A tithe was a payment by a farmer of one tenth of the annual
production of his farm to maintain the established church.
Originally the payment was in kind, but by the 1830s this was out
of date, and the Tithe Commutation Act 1836 replaced payments in
kind by a money payment (the "tithe rentcharge"). A Tithe
Commission was set up, which visited parishes across the country
and settled the terms of the commutation of tithes, by drawing up a
document setting out landowners' individual liabilities - the tithe
apportionment. Each apportionment was supported by a map showing
affected property. A copy of each map was then sent to the
Bishop.
Not every parish had a tithe map drawn up: in others, allotments
were made in lieu of tithes at the time of inclosure. Moreover the
Commissioners were concerned only to identify the properties for
which tithe was payable, so the maps are often not as detailed as
researchers might hope.
G Beech and R Mitchell, Maps for Family and Local
History, second edition (TNA 2004; Guide No.26) contains a
concise introduction to tithe maps. There are also relevant
chapters in Paul Hindle's Maps for Local History (1988) and W E
Tate's The Parish Chest (1951).
Huntingdon Record Office has a complete set of surviving tithe
apportionment records for the Archdeaconry of Huntingdon,
1837-1936. This includes a tithe apportionment and plan for Fletton
(1849) [part of parish only].
Peterborough Central Library holds a copy of Castor &
Ailsworth Tithe Apportionment, 1847.
Northamptonshire Record Office also holds tithe maps for
Peterborough a list of these is available for consultation at
Peterborough Central Library.
See also Diocesan records.
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