BOURNHEATH TITHE RECORDS
Tithes were originally a tax which which was paid as a proportion of farm’s produce to the local church. Parishes would have a Tithe Barn to store the donated harvest.
After the proliferation of enclosed land at the start of 19C. it became obvious that the system required a radical overhaul.. This was the objective of the Tithe Commutation Act of 1836. which sought to replace payment in kind with a system which calculated a monetary value for individual parcels or apportionments of land. To achieve this the land of each parish had to be surveyed in order to establish the titheable value.
The Tithe Survey represented the first attempt at systematic mapping covering most of England and Wales.These maps were not created to provide an accurate survey of the area. The aim was to show the boundaries of all areas for which tithe was owed, usually fields. The amount of other information given varies from map to map. If something does not appear on the map, it does not necessarily mean it did not exist.
The Tithe Apportionment document gives information about the land owner, the tenant, the name or description of the land, the land use and the rent paid.
Tithe Apportionment records are now beginning to appear online. Worcester County Council has started to digitise them for Worcestershire and has done for Belbroughton but so far not for Bromsgrove.
To find who lived at your property in 1840
- Consult the map below and locate your property. The old road names are included as well as those which will be more familiar to you. Certain places such as road junctions and twopenny cake will help you pinpoint your location.
- Note down the reference number. I have clarified these as they are not clear on the original document.
- Using the reference number refer to the table and read off the information therein. It should show the name of both the owner and occupier, the type of property e.g. “house & garden”. The original document also contains the area of the property expressed in the old measurements of acres, roods and perches, and the assessment of the tithe. These are not included here.
The numbers beginning with 7 at the end of the schedule are from the Belbroughton tithe.
A “pleck” was an enclosed field. “Void” would mean the property was derelict and unused. “In hand” implies the owner has not let the property.
Bear in mind that the house may have been rebuilt since then so it may not occupy the same position on the land.
| TITHE No. | OWNER | OCCUPIER | DESCRIPTION |
| 1976 | William Wilson | Job Banner | North Field |
| 1977 | William Wilson | Job Banner | Walter Piece |
| 1978 | Will & Jos Walter | Jos Walter & others | 3 Houses & Gardens |
| 1979 | William Wilson | Peter Moore | House & Garden |
| 1980 | Will Fletcher | Will Fletcher & others | House & Garden |
| 1981 | Will Fletcher | James Burton | Pleck |
| 1982 | Hanbury Wilson | Thos Sharp/Jos Parsonage | 2 houses &Garden |
| 1983 | William Shenstone | Thomas Fox | Long Piece |
| 1984 | Jacob Walter | Jacob Walter | House |
| 1985 | Sarah Walter | Sarah Walter | House |
| 1986 | John Long | John Long | House & Garden |
| 1987 | John Long | John Long | Well Piece |
| 1988 | Void | Void | House & Garden |
| 1989 | Sam Long | Sam Long | Pleck & Building |
| 1990 | Thomas Hanks | Thomas Hanks | Old House Meadow/Barn |
| 1991 | Thomas Hanks | Thomas Hanks | Vetchy Piece |
| 1992 | Thomas Hanks | Thomas Hanks | Long Meadow |
| 1993 | Thomas Hanks | Thomas Hanks | House Buildings/Garden |
| 1994 | Thomas Hanks | Thomas Hanks | Pleck |
| 1995 | Sam Long | Sam Long | House & Garden |
| 1996 | Thomas Hanks | Thomas Hanks | Gravel Pit Close |
| 1997 | Charles Irish | In hand | 4 houses |
| 1998 | Club at Hop Pole Inn | John Smith/void | 2 houses & garden |
| 1999 | Thomas Hanks | John Griffin | Broomy Hill |
| 2000 | John Long | John Long | Lower Piece |
| 2001 | Thomas Griffin | Thomas Griffin | House & Garden |
| 2002 | Will Crump | Will Crump | House & Garden |
| 2003 | Mary Ince | John Kings/John Day | 2 houses & Garden |
| 2004 | Michael Crockett | In hand | 4 houses & Garden |
| 2005 | John Lawrence | In hand | 3 houses & Garden |
| 2006 | John Long | John Long | Upper Piece |
| 2007 | Mary Ince | John King | House & Garden |
| 2008 | Henry Ince | Sam Garfield/Jane Jones | 2 Houses & Garden |
| 2009 | Charles Brown/John Ince | Ben Mitchell/John Ince | 2 Houses |
| 2010 | Luke Minshell | In hand | House |
