A tithe barn was a type of barn 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 54th parallel north, 54°N, or may be based on other ge ...

in the

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

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. Modern tithes are normally voluntary and paid in money, cash, cheques or v ...

s. Farmers were required to give one-tenth of their produce to the established church. 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 commons, common open area within a village or other settlement. Historically, a village green was common pasture, grassland with a pond for watering cattle and other stock, often at the edge of a rural settlement, used for ...

s. Many were monastic barns, originally used by the monastery itself or by a monastic grange. The word 'grange' is (indirectly) derived from Latin ('

granary A granary, also known as a grain house and historically as a granarium in Latin, is a post-harvest storage building primarily for grains or seeds. Granaries are typically built above the ground to prevent spoilage and protect the stored grains o ...

'). 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 the 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 houses. 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, a battlefield, medieval castles, Roman forts, historic industrial sites, Lis ...

, "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, India, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, South Africa, and Singapore), elementary school, or grade school (in North America and the Philippines) is a school for primary ...

, Aberford,

Leeds Leeds is a city in West Yorkshire, England. It is the largest settlement in Yorkshire and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds Metropolitan Borough, which is the second most populous district in the United Kingdom. It is built aro ...

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

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated ''Lancs'') is a ceremonial county in North West England. It is bordered by Cumbria to the north, North Yorkshire and West Yorkshire to the east, Greater Manchester and Merseyside to the south, and the Irish Sea to ...

* The Bishop's Barn, Wells, Somerset * Bishop's Cleeve Tithe Barn,

Gloucestershire Gloucestershire ( , ; abbreviated Glos.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by Herefordshire to the north-west, Worcestershire to the north, Warwickshire to the north-east, Oxfordshire ...

* Bradford on Avon Tithe Barn,

Wiltshire Wiltshire (; abbreviated to Wilts) is a ceremonial county in South West England. It borders Gloucestershire to the north, Oxfordshire to the north-east, Berkshire to the east, Hampshire to the south-east, Dorset to the south, and Somerset to ...

* Carlisle Tithe Barn * Church of the Holy Ghost, Midsomer Norton,

Somerset Somerset ( , ), Archaism, archaically Somersetshire ( , , ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel, Gloucestershire, and Bristol to the north, Wiltshire to the east ...

* The Corbett Theatre, Loughton, which was the tithe barn at Ditchling * Cressing Temple * East Riddlesden Hall ( National Trust) * The Great Barn, Bourn * The Great Barn,

Ruislip Ruislip ( ) is a suburb in the London Borough of Hillingdon in northwest London. Prior to 1965 it was in 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 counties of England, former county in South East England, now mainly within Greater London. Its boundaries largely followed three rivers: the River Thames, Thames in the south, the River Lea, Le ...

* The Great Barn, Titchfield * The Great Barn, Wanborough,

Surrey Surrey () is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Greater London to the northeast, Kent to the east, East Sussex, East and West Sussex to the south, and Hampshire and Berkshire to the wes ...

* Great Coxwell Tithe Barn,

Oxfordshire Oxfordshire ( ; abbreviated ''Oxon'') is a ceremonial county in South East England. The county is bordered by Northamptonshire and Warwickshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the east, Berkshire to the south, and Wiltshire and Glouceste ...

* Harmondsworth Great Barn, Harmondsworth,

* Landbeach Tithe Barn, Landbeach, Cambridgeshire * Middle Littleton tithe barn * Nether Poppleton Tithebarn,

City of York The City of York, officially simply "York", is a Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area with City status in the United Kingdom, city status in the Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county of North Yorkshire, England. ...

* Parish Hall and Rectory Chapel, Freshwater, Isle of Wight * Sextry Barn, Ely * Swalcliffe Barn, Oxfordshire * Tisbury Tithe Barn, Place Farm, Wiltshire * Tithe Barn, Dunster * Tithe Barn, Maidstone,

Kent Kent is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Essex across the Thames Estuary to the north, the Strait of Dover to the south-east, East Sussex to the south-west, Surrey to the west, and Gr ...

* Tithe Barn, Manor Farm, Doulting, Somerset * Tithe Barn, Pilton, Somerset * Upminster Tithe Barn, Upminster, Essex * Upper Heyford tithe barn, Oxfordshire * Haddenham tithe barn, Buckinghamshire * West Pennard Court Barn

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

Scotland

* Barn Church, Culloden

Germany

* Castle of Lissingen,

Rhineland-Palatinate Rhineland-Palatinate ( , ; ; ; ) 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 sixteen states