The Composition for Tithes Act 1823 (4 Geo. 4. c. 99), also known as the Tithe Composition Act 1823, was an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that required all occupiers of Irish agricultural holdings of over one acre to pay monetary tithes to support the Anglican Church in Ireland, instead of a percentage of agricultural yield.Brown, Stewart Jay (2001). The National Churches of England, Ireland, and Scotland, 1801-1846. Oxford University Press. p. 107. The act also allowed for those who paid a large tithe to be able to negotiate the composition of the tithes for their parish; that is to decide on what monetary basis the tithes would be based, so that the tithes would be reasonable in comparison to income for the tithe-payers and sufficient for the subsistence of the parishes.Goulburn, Henry (1823). Irish Tithes Composition and Commutation Bills, debate. Hansard It was thought by some members of Parliament to be a conciliatory measure that would reduce the oppressive nature of the then current tithe system.

Controversy Controversy rose up quickly, even in Parliament itself. Some Members of Parliament felt that the Irish clergy were already grossly overpaid compared to clergy in England.Taylor, Michael (1823). Irish Tithes Composition Bill, debate. Hansard Catholics and Dissenters did not feel that the Composition Act reduced the oppression of the tithe system in light of the fact that the six million Catholics in Ireland were still forced to pay the tithes for churches that they did not attend or use.Cowherd, R.G. (1954). "The Politics of English Dissent, 1832-1848" in Church History, vol. 23, no. 2(June 1954). p. 138. They saw that as persecution by the English Anglicans towards people who were not members of the established Church.

It also seemed to critics that the act did nothing to reform the problems in the Irish clergy: that they were often absent from their parishes and that they held enormous wealth. A change in the composition of tithes would have had no effect on the level of clergymen's wealth.Jebb, John (1824). "A speech delivered in the House of Peers, Thursday June 10, 1824..." in Hume Tracts. p. 9. While the Irish clergy and their supporters refuted those claims, popular opinion seemed to overshadow their arguments. Specifically, non-resident clergy were resident elsewhere and thus could not be considered absentee. In support of the clergy's point of view, however, their income had also diminished due to a reduction in tithe-rates.Jebb, John (1824). "A speech delivered in the House of Peers, Thursday June 10, 1824..." in Hume Tracts. pp. 11, 28. In that way, the Act would have helped the clergy, as currency was much more versatile in helping the church than raw goods.

Reform and war

Attempts at reform came as early as 1828 when Thomas Greene, a Member of Parliament, introduced a bill that would have replaced the tithes with corn rents, a proposal that failed.Kain, Roger J.P. and Hugh C. Prince (2006). The Tithe Surveys of England and Wales. Cambridge University Press. p. 28 Lord Althorp attempted the same measure in 1833, which also failed. His bill the following year also did not pass, despite severe emendation.Kain, Roger J.P. and Hugh C. Prince (2006). The Tithe Surveys of England and Wales. Cambridge University Press. p. 30 Many reforms were lost among other bills in Parliament and never came to fruition.

During the "Tithe War" from 1831 to 1838, Irish peasants rebelled and refused to pay the tithes, sometimes violently persecuting those who did pay the tithes.Innes, Arthur Donald (1915). A history of England and the British Empire. New York: The Macmillan Company. p. 181 The government found it hard to enforce the law, due to the popularity of the rebels' cause.Innes, Arthur Donald (1915). A history of England and the British Empire. New York: The Macmillan Company. p. 182 The Irish believed the tithes were simply another form of English abuse, and the rebellion took on an apparent aura of nationalism, or at least the feeling of a religious war against the persecution of the faithful.

Outcome Finally, the Tithe Commutation Act 1838 (1 & 2 Vict. c. 109) applied the tithe-tax to landlords instead of peasants.Innes, Arthur Donald (1915). A history of England and the British Empire. New York: The Macmillan Company. p. 185 This created a new system where peasants paid an increase in rent instead of a direct tithe, but it simultaneously enabled peasants to no longer feel that the Anglican Church in Ireland took advantage of them. The bill did not solve all of the problems in Ireland, but allowed for some respite in the continuing conflict in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.

Subsequent developments The whole act was repealed by section 1 of, and the schedule to, the Statute Law Revision Act 1873 (36 & 37 Vict. c. 91), which came into force on 5 August 1873.

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