Contributors to this string has have confused two different local dues:

Tithes were an ecclesiastical due to pay the clergy of the parish.  However
some churches had been appropriated by monasteries in the medieval period,
so that the crown sold the great tithes that had belonged to monasteries to
laymen.  The tithe Commutation Act (as mentioned below) converted these to a
cash payment.  Later legislation provided for tithes to be redeemed.
Latterly they were paid to the Tithe Redemption Commission.  From about the
1960s, tithes had to be redeemed on the sale of property.

Though there were sometimes Church Rates, to pay for the maintenance etc of
the parish church, rates were generally a secular due, which go back to 1603
to pay for the poor of the parish (Poor Rates).  This was managed by the
Churchwardens or by the Overseers of the Poor.  There might also be a
Highway Rate, payable to the surveyor of highways.

I doubt that mines were contributing voluntarily to the rates.  It would
either be the rate on the land they occupied or payment for disabled workers
etc, originally not settled in the parish for whom the mine had undertaken
to indemnify the parish.

The Poor Law system was altered in the 1830s when parishes were amalgamated
into Unions, which became Rural District councils in 1894.  Responsibility
later passed to County Councils and then the government.

Peter King
49, Stourbridge Road,
Hagley,
Stourbridge
West Midlands
DY9 0QS
01562-720368
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-----Original Message-----
From: mining-history [mailto:[log in to unmask]]On Behalf Of
John C Symons
Sent: 30 May 2008 09:21
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Tokens, Mines and Poor Rates


The Tithe Commutation Act came into force in 1836, and made provision
for a shift from the payment of tithes in kind to a monetary rent
charge. It had no connection with the parish vestry, but was a
remuneration for the tithe owners. It did not apply to every parish in
the country, for advantage was taken of the enclosure movement to make
appropriate changes in the payment of tithes. Tithes where of two
types for the purposes of this act, the great, or rectorial, tithes
and the small, or vicarial, tithes. The recipient of the former was
either the rector, or an ecclesiastical body such as a cathedral, an
abbey, or college. In many cases the great tithes were transferred to
a lay impropriator. The latter belonged to the vicar. The rent charge,
paid annually, was levied on the area of land occupied by the tenant,
freeholder, leaseholder, or copyholder, and was based on the average
price per bushel for the previous seven years of wheat, barley and
oats. There is, therefore, no connection with the parish or poor rate.
These charges were reviewed and amended as necessary annually, again
based on the average prices paid for the same three commodities over
the previous seven years.

An excellent introduction to the subject can to be found in Kain R J P
and Prince H C, Tithe Surveys for Historians, Phillimore, 2000.

This has nothing at all to do with mining or tokens, but I hope it
does help in clarifying some of the earlier correspondence. My
apologies for the diversion.

Regards

John