- PENNY ELLIS -
THORALBY
THROUGH TIME
Thoralby Tithe Award
and Map, 1840
(The National Archives: IR 29/42/370, IR 30/42/370)
[This section is under construction]
The present-day township comprises 2,857 acres. The farms outside the main village to the east are Spickles Farm and Riddings and those to the west are Gayle Ing, Barker, Cote Bottom, Blind Syke, Swinacote, Howsyke, Crooksby and Littleburn. For a map showing the whole township see the section Four Townships.
The first map shows the whole village of Thoralby from Heaning in the west to Littleburn in the east. The map that follows shows the village in more detail, and shows some of the occupations of the inhabitants.
Below the maps is a transcription of the tithe award in a searchable table that shows owners and occupiers of property and land in 1840. Each field is listed by name together with its size and whether it was arable, meadow or pasture. There is also a table showing the crops grown - oats, barley and wheat - as there was still some arable land in the township.
Click on a map to enlarge it, then click on the two arrows at the top left corner to show the image full-screen size.
Above is Thoralby village from the 1840, Tithe map, reproduced courtesy of the National Archives: Reference no: IR 30/42/370. It shows the houses, coloured in red from Heaning to the East and Littleburn in the west.
The names of the properties to the east of this map are: Nell Holme, East Holme (Hestholme), transferred into Burton-cum-Walden township in 1881. Spickles Farm and Riddings, remained in Thoralby Township, click on the link for a map, of their exact location.
To the west the names of the properties are: Swina Coate, Blind Syke, Cote Bottom, Barker, Gayle-ing and How Syke, click on the link for a map, of their exact location.
Below is a close up of the above map, highlighting the numerous occupations, other than farming in the village in 1841, using the information from the tithes and the census returns.
Click on a map to enlarge it, then click on the two arrows at the top left corner to show the image full-screen size.
Riddings is off the map to the right but has been included because the occupation of its occupants would have been important to the local economy. They were coopers, making barrels and other wooden vessels, which would have been essential for storage. See the 1841 census for Thoralby for the occupations of all residents in the village.
The following is a transcription of the introduction to the Tithe Commutation Assessment for Thoralby produced in 1840, scroll down to view the transcript of the tithe award in tabular and searchable form:
"Whereas an Agreement for the COMMUTATION of TITHES in the Township of Thoralby in the Parish of Aysgarth in the County of York was on the Twenty-fourth day of January in the Year One Thousand Eight Hundred and Forty, confirmed by the Tithe Commission for England and Wales, of which Agreement, the following is a Copy:-
Provisional Agreement for the Commutation of the Tithes of the Township of Thoralby on the Parish of Aysgarth in the County of York pursuant to the Act for the Commutation of Tithes in England and Wales made and execute at a Township Meeting of the Land Owners and Tithe Owners within the limits of the said Township duly called and holden in the said Township and adjourned from time to time and now holden by adjournment on this seventh day of January one thousand eight hundred and thirty nine and since perfected by and between the Master Fellows and Scholars of Trinity College Cambridge Impropriate Rectors of the said Parish of Aysgarth and John Hutton and Christopher Other Esquires their Lesse[e]s of the said Impropriate Rectory under a Lease for the term of sixteen years from the date thereof in which a Rent of less than Two thirds of the clear yearly value of the premises comprised therein and reserved (and which said Master Fellows and Scholars as such Impropriate Rectors and the said John Hutton and Christopher Other their Lessees as aforesaid are entitled unto jointly Owners of all the Tithes of the said Township within the meaning of the said act) of the one part of the several persons Landowners within the said Township by whom or by whose agents duly authorised in that behalf this agreement is executed, and the Interest of which Land Owners in the Lands of the said Township is not less than two thirds of the Lands of the Township subject to Tithes of the other part.
The Township of Thoralby contains by estimation Five thousand and seven hundred and fifty acres of Land Statute Measure
The whole of the Land is subject to the payment of tithes
The estimated quantity in Statute Measure of Land subject to Tithes within the said Township which is now cultivated as Arable Meadow or Pasture Land or otherwise is as follows.
Arable Land Thirty Acres
Meadow or Pasture Land Five Thousand seven hundred and twenty acres
There are Twenty Acres of Woodland in this Township which is free from Tithe by prescription.
The following is a Table showing the moduses or customary payments payable in lieu of the Tithes of Hay and adjustment of several Estate Farms and Lands in this Township."
The full Tithe Award showing land and property ownership can be found below this section.
