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Tithe commutation

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Tithe commutationwas a 19th-century reform ofland tenurein Great Britain and Ireland, which implemented an exchange of the payment of atitheto the clergy of theestablished church,which were traditionally paidin kind,to a system based in an annual cash payment, or once-for-all payment. The system had become complex, with lay owners byimpropriationentitled to some tithes, which were of a number of kinds.[1][2]

History[edit]

In Scotland, a form of commutation ofteindsapplied from 1633.[3]A full reform was carried out in the 1930s.[4]

Commutation of tithes occurred in England before the 19th century major reform, since it was an aspect ofenclosure,a legal process under which rights tocommon landwere modified byact of parliament.An estimate places 60% of enclosure acts as involving tithe commutation.[5]In such cases, commissioners who dealt with the detail of enclosure acts handled tithes by allocation of land, as part of the division of ownership.[6]By this mechanism, in the period 1750 to 1830,glebeland increased, and clerics in some places became active farmers.[7]

From the 17th century tithe commutation became seen as part ofagricultural improvement,and by the later 18th century tithes were seen as a major obstacle to improvement, for example byAdam Smith.and theBoard of Agriculture.[8]

In England and Wales existing tithe payments were abolished by theTithe Commutation Act 1836.It introduced in their place a cash payment, the "corn rent".[8]The legislation was shaped by the parliamentary contribution ofWilliam Blamire,a farmer and self-styled "practical man", who became a tithe commissioner.[9]

Tithe maps[edit]

The tithe map of Southover, circa 1840

Implementation of the Commutation Act for England and Wales required detailed maps.Robert Kearsley Dawsontook the opportunity to press for a substantivecadastral survey.[10]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^Joan Thirsk (1 March 1990).Chapters from The Agrarian History of England and Wales: Volume 3, Agricultural Change: Policy and Practice, 1500–1750.Cambridge University Press. p. 216.ISBN978-0-521-36882-7.
  2. ^Roger J. P. Kain; Hugh C. Prince (20 April 2006).The Tithe Surveys of England and Wales.Cambridge University Press. p. 7.ISBN978-0-521-02431-0.
  3. ^"Dictionary of the Scots Language:: SND:: Teind n.1, v.1".Retrieved21 March2016.
  4. ^Callum G. Brown (1997).Religion and Society in Scotland Since 1707.Edinburgh University Press. p. 68.ISBN978-0-7486-0886-7.
  5. ^Gordon E Mingay (17 June 2014).Parliamentary Enclosure in England: An Introduction to Its Causes, Incidence and Impact, 1750-1850.Routledge. p. 46.ISBN978-1-317-89033-1.
  6. ^Jonathan David Chambers; G. E. Mingay (1966).The Agricultural Revolution, 1750–1880.Batsford. p. 86.ISBN9780713413588.
  7. ^David Hempton (26 January 1996).Religion and Political Culture in Britain and Ireland: From the Glorious Revolution to the Decline of Empire.Cambridge University Press. p. 8.ISBN978-0-521-47925-7.
  8. ^abStuart A Raymond (27 February 2015).Tracing Your Ancestors' Parish Records: A Guide for Family and Local Historians.Pen and Sword. p. 145.ISBN978-1-78303-044-6.
  9. ^Evans, Eric J. "Blamire, William".Oxford Dictionary of National Biography(online ed.). Oxford University Press.doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/2601.(Subscription orUK public library membershiprequired.)
  10. ^Roger J. P. Kain; Hugh C. Prince (20 April 2006).The Tithe Surveys of England and Wales.Cambridge University Press. pp. 69–70.ISBN978-0-521-02431-0.