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

  1. 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.
  2. Note down the reference number. I have clarified these as they are not clear on the original document.
  3. 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