Tithe (D/CT) and enclosure (Q/RDc) maps and awards
The Tithe Act of 1836 led to the conversion of tithes (literally the tenth part of the produce of land and stock given to support the clergy) payable to the parish church to a rent charge on the property. Most of the parishes in Essex were surveyed in the 1830s and 1840s and in many cases the first complete map of a parish was produced.
In the late 18th and early 19th centuries there was a move to enclose land. Where this happened the tithes would often be commuted at the same time and if there is an enclosure map, there will not always be a tithe map. In many counties there are as many or more enclosure maps than tithe maps. In Essex enclosure mostly only affected the north-west of the county.
Each field and property on a tithe or enclosure map has a number and this matches a number in the award. Having identified the property or piece of land, the award has the name and description of the property, cultivation (e.g. arable, pasture), the acreage and the names of the owners and occupiers.
The original tithe and enclosure maps have been photographed to save damage to the original documents and it is not normally possible to view the original of a map. The awards can be found by searching Seax for tithe or enclosure, award and the name of a parish. Many of the tithe awards have been transcribed and these can be easier to use than the originals.
Digital images of many of the enclosure maps have been added to Seax and CD copies of these maps can be seen at the Saffron Walden Access Point.
Before the Tithe Act some landowners reached private agreements with parishes to commute tithes and this land may not be shown on the map. Land that belonged to the parish did not pay tithes and this land may also not be shown.