A tithe barn was a type of

barn A barn is an agricultural building usually on farms and used for various purposes. In North America, a barn refers to structures that house livestock, including cattle and horses, as well as equipment and fodder, and often grain.Alle ...

used in much of

northern Europe The northern region of Europe has several definitions. A restrictive definition may describe Northern Europe as being roughly north of the southern coast of the Baltic Sea, which is about 54°N, or may be based on other geographical factors ...

in the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...

for storing rents and

tithe A tithe (; from Old English: ''teogoþa'' "tenth") is a one-tenth part of something, paid as a contribution to a religious organization or compulsory tax to government. Today, tithes are normally voluntary and paid in cash or cheques or more ...

s. Farmers were required to give one-tenth of their produce to the

established church A state religion (also called religious state or official religion) is a religion or creed officially endorsed by a sovereign state. A state with an official religion (also known as confessional state), while not secular, is not necessarily a t ...

. Tithe barns were usually associated with the village church or rectory, and independent farmers took their tithes there. The village priests did not have to pay tithes—the purpose of the tithe being their support. Some operated their own farms anyway. The former church property has sometimes been converted to

village green A village green is a common open area within a village or other settlement. Historically, a village green was common grassland with a pond for watering cattle and other stock, often at the edge of a rural settlement, used for gathering cattle t ...

s. Many were monastic barns, originally used by the monastery itself or by a

monastic grange Monastic granges were outlying landholdings held by monasteries independent of the manorial system. The first granges were owned by the Cistercians and other orders followed. Wealthy monastic houses had many granges, most of which were largely ...

. The word 'grange' is (indirectly) derived from Latin ('

granary A granary is a storehouse or room in a barn for threshed grain or animal feed. Ancient or primitive granaries are most often made of pottery. Granaries are often built above the ground to keep the stored food away from mice and other animals ...

'). Identical barns were found on royal domains and country estates. The medieval aisled barn was developed in the 12th and 13th centuries, following the examples of royal

hall In architecture, a hall is a relatively large space enclosed by a roof and walls. In the Iron Age and early Middle Ages in northern Europe, a mead hall was where a lord and his retainers ate and also slept. Later in the Middle Ages, the gre ...

s, hospitals and market halls. Its predecessors included Roman horrea and

Neolithic long house The Neolithic long house was a long, narrow timber dwelling built by the first farmers in Europe beginning at least as early as the period 5000 to 6000 BC. They first appeared in central Europe in connection with the early Neolithic cultures suc ...

s. According to

English Heritage English Heritage (officially the English Heritage Trust) is a charity that manages over 400 historic monuments, buildings and places. These include prehistoric sites, medieval castles, Roman forts and country houses. The charity states that i ...

, "exactly how barns in general were used in the Middle Ages is less well understood than might be expected, and the subject abounds with myths (for example, not one of England's surviving architecturally impressive barns was a tithe barn, although such barns existed)".

Examples

England

Medieval

There are surviving examples of medieval barns in England, some of them known as "tithe barns". English Heritage established criteria to determine if barns were used as tithe barns.The Great Coxwell "Tithe Barn" was not really a tithe barn, according to English Heritage. The total number of surviving medieval barns (dated up to 1550) in Britain may be estimated about 200. * Aberford C of E

Primary School A primary school (in Ireland, the United Kingdom, Australia, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, and South Africa), junior school (in Australia), elementary school or grade school (in North America and the Philippines) is a school for primary e ...

, Aberford,

Leeds Leeds () is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds district in West Yorkshire, England. It is built around the River Aire and is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines. It is also the third-largest settlement (by popul ...

(Aberford School was based on a redundant tithe barn) * Bank Hall Barn, Bretherton,

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a historic county, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significantly. The non-metropolitan county of Lancas ...

The Bishop's Barn, Wells The Bishop's Barn in Silver Street, Wells, Somerset, England, was built as a tithe barn in the 15th century. It has been designated as a Grade I listed building, and scheduled as an ancient monument. It was built of local stone roughly squared ...

, Somerset * Bishop's Cleeve Tithe Barn,

Gloucestershire Gloucestershire ( abbreviated Glos) is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn and the entire Forest of Dean. The county town is the city of ...

Bradford on Avon Tithe Barn Bradford-on-Avon Tithe Barn is a Grade I listed barn in Pound Lane, Bradford on Avon, Wiltshire, England. It was part of a medieval grange belonging to Shaftesbury Abbey and was built in the early 14th century, with a granary dated to about 14 ...

Wiltshire Wiltshire (; abbreviated Wilts) is a historic and ceremonial county in South West England with an area of . It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset to the southwest, Somerset to the west, Hampshire to the southeast, Gloucestershire ...