"p. (iii) The residue of the Lands in this Township not covered by the several Moduses or Customary Payments herein before mentioned are exempt from the payment of the Tithes of Hay and agistment by presumption.
The following Moduses or prescriptive or Customary Payments are payable in lieu of the following Tithes of the said Township.
There is due to the Tithe owners for the Tithes of Wool one fleece for every ten. If nine fleeces then one fleece is taken and one half penny is returned to the owner. If eight fleeces, then one fleece is taken and one penny is returned. If seven fleece one fleece is taken and three half pence are returned. If six fleeces half a fleeces is taken and one half penny is returned. If five fleeces, half a fleece exactly is taken. If under five fleeces one half penny is due for every fleece. If above ten fleeced, then one half penny is due for every fleece under five, and at fifteen fleeces one and a half fleeces and so on as before.
Lambs are titheable in like manner as wool with an allowance of one half penny for each Lamb under five to the Tithe Owners, and the return of one half penny for each Lamb under ten and above six to the Owner.
For every half Lamb there is due to the Tithe Owners one half penny for Ewe Milk, For a whole Lamb one penny and for as many as happened one penny per Lamb Ewe Milk and half Lamb.
There is due to the Tithe Owners for Tithes of Cows and Calves. One Calf for every ten, if nine calves then one Calf is taken and half penny is returned to the Owner. If eight calves, one calf is taken and one penny is returned. If seven Calves, one calf is taken and three half pence returned. If six Calves then half a calf is taken and one half penny is returned. If five Calves then half a calf is exactly taken. If under five Calves one half penny is due for each calf. If above ten Calves then half penny for each Calf under five is due to the Tithe Owners, and at fifteen Calves one half calf and a half and so on as before.
For every Cow and Calf kept between Michaelmas and Michaelmas there is due to the Tithe Owner, Cow Milk two pence and for a Geld Cow one penny Cow Milk, and for a Cow of the first Calf one penny for Milk.
Foals are Titheable in the same manner as Calves, with an allowance of one penny for each Foal under five to the Tithe Owners and the return of one half penny for each Foal under ten and above six to the owner.
There is due to the Tithe Owners at Michaelmas Holy Bread one half penny and Garth one penny and Mortuaries according to the Statute.
Bees are Titheable one penny each swarm till five and at five swarms, half a swarm at six swarms half a swarm, and one half penny, at seven swarms one swarm and three half pence are returned to the owner, at eight swarms, one swarm and one penny is returned, at nine swarm and one half penny is returned and at ten swarms one swarm and so on.
Every Inhabitant within the said Township above the age of sixteen years stands charegeable with the payment of the sum of two pence at Easter in the nature of Oblations.
And it is hereby agreed that the annual sum of seventy six pounds and fifteen shillings by way of Rent Charge (subject to the provisions of the said act) shall be paid to the said John Hutton and Christopher Other their executors administrators or assigns during the continuance of their said Lease and after the determination thereof to the said Master Fellows and Scholars and their successors instead of the Tithes of the Lands of the said Township subject to Tithes and instead of all Moduses and Corn positions real and prescriptive and Customary Payments in lieu thereof and also instead of all Easter offerings and of the said Customary Payments of Holy Bread one half penny and Garth one penny payable at Michaelmas.
And it is further agreed that the Lands included in this agreement shall be discharged from Tithes except as excepted in the said act from the first day of January next preceding the confirmation of the apportionment of the Rent Charge herein before agreed on and that the first payment of the said Rent charge shall be made or be recoverable on the expiration of Six Calendar Months from the time from which the said Lands are discharged from the payment of Tithes.
p. (iii) Now I, THOMAS BRADLEY of Richmond in the County of York, Land-Agent and Surveyor, having duly been appointed VALUER to apportion the total Sum agreed to be paid by way of Rent Charge in lieu of Tithes, amongst the several Lands of the said Township of Thoralby.
DO HEREBY apportion the Rent Charge as follows: -
Gross Rent-charge payable to the Tithe-owners, in lieu of Tithes for the Township of Thoralby, in the parish of Aysgarth in the County of York,
Sixty-nine Pounds
Value in Imperial Bushes and Decimal Parts of an Imperial Bushel of Wheat, Barley, and Oats:-viz"
Below is a transcript of the tithe award in tabular and searchable form. The 'Search' box at the top right-hand corner can be used to find a surname, house name, field name or other element. Present day house names where known are in brackets e.g. [Rose Cottage].
SUMMARY