Spaces not preserved

I installed & got everything in about 4 fence groups and everything in  those fences what I wanted (folders and shortcuts) and where I wanted.

Now I have a vertical column where all icons/shortcuts have moved to the top closing the gap with proportional space the same and if I drag them to where I want them they just go back to closing the gap.  So, no voids as I had established. It's like the auto-arrange I formerly had to live with is back with fence around them.

Basically what changed is that column wasn't full and I had things willfully at the top and willfully at the bottom and they were staying where I placed them. Now they've all moved upward, still in the same order, but they closed the gap between the ones on top and the once on the bottom. I had kept those separated because they have different implications in my daily use; I wanted them apart. I have vision issues (macular degeneration) so I remember what's where because they were segregated by empty space. I knew what was where because they didn't change, until they did.

Now there is no change in icons or what they stood for, but that fence has closed ranks on me. I'd like to be able to have them spaced manually and preserved that way.  It stayed that way since my purchase and initial install maybe by happen-stance but I'd like to have that not happen, I don't want a Fence deciding something different for me, including the separation, voids/empty positions.  I didn't make any changes since that purchase and install and getting things where I wanted them, but something changed.