Carlisle Tithe Barn Carlisle Tithe Barn is an historic building in Carlisle, Cumbria. It is a Grade I listed building, listed on 1 June 1949. History and description The tithe barn was built about the 1470s for Prior Gondibour, as part of the Priory of St Mary. Afte ...

* Church of the Holy Ghost,

Midsomer Norton Midsomer Norton is a town near the Mendip Hills in Bath and North East Somerset, England, south-west of Bath, Somerset, Bath, north-east of Wells, Somerset, Wells, north-west of Frome, west of Trowbridge and south-east of Bristol. It has ...

Somerset ( en, All The People of Somerset) , locator_map = , coordinates = , region = South West England , established_date = Ancient , established_by = , preceded_by = , origin = , lord_lieutenant_office =Lord Lieutenant of Somerset , lor ...

* The Corbett Theatre,

Loughton Loughton () is a town and civil parish in the Epping Forest District of Essex. Part of the metropolitan and urban area of London, the town borders Chingford, Waltham Abbey, Theydon Bois, Chigwell and Buckhurst Hill, and is northeast of Chari ...

, which was the tithe barn at

Ditchling Ditchling is a village and civil parish in the Lewes District of East Sussex, England. The village is contained within the boundaries of the South Downs National Park; the order confirming the establishment of the park was signed in Ditchling ...

Cressing Temple Cressing Temple is a medieval site situated between Witham and Braintree in Essex, close to the villages of Cressing and White Notley. It was amongst the very earliest and largest of the possessions of the Knights Templar in England,http://ww ...

East Riddlesden Hall East Riddlesden Hall is a 17th-century manor house in Keighley, West Yorkshire, England, now owned by the National Trust. History The hall was built in 1642 by a wealthy Halifax clothier, James Murgatroyd. The hall is a Grade I listed buildi ...

(

National Trust The National Trust, formally the National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, is a charity and membership organisation for heritage conservation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. In Scotland, there is a separate and ...

) * The Great Barn,

Bourn Bourn is a small village and civil parish in South Cambridgeshire, England. Surrounding villages include Caxton, Eltisley and Cambourne. It is 8 miles (12 km) from the county town of Cambridge. The population of the parish was 1,015 peop ...

* The Great Barn,

Ruislip Ruislip ( ) is an area in the London Borough of Hillingdon in West London, and in the historic county of Middlesex. Ruislip lies west-north-west of Charing Cross, London. The manor of Ruislip appears in the Domesday Book, and some of the ear ...

Middlesex Middlesex (; abbreviation: Middx) is a historic county in southeast England. Its area is almost entirely within the wider urbanised area of London and mostly within the ceremonial county of Greater London, with small sections in neighbour ...

* The Great Barn,

Titchfield Titchfield is a village in southern Hampshire, by the River Meon. The village has a history stretching back to the 6th century. During the medieval period, the village operated a small port and market. Near to the village are the ruins of Titc ...

* The Great Barn, Wanborough,

Surrey Surrey () is a ceremonial county, ceremonial and non-metropolitan county, non-metropolitan counties of England, county in South East England, bordering Greater London to the south west. Surrey has a large rural area, and several significant ur ...

* Great Coxwell Tithe Barn,

Oxfordshire Oxfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the north west of South East England. It is a mainly rural county, with its largest settlement being the city of Oxford. The county is a centre of research and development, primaril ...

Harmondsworth Great Barn Harmondsworth Great Barn (also known as Manor Farm Barn) is a medieval barn on the former Manor Farm in the village of Harmondsworth, in the London Borough of Hillingdon, England. It is north-west of fields and the A4 next to Heathrow Airport. B ...

Harmondsworth Harmondsworth is a village in the London Borough of Hillingdon in the county of Greater London with a short border to the south onto London Heathrow Airport. The village has no railway stations, but adjoins the M4 motorway and the A4 road (the ...

* Landbeach Tithe Barn, Landbeach, Cambridgeshire *

Middle Littleton North and Middle Littleton is a civil parish located in the Wychavon district of Worcestershire, England. The parish comprises the villages of North Littleton and Middle Littleton, and is located near the larger settlement of South Littleton. ...

tithe barn * Nether Poppleton Tithebarn,

City of York The City of York is a unitary authority area with city status in the ceremonial county of North Yorkshire, England. The district's main settlement is York, and it extends to the surrounding area including the town of Haxby and the villages of ...

* Parish Hall and Rectory Chapel,

Freshwater, Isle of Wight Freshwater is a large village and civil parish at the western end of the Isle of Wight, England. The southern, coastal part of the village is Freshwater Bay, named for the adjacent small cove. Freshwater sits at the western end of ...

