In reading this statement one may smile at the “permanent settlement.” Ever since 1836 there has been a continuous struggle going on down to 1886 on the subject of “Extraordinary tithe-rent charge.”
CHAPTER XIX.
TITHES OF CHURCH IN WALES.
As the Church of England in Wales is becoming one of the burning political questions of the day, I shall give a sketch of the value and appropriation of the tithe-rent charge of Wales, including the parishes in Monmouth and Salop, which are in Welsh dioceses. The figures are taken from the official Tithe Commutation Return of 1887.
| Bangor. | Llandaff. | St. Asaph. | St. David’s. | Total. | Percentage. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| £ | £ | £ | £ | £ | ||
| Clerical Appropriators | 9,559 | 12,297 | 31,047 | 26,831 | 79,734 | 26·9 |
| Parochial Incumbents | 27,939 | 31,306 | 42,618 | 47,307 | 149,170 | 50·4 |
| Lay Impropriators | 5,941 | 9,748 | 21,732 | 23,389 | 60,810 | 20·5 |
| Schools, Colleges, etc. | 2,378 | 273 | 1,736 | 2,164 | 6,551 | 2·2 |
| 45,817 | 53,624 | 97,133 | 100,488 | 296,265 | 100·0 |
By the operations of the Ecclesiastical Commissioners, when Parliament vested in them the tithe-rent charges of all the archbishops, bishops, chapters, etc., a large quantity of rent-charges was annexed to benefices. The following table indicates the ownerships in 1890:—
| Bangor. | Llandaff. | St. Asaph. | St. David’s. | Total. | Percentage. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| £ | £ | £ | £ | £ | ||
| Ecclesiastical Commissioners | 2,162 | 8,347 | 14,118 | 18,674 | 43,301 | 14·6 |
| Parochial Incumbents | 35,781 | 35,376 | 58,499 | 56,939 | 186,595 | 63·0 |
| Lay Impropriators | 4,969 | 9,646 | 20,565 | 21,978 | 57,158 | 19·3 |
| Schools, Colleges, etc. | 1,289 | 255 | 1,736 | 2,100 | 5,380 | 1·8 |
| Chapters | 1,616 | 2,215 | 3,831 | 1·3 | ||
| 45,817 | 53,624 | 97,133 | 100,488 | 296,265 | 100·0 |
It is important to state who were the clerical appropriators, schools, colleges, etc., in receipt of tithes in 1836. As regards the lay impropriators, it would entail enormous work to get their names. The Tithe Commissioners have their names in each apportionment. But in very many cases the property has, since 1836, changed hands, either by sale, wills, etc.
The endowments of the Welsh bishops and Cathedral churches were taken from the parochial tithes. This meant spiritual destitution in such Welsh parishes. The Norman conquerors seized and held the Welsh episcopal and Cathedral endowments; then the bishops and chapters seized the parochial tithes, and at the time of the Reformation, the Crown annexed additional parochial tithes in augmentation of episcopal and capitular incomes. These tithes were not, as in England, monastic, but were actually taken from the parish clergy by virtue of the Crown’s prerogative as head of the Church.