Introduction
Maps are a fascinating source to the local, family and house historian that reveal the rural, urban and historical development of a specific area through time. It’s possible to trace the ebb and flow of industry, the construction and demolition of property, and even the development of place-names.
Dudley Archive and Local History Service has many maps in its collections, including Dudley Union plans, dating from the 19th century, covering those areas which were part of the Dudley Poor Law Union (Dudley, Sedgley, Rowley Regis and Tipton). They are very detailed, even numbering individual houses. See catalogue reference GDU.
Some parish and enclosure maps and plans of abandoned non-coal mines can also be found. However, members of staff are not qualified to comment on these mining plans and it is advised to engage the services of a mining surveyor to interpret them.
The following page details the development of the four main classes of map that can be found in the archive, providing a bit of background to understand the maps, a few suggestions for their uses, and the basic holdings of the service.
Tithe Maps
What are tithes?
The term ‘tithe’ derivates from the Old-English meaning ‘tenth’ and as such this form of taxation originated in the Medieval period as 10% of produce paid in kind to the church, originally to the parish priest. However, advowson and rights to collect tithes could be sold. Therefore, there is a distinction between a Rector, who had rights to collect tithes (not necessarily the incumbent), and a Vicar, who did not. Often people were paying tithes to a local landowner, and the church got only a proportion (the small tithes).
Opposition
By the early 19th century there was much opposition to payment in kind, and tithes in general, for a number of reasons:
By 1836, about ¼ tithes were being paid to laymen.
The practice discouraged enterprise, as landowners may increase their yield but the church still got a percentage.
It hit rural communities hardest, as large industrial centres were largely exempt.
Agricultural production could fluctuate, and therefore so could church’s income.
The income of clergy differed greatly depending on type and number of livings.
The Tithe Commutation Act, 1836 altered all remaining tithes in kind to monetary payments. These were to be based on the state of cultivation of the land and the price of corn. The act was followed by a long process of assessment, resulting in a map and apportionment.
Maps and Apportionments
Maps:
Were drawn up on a parish basis.
In many areas, the tithe map was the first large scale map to be produced: most date from the 1840s, although in some areas agreement took longer to reach.
There is good geographical coverage of England and Wales as tithe maps exist for more than 3/4 of the country. There are, however, regional variations, and tithes in some areas had been commuted earlier, e.g. by enclosure award.
The maps show each plot of land in the parish, with a number and are usually very detailed. There is not so much detail for non-titheable land, e.g. the core of a Medieval town.
They are not standard in scale or detail, though this was proposed by the tithe commissioner.
Apportionments accompany tithe maps, and list for each plot of land, the owner (although this is sometimes a long leaseholders or trustees); occupier (not always all given, e.g. “Joe Bloggs and others”); name of the land; description of the state of cultivation; acreage; and tithe payable. The apportionments are arranged in alphabetical order of landowner. Therefore, searching for a particular plot can be time consuming.
Uses
House history – if the house is on tithe map, this gives useful extra clues for tracing it further back, i.e. land owner and occupier.
Land use - how many acres in a parish were under cultivation, etc.
Parish history and development - compare with more recent OS maps and the present site.
Holdings at Dudley Archives and Local History Service:
Halesowen - divided into townships (i.e. Halesowen, Lapal, Lutley, Cradley, Hawne, Hill, Hunnington, Illey, Oldbury and Langley)
Pedmore
Sedgley
Kingswinford - Fowler map, no apportionment, only book of reference which contains slightly different information.
Tithes for Dudley town were commuted before the Tithe Commutation Act and, therefore, do not exist.
Copying
It is not possible for us to photocopy any of the tithe maps or apportionments which we hold, due to their size and fragility. It would be possible to take photograph of them, however.
