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- Tithe Maps (IR 30 )
The Tithe Maps are by no means as uniform as the apportionments (see Section 6), varying greatly in scale, accuracy and size. At the outset, the Tithe Commissioners had attempted to secure a uniform and high standard. However in most casesthere was no suitable map already in existence, and while there were many skilled land surveyors available, the expense of any new survey had to be met by the landowners. Insistence upon a fixed standard would have retarded the progress of commutation, so concessions therefore had to be made. When the 1836 Act was amended in the following year, a provision was inserted to the effect that, whilst every tithe map should be signed by the Commissioners, a map or plan should not be deemed evidence of the quantity of the land, or treated as accurate, unless it was sealed as well as signed by the Commissioners (Tithe Act 1837, s.1). Approximately 1,900 only of the tithe maps - about one-sixth of the whole - were sealed by the Tithe Commissioners, and it is these alone - called first-class maps - which can be accepted as accurate. The unsealed (or second-class) maps constitute a very mixed collection - indeed, some are little more than topographical sketches.
In many cases, discrepancies between apportionment and map subsequently created difficulties in the administration of payments and redemptions. At the time of the survey, when all the landowners concerned were well acquainted with the ground, the exact area of a piece of land or its precise delineation on a map might have appeared of little significance. The matter assumed more importance as time went on, particularly when readily-identifiable tithe areas vanished as a result of later developments. It is unnecessary to discuss in detail the problems of interpreting a tithe map; but it is well to bear in mind that reliance cannot be placed upon the area of individual tithe areas stated in an apportionment or computed from the tithe map, unless the map is sealed.
The numbers of the tithe areas on the map correspond to those in the schedules to the apportionment. These numbers are not consecutive. In order to facilitate reference, most tithe apportionments of any size had a numerical key added, showing the page of the apportionment upon which each tithe area appears (these are purely for convenience of reference and form no part of the original documents). Even so, there are traps for the unwary. The same series of tithe area numbers may be duplicated upon a tithe map, due, in most cases, to the fact that more than one township is included in the same tithe district. There are some anomalies and duplications that are not easily explained. Again, different series of numbers may be differentiated by letters or some other sign, either in the original apportionment or in subsequent altered apportionments, as, for example, 22, 22a, 22Aa, A22. Confusion may easily result if care is not taken to observe the absolute correspondence of the number in the apportionment with the number on the map.
A number of tithe maps were so heavily used that they fell into a state of disrepair. Some of these maps were copied by the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, and in such cases it is these copies rather than the original maps which are now in IR 30 . The original maps, together with a few drafts and earlier versions of tithe maps are preserved as Tithe Maps Supplementary (IR 77 ). Although the maps in the two series are not always identical, many of those in the supplementary series are in poor condition and should not be consulted unless the maps in IR 30 fail to provide the required information. Some are unfit for production.
The tithe maps have been partially copied to microfiche (English counties alphabetically up to and including Middlesex) and readers requiring maps for these counties normally consult the microfiche copies, for preservation reasons. To find the document reference using the Catalogue (www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/catalogue), go to the search screen, type the place-name in the first box, and IR 30 in the third box, leaving the second box empty.
Ordnance Survey maps used by the tithe authorities to record the boundaries of tithe districts and other information relating to tithe rentcharge etc. are to be found in IR 93 and IR 105 .
Source:
http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/catalogue/RdLeaflet.asp?sLeafletID=100
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