| 2011 | Widow Burton | Thomas Walter | House |
| 2012 | Will Harvey | Geoffrey Ince | House & Garden |
| 2013 | Will Harvey | Geoffrey Ince | Allotment |
| 2014 | Will Harvey | Richard Davies | House & Garden |
| 2015 | John Watcoat | Will Parkes | Upper Piece |
| 2016 | John Watcoat | John Parkes | Garden |
| 2017 | John Watcoat | John Parkes | House & Garden |
| 2018 | John Watcoat | Will Parkes | Lower Piece |
| 2019 | Charles Cresswell | Will Brighton | House & Garden |
| 2020 | Sam Fisher | Sam Fisher/John Fisher | 2 Houses & Garden |
| 2021 | Thomas Fisher | Will Fisher/John Burton | 2 Houses & Garden |
| 2022 | Michael Crockett | Will Wardle/Phoebe Griffin | 2 Houses & Garden |
| 2023 | Michael Crockett | Beryl Ames/Sam Griffin | 2 Houses & Garden |
| 2024 | Michael Crockett | Michael Crockett | Common Pleck |
| 2025 | George Flowers | Geoffrey Ince | Allotment |
| 2026 | Michael Miles | Michael Miles | House Garden & Pleck |
| 2027 | Mary Ince | Henry Ince/Phoebe Field | 2 Houses & Garden |
| 2028 | Geoffrey Ince | Void/Josh Vaughan | 2 Houses & Garden |
| 2029 | Charles Brown | Void | House & Garden |
| 2030 | Richard Witherford | Richard Jones/Jas Jones | 2 Houses & Garden |
| 2031 | Will Griffin | Will Griffin | House & Garden |
| 2032 | Sam Harvey | Sam Harvey | Common Field |
| 2033 | John Hall | John Hall | Pleck |
| 2034 | Job Manning | James Liddell | House & Garden |
| 2035 | Job Manning | Jos Wooding | House & Garden |
| 2036 | Geoffrey Ince | Geoffrey Ince | Garden |
| 2037 | Job Manning | Job Manning | Garden |
| 2038 | Ralph Butler | Ralph Butler | Garden |
| 2039 | John Hall | John Hall | Garden |
| 2040 | John Hall | John Hall | House & Garden |
| 2041 | Ralph Butler | Ralph Butler | House & Garden |
| 2042 | George Ford | In hand | 3 Houses |
| 2043 | Ann Roberts | Ann Roberts | 2 Gardens |
| 2044 | Ann Roberts | Ann Roberts | House & Garden |
| 2045 | Ann Roberts | Ann Roberts | Pleck |
| 2046 | Will Ince | Sam Liddell | House & Garden |
| 2047 | Will Ince | Sam Liddell | 3 Houses,Garden ,Meeting House |
| 2048 | William Wilson | Thos George/Thos Osborne | 2 Houses |
| 2049 | John Mills | George Jones | House & Garden |
| 2050 | William Walter | Will Walter/David Walter | 2 Houses & Garden |
| 2051 | William Wilson | Job Banner | Claypit Close |
| 2052 | William Wilson | Thos Wooden | Brickworks |
| 2053 | William Wilson | Job Banner | Brickworks |
| 2945 | Thomas Smith | Thomas Smith | Ox Hill Lawn |
| 2946 | Thomas Smith | Thomas Smith | Garden |
| 2947 | Thomas Smith | Thomas Smith | Plantation in Ox Hill |
| 2948 | Thomas Smith | Thomas Smith | Plantation |
| 2949 | Thomas Smith | Thomas Smith | Fish Pool |
| 2950 | Thomas Smith | Will Goode/Ann Stiff | Two Houses |
| 2951 | Thomas Smith | Thomas Smith | Sling |
| 2952 | Thomas Smith | Thomas Smith | Big Hill |
| 2953 | Thomas Smith | Robert Horton | House |
| 2954 | Sam Harvey | Stoney Hill | |
| 2957 | George Taylor | George Taylor | Big Mice Hill |
| 2958 | John Haynes | Thos Harris | House & Garden |
| 2959 | Will Goode | Will & Thos Goode | 2 houses & garden |
| 2960 | George Taylor | George Taylor | Bournheath Cottage,Lawn, Garden |
| 2961 | George Taylor | George Taylor | Home Close |
| 2962 | George Taylor | George Taylor | Big Piece |
| 774 | Charles Brown | Mary Davies | House |
| 775 | Thomas Crockett | Mary Eades | House |
| 776 | Charles Brown | John Ward | House |
| 777 | Charles Brown | Charles Newey | House |
| 778 | Charles Brown | Charles Brown | Orchard |
| 779 | Will Smith | Will Smith | House |
| 780 | Charles Brown | Nicholas Johnson | House |
| 781 | Lord Dudley | Nick Hancox | Common Pleck |
| 782 | Lord Dudley | Nick Hancox | Pleck |
| 783 | Lord Dudley | Nick Hancox | House |
The full tithe records for the whole of Bromsgrove can be obtained for a fee from The National Archives
http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C2296294 or at the reading room of Worcestershire Archives at The Hive. Worcester. http://www.thehiveworcester.org/
Information regarding the Worcestershire Tithe Project (which does not include Bromsgrove at present but some surrounding areas including Belbroughton) at http://www.worcestershire.gov.uk/cms/archive-and-archaeology/information-and-advice/projects/tithe-and-inclosure-maps.aspx
The pay to view site The Genealogist has recently uploaded tithe records with tithe maps to follow. More information https://www.thegenealogist.co.uk/
CJL 2014