who saw their fathers' offshore inheritance possibly going up in smoke...the same 'socialists' who send their kids to the best private schools whilst telling about ending privilege.

[@hainanbob6144]

An open to all Land Registry is definitely needed. Great video, very informative.

[@pwhitewick]

Yes! Thank you!

[@11abrook]

Dont forget land ownership will be part of all the 'shell companies' the Globalists and billionaires use, to conceal who really owns what, and what its for.

[@jezstevens]

Who Owns England - is an excellent and important book! Highly recommended!

[@clivehorridge]

While this investigation / presentation is well worthwhile, as a democracy, we have to take care to avoid the WEF plan to make all food producing land (and other designated areas) a no-go area for the average “Joe” public. We should retain the right to roam our own country, as much as is practicable.

[@paulgodden4974]

With the land protected by advanced systems, including robot security, drones, surveillance. To stop people from planting crops on private land.

[@weylad70]

We have two large fields by us that are own by a trust in cyprus,maybe a tax thing?

[@Foche_T._Schitt]

I consider it Neo-feudalism. Some things that may alleviate these problems. -No foreign ownership. -Progressive tax on land. -Limits on Corporate ownership.

[@porkpie2884]

The crown owns it all

[@Coltnz1]

@@porkpie2884Wrong.

[@porkpie2884]

@@Coltnz1 wrong. The Crown owns all land, you just get to buy a freehold or leasehold to some of it.

[@Coltnz1]

@@porkpie2884 Wrong. Do some research.

[@porkpie2884]

@@Coltnz1 Wrong. The Crown owns all land in England, NI and Wales. people own estates in land either directly or indirectly from the Crown (Freehold estate or leasehold estate) Do some research researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/CBP-8567/CBP-8567.pdf

[@alfredlear4141]

Excellent stuff. I intend to read that book, right up my street ❤

[@betel1345]

Love Guy Shrubsole's work