* Sextry Barn, Ely *

Swalcliffe Swalcliffe is a village and civil parish about west of Banbury in Oxfordshire. The parish is about long north–south and about east–west. The 2011 Census recorded the population of the modern Swalcliffe parish as 210. The toponym "Swalcl ...

Barn, Oxfordshire *

Tithe Barn A tithe barn was a type of barn used in much of northern Europe in the Middle Ages for storing rents and tithe A tithe (; from Old English: ''teogoþa'' "tenth") is a one-tenth part of something, paid as a contribution to a religious orga ...

, Dunster * Tithe Barn, Maidstone,

Kent Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...

Tithe Barn, Manor Farm, Doulting The Tithe Barn at Manor Farm (also known as Abbey Barn) in Doulting, Somerset, England, was built in the 15th century, and has been designated as a Grade I listed building, and scheduled as an ancient monument. Tithe barns were used to store tit ...

, Somerset *

Tithe Barn, Pilton The Tithe Barn at Cumhill Farm in Pilton, Somerset, England, was built in the 14th century as a tithe barn to hold produce for Glastonbury Abbey. It is a Grade I listed building and Scheduled Ancient Monument. The barn, of coursed and squared ...

, Somerset * Upminster Tithe Barn,

Upminster Upminster is a suburban town in East London, England, within the London Borough of Havering. Located east-northeast of Charing Cross, it is one of the district centres identified for development in the London Plan. Historically a rural vill ...

, Essex * Upper Heyford tithe barn, Oxfordshire * Haddenham tithe barn, Buckinghamshire *

West Pennard Court Barn West Pennard Court Barn (which is also known as the Court Barn, West Bradley) is a late 14th or early 15th century tithe barn which was built for Glastonbury Abbey. The Grade I listed building is between West Pennard and West Bradley in the Eng ...

Later

There are many extant barns that date from after the Medieval period and may be called "tithe barns" by their owners or councils. These include: *

Loseley Park Loseley Park is a large Tudor manor house with later additions and modifications south-west of Guildford, Surrey, England, in Artington close to the hamlet of Littleton. The estate was acquired by the direct ancestors of the current owners, ...

tithe barn (17th century) * Melling Tithebarn, Merseyside (c. 18th century)

Scotland

* Barn Church, Culloden

Germany

* Castle of Lissingen,

Rhineland-Palatinate Rhineland-Palatinate ( , ; german: link=no, Rheinland-Pfalz ; lb, Rheinland-Pfalz ; pfl, Rhoilond-Palz) is a western state of Germany. It covers and has about 4.05 million residents. It is the ninth largest and sixth most populous of the ...

France

*Grange dimière,

Tremblay-en-France Tremblay-en-France (; ) is a commune in the north-eastern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the centre of Paris. More than one-quarter of Charles de Gaulle Airport lies within the territory of the commune of Tremblay-en-France, in ...

*Grange de Meslay *Priory of Le Mont Saint-Michel (Ardevon). *Silve Bénite in Le Pin (12th century). *

Écouen Écouen () is a Communes of France, commune in the Val-d'Oise department, in the northern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the Kilometre Zero, center of Paris. The 19th-century poet and playwright Pierre-Joseph Charrin (1784–1863) d ...

(14th–17th century). *

Ardenne Abbey Ardenne Abbey (french: Abbaye Notre-Dame d'Ardenne), the Abbey of Our Lady of Ardenne, is a former Premonstratensian abbey founded in the 11th century and located near Saint-Germain-la-Blanche-Herbe in Calvados, near Caen, France. It is now occu ...

Saint-Germain-la-Blanche-Herbe Saint-Germain-la-Blanche-Herbe () is a commune in the Calvados department in the Normandy region in northwestern France. Population See also * Ardenne Abbey *Communes of the Calvados department The following is a list of the 528 communes ...

(12th century). * Samoreau (13th century). * Maubuisson Abbey (13th century). *

(13th century). *

Wissous Wissous () is a commune in the Essonne department in Île-de-France in northern France. Paris-Orly Airport is partially located in the commune. Population Inhabitants of Wissous are known as ''Wissoussiens''. History Wissous appears in ...

(13th century). * Chenu (13th century). * Dammarie-en-Puisaye. * Maroilles Abbey (1735). *

Wallers Wallers () is a commune in the Nord department in northern France. It is known for the Trench of Arenberg, part of the Paris–Roubaix cycling race, held annually in April. Heraldry Population See also *Communes of the Nord department Th ...

Belgium

*13th-century tithe barn of Ter Doest Abbey * Herkenrode Abbey near Hasselt

Notes and references

External links

Photographs of tithe barns
on geograph.org.uk {{Authority control Barns Lists of buildings and structures in England