Who owns Britian

I saw an interesting piece in the telegraph yesterday, it showed the changing face of who owned Britain, it showed the top ten land owners in 1872 and the top 10 in 2010.

In 1872 the leading owner was the Church of England (who have had to sell off most of its land due to falling donations) and the rest were members of the aristocracy. In 2010 the leading owners include the Forestry Commission, the National Trust, Pension funds and the RSPB! Only two aristocrats are in the top 10.

Who Owns Britain 1872
Church of England – 2.2 million acres
Duke of Sutherland – 1.4 million acres
Duke of Buccleuch – 460,000 acres
Earl of Breadalbane – 440,000 acres
Lady Matheson – 425,000 acres
Sir Charles Ross – 360,000 acres
Earl of Seafield – 310,000 acres
Duke of Richmond – 290,000 acres
Earl of Fife – 250,000 acres
Sir Alexander Matheson – 220,000 acres

Who Owns Britain 2010
The Forestry Commission – 2.6 million acres
The National Trust – 630,000 acres
Ministry of Defence – 590,000 acres
Pension funds – 550,000 acres
Utilities like water and power – 500,000 acres
The Crown Estate – 360,000 acres
The RSPB – 320,000 acres
The Duke of Buccleuch – 240,000 acres
The National Trust for Scotland – 190,000 acres
The Duke of Atholl’s trusts – 150,000 acres

The top ten aristocratic owners in 2010
Duke of Buccleuch - 240,000 acres
Duke of Atholl's trusts - 150,000 acres
Prince Charles as the Duke of Cornwall - 134,000 acres
Duke of Westminster - 133,000 acres
Duke of Northumberland - 130,000 acres
Capt Alwyne Farquharson - 128,000 acres
Earl of Seafield - 101,000 acres
Countess of Sutherland - 82,000 acres
Baroness Willoughby de'Eresby - 78,000 acres
The Pearson family - 69,000 acres