Over the past several months, I’ve shared the stories of William Browne (1534-1613), Joseph Browne (1561-1633), and William Browne (1585-1650) who were members of the clergy during the Protestant Reformation. Trying to make sense of the Reformation’s impact on the church and to understand the various levels of clergy, however, nearly drove me batty.
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Rector and Author, Richard Hooker by Wenceslaus Hollar
etching, mid to late 17th century NPG D25245
© National Portrait Gallery, London
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THE CLERGY
In medieval times, English nobility built castles and manor houses on land given to them by William the Conqueror or some later King. They often built a church or chapel close to their house, which eventually became the parish church. The nobleman and his successors were thus the patrons of the church, the possessors of the advowson that is the right to nominate the rector. An advowson could be bought and sold like any other property and thus appears in deeds, charters or legal wrangles over its ownership, which may be the first record of the church.
Many patrons chose to grant their church to a monastic house. The monastery thereby became the official rector, who would appoint a vicar to carry out parochial duties. A monastery as rector would generally collect the 'greater tithes’ for its own use, while the vicar had the 'lesser tithes'.
When Henry VIII dissolved the monasteries between 1536 and 1541, he retained possession of many rectories and advowsons formerly held by monastic houses for the crown. Over time, he and the monarchs who succeeded him granted permanent church appointments, the benefice, to those parishes to rectors as a reward for services rendered and as a retainer for future services. Some form of assets to generate revenue were permanently linked to the duties to ensure the support of the rector. The rector had lifelong tenure unless he failed to provide the required minimum of spiritual services or committed a moral offence. For his service, subject to the repair of the parish church, he was granted both the greater and lesser tithes generated within the parish.
On 26 June 1561 Queen Elizabeth I instituted William Browne, my 12th great grandfather, as the Rector of Horley Parish and granted him its benefice including all tithes.
The rectories and advowsons formerly held by monastic houses that were not retained by Henry VIII were sold to laymen. These people became known as 'lay rectors', and were entitled to the tithes and rents formerly owned by the dissolved religious house. These laymen also held the right to nominate or present a candidate for rector to the bishop. This nomination could not be refused without legal cause.
In 1590, Joseph Browne, my 11th great grandfather, was instituted as the Rector of Rusper Parish under the lay patronage of Cecilia Lewknor, widow. Throughout his tenure, Joseph would have enjoyed the use of the rectory, outbuildings and other lands associated with the church. It is not known if Joseph was granted both the greater and the lesser tithes or if Lewknor reserved the greater tithes for herself.
A priest who acts as a representative of another, thus performing the duties of the office vicariously, is known as a vicar. A bishop might appoint a vicar to serve as the priest for small parish. Or, a rector of a large parish might ask that a vicar be appointed to assist him in carrying out his parochial duties.
A rector or vicar might hire a curate to assist in the day-to-day operation of the parish. A curate was usually a young man that had recently been ordained as a deacon. The curate would have been paid a salary by the rector or vicar.
William Browne, my 10th great grandfather, was ordained a deacon on 7 June 1612 after which he was appointed curate of Horley Parish to assist his aging grandfather William the Rector of Horley.
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16th Century Tithe Barn, Landbeach, Cambridgeshire (Image: Keith Heppell)
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THE TITHES
Today, tithes are normally voluntary and paid in cash or by check. This was not the case historically.
Tithes were a type of tax that was levied on the personal as well as agricultural output of the parishioners to maintain the parish church and support the clergy. Tithes were classed as greater and lesser tithes and represented one tenth of the yearly production from residents of the parish.
Greater tithes came from the product of the arable fields and value of stock; lesser tithes came from labor and minor produce, i.e. the day laborers and cottagers. Tithes were paid annually in kind (crops, wool, milk, young stock, etc.).
The clergyman was responsible for collecting his own tithes by going into the fields and assessing crops, inspecting orchards, counting cattle, and sheep. He had to know the source and amount of each farmer's income in order to know how much he could expect to collect as tithe.
Because tithes were paid in kind, the clergy clearly needed someplace to store the produce or animals they received as payment. For the smaller, less profitable parishes, tithes were simply placed into the existing barns and outbuildings owned by the church. Larger and more productive parishes required special tithe barns to house their annual tithes.
The system of in kind payment of tithes lasted until the Tithe Commutation Act of 1836 replaced it with a monetary payment system.
I hope my explanation has helped you better understand this complicated topic.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Burnet, Gilbert. The History of the Reformation of the Church of England :With the Collection of Records, and a Copious Index /. Rev. and corr.,. London :, 1837. http://hdl.handle.net/2027/chi.12658863.
“Curate.” In Wikipedia, February 6, 2019. https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Curate&oldid=882011336.
“English Reformation.” In Wikipedia, June 5, 2019. https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=English_Reformation&oldid=900381662.
Ferraro, Ginestra. “Rector | CCEd.” Accessed June 6, 2019. http://theclergydatabase.org.uk/glossary/rector/.
Pilgrim, Tom. “Ancient Tithe Barn Boosted by Grant Funds.” cambridgenews, January 15, 2017. http://www.cambridge-news.co.uk/news/cambridge-news/centuries-old-tithe-barn-given-12453432.
“What’s the Difference between a Priest, a Vicar and a Rector? - Quora.” Accessed June 6, 2019. https://www.quora.com/Whats-the-difference-between-a-priest-a-vicar-and-a-rector.
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