Hebden 1846 Tithe Apportionments

Tithes, originally one tenth of annual produce or earnings, were paid to the church, although after the Reformation some tithes finished up in the hands of individuals. The Tithes Commutation Act of 1836 abolished payment of goods in kind, and assigned an annual monetary value to each landholding which the landowner would then pay. Its implementation was entrusted to a three man commission, and a survey was undertaken throughout the country to record all landholdings and their values, resulting in the equivalence of a 19th century Domesday Book. The total tithe payable on Hebden properties was £50 (the equivalent of about £5,800 today), and this was apportioned according to the estimated values of the landholdings. The Hebden Tithe Map and Apportionment was undertaken by John Job Rawlinson (1798-1864), a Barrister at Law from Graythwaite Hall in Lancashire. It was completed in July 1846. The original map was given to the Tithe Commission, and that is now held in the National Archives. A copy was given to the Parish, and that is now held by the North Yorkshire County Council Records Office in Northallerton. A second copy was deposited with the diocesan registrar.

A deep-zoom digital version may be found here for the south-west sheet, and here for the north-east sheet.

The document contains four tables as follows:

Apportionment Register

In the apportionment register, the owner and tenant were recorded for each holding, together with the size of the holding in acres, roods, and perches (there are forty perches to a rood, and four roods to the acre); the use to which the land was put; and the annual monetary tithe to be paid. The register is ordered first by landowner (more-or-less in alphabetic order), and then by tenant within landowner. The total tithe payable on Hebden properties was £50, and this was distributed equally between two rectors (at the time, the Reverends Henry Croft and Edward Coulthurst), but for space reasons only the first mediety is shown. The full tithe payable on a landholding is twice that shown.

The register is recorded on hand-written sheets with the apportionments starting on page seven. The first part of the reference number is the page number, and the second part is the item within the page. The table can be sorted by any of the first five columns. To sort by one column within another, e.g. display the table by cultivation type within occupier, first click on the heading of the secondary sort column ('State of Cultivation'), followed by the heading of the primary sort column ('Occupier'). Where the Plot Reference text is blue and has a dotted underline, hovering over that field will display the current name of the location. See the third entry for an example. Note some of the reference numbers on the Hebden map, particularly in the heavily residential areas, are unreadable.

The following abbreviations have been used in the transcription: ttr=Trustees; alia=others; exec=executors. A-R-P=acres, roods, perches.

Land Usage Summary

The estimated area of the Hebden township landholdings was 3,583 acres and 8 perches (1,450.01 hectares). The use to which the land was put is detailed on Page 3 of the Tithe Register as below. The following abbreviation has been used in in the transcription: A-R-P=acres, roods, perches. The hectare equivalent and the percentages have been calculated.