The Statesman.
London, England, 1822-07-12 00:00:00

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FOR TilE STATESMAN.
ADDRESS TO THE INHABITANTS OF. STAFFORD-
SHIRE ON THE SUBJECT OF TYTHES.

There is no subject more deserving of public atten-1
Con than the question of Tythes. It is equally int- ,
portant to all classes; and nothing more than a pro-
per tinderstandiog of it, is requisite to promote a
material alteration for the better. When we Sod
clergymen chasing this period of general distress to
fleece their fleck by clerical exactions; it is necessary
to enquire whether they have law; for we are aware
they have neither reason nor jettice, on their side.
There has been a curious decision upon this matter,
in Niirfolk, which calls upon the tytke pagers, of,
every county to make a stand; and to see that they
are not spoiled of more than the law requires. I will
copy the account from the •pnblic papers, and sub-
join a few remarks, for the further elucidation of the
matter.
" IMPORTANT DECISION RELATIVE TO TTTIIES.
" At the last Norfolk Qoarter Sessions, held at Nor-
" with on the 17t1. of April, 1822. the Court came to a
" most important decision OD the Poor Laws, on soap-
" peal by the Rev. Dr. Bulmer, Rector of Cawston,
" against the Poors' Rats for that parish. The Doctor
" bad been rated at 5501. per annum for the trite!,
s' against which be appealed, upon the ground that it
" exceeded a fourth of the assessment, upon the Wise-
" able property, in the parish, which be contended Was
" the proportion at which tytbes should be assessed to
" the poor.' rate. Tee Court DISAIISSZD THE •PPIAL,
" being unanimously of opinion that there teas 119 rule
" in law, for fixing a proportional assessmeot on tythes,
" compared with land ; and that the only principle was
" to assess all real property, according to the PRODUC.
" Tier VALOR or PROFIT which it yielded. This deter-
" mination is important, as it recognizes a principle,
" the general application of which at the present time
" will necessarily be attended with the most serious re-
" solo, both to the Farmer and the Clergy ; upon the
" LATTER of whom the chief berth's of SUPPORTING the
" Pooa will now, as IN FORMER TIMES, be
" THROWN. According to this principle, it is evi-
" dent, that at the present time the assessment upon
" land ought to be nearly. nominal; and that tythes
" should he assessed at their FULL AMOUNT; it be-
ing notorious, that no profit whatever is now afforded
" from the land in general ; and that that, which the
" landlord receives in the 'same If rent, is, io fact, a
perteat out of the FARMER'S CAPITAL; while tythea,
" being taken clear of taxes and all other expences at-
" tending the teasing of crops, are NEARLY ALL PILPIT.I
" This decision has created a great sensation in Norfolk,
" and the farmers in many places have already insisted
upon a reduction of their assessments, and upon
" rating the parsons to the full amount of their lythes,l
" as well where they are compounded for, as when taken
"in kind. The above principle was acknowledged in
" its FULL EXTENT a short time since in the Court
" of King's Bench ; Mr. Justice Houtovo having ex-
" pressly declared. that a rate on land is, in effect, a
" rate on the profits of land: for where there are no
't profits, there is so beneficial occupation."
1 his DECISION may truly be called I M PORTANT
and as its justice is apparent to all,let ALL who are sub-
ject to the payment of tytbes, see that this principle is
carried into effect in all other districts. It is steers-
ear} that the clergy of the Church of England, who,
(at a body), hare been most active in supporting every
Ministerial measure, and in subjecting the people to
the operation of a most GRINDING TAXATION,
should bear THEIR FULL SHARE of the burthens,
which they have been foremost in loading upon the
s! oulders of others. And it Is of all things the most
unpardonable and intolerable, that they should seek
to shelter their tythes upon the charges made upon
other property. Taxation, to be just, should only fall
upon the profits of capital employed. When it
touches the capital itself it becomes robbery; for to
take from any man the means which be uses for his
support, and thus to reduce him to beggary, in despite
of his labour, cannot be justified by any pretended
necessity, unless that necessity, implicated ALL alike;
and called for a greater sacrifice. When a man,
therefore, ran shew he has no profitable occupation of
land, be is exempt !rem any charge upon the land;
and the hurthen DIVST FALL where the benefit rests.
The tythes are ALL PROFIT :—the tythe bolder is at
no expense in manuring, or cultivating. He only
comes to fetch away his portion ! Ile has no taxes
to pay, in the labour of production ; and is clearly
the only profitable holder of the land at present;
which may lie said to be held in trust, for the taxes of
the slate, and the tytbes of the church! Neither the
landholder, nor the cultivator of the land, can obtain
any intik. Therefore the maintenance of the poor
mast, and should fall opon those who have the profits
of the lend, which is chargeable by law with their
maietenatice, as well as other burthens. But there is
another reason why the church should be Imperatively
called upon to maintain the poor; or at least to give
up that considerable portion of the tythes which
are as much the property of the poor, by the title under
which the Church holds the right of collecting them, as
a portion belongs to the Church. You have heard a
great deal of nonsense lately about tythes being the pri-
vate property of the Church. The holders of such ab-
curd doctrines might as well tell us, that the poors' rate
are the private property of the Overseers ! !—Tythes
originated in this way. In the year 600 Christianity
was introduced into England.lThere were then no tythes
upon the laud; and the Monks, who brought over Ca-
tholic Christianity, brought no authority with them to
demand any. Their converts endowed monasteries and
churches; the care of the poor necessarily fell under
the jurisdiction of the Church ; and in the " Canons of
Elfric" we find the following account of the tythes (and
which I beg leave to say, is corroborated by " the learned
Selden " whose work on Tythes I have this moment be-
fore me.)—" Let the priests receive the tythes of the
" people, and keep a written account of all that they
" had paid them ; and divide them, in the presence of
" such as fear God, according to canonical authority !
" Let them set apart the first share for the buildings
• " and ornaments of the Choi-ch.—awl distribute the se-
" cond to the POOR and STRANGERS, with their own
" hands, in mercy and humility; and reserve the third
" part for themselves."—This is the ancient law of
tythes ; the legal origin of the claim, and the mode of
distribution, is as sacred as the right of collection. By
this kV, the priest Ism a claim only to one-third for
himself: he is made the collector of the whole; but he
is required to distribute one-third to the " poor and
stranger," and to appropriate another third to the
nsaintenaace of religious edifices. 1 hie was the law!
There is no pretence of "private property." A cer-
'tain proportion of the produce was by law assigned to
certain purposes. This proportion may be made more
or less, by soy other law, is the same way as the salary
of any public officer may be increased or diminished by
law; and while the salary of the Monarch is under the con-
trout of the legislature, shall it be said, that the grants of
the people to the Church cannot be interfered with by the
legislature ?!! However, at p let us keep to the law,

• The account appeared originally la the Stateman.—ED.


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