What was open field system? Look at this system from the point of view of a rich farmer.

(a) Open field system: It implies that in large parts of England, the countryside was open. It was not partitioned into enclosed lands privately owned by landlords. Peasants cultivated on strips of land around the village they lived in. At the beginning of each year, a public meeting was held to allocate a number of strips to cultivate to each villager. These strips were of different quality and in different places. The effort was to ensure that every villager got
good as well as bad land. Beyond these strips of cultivation lay the common land. All villagers had access to the commons. For the poor, the common land was essential for survival. It supplemented their meagre income, sustained their cattle, and helped them tide over bad times when crops failed.
(b) Open field system and a rich farmer: The open field system was not useful for rich farmers because they did not have a compact land which could increase their income. The land was not privately owned by them. Since 16th century, the rich farmers wanted to expand wool production to earn profits. They were eager to control large areas of land in compact blocks to allow improved breeding of sheep. So they began dividing and enclosing common land and building hedges around their holdings. They drove out villagers who had small cottages on the commons. They prevented the poor from entering the enclosed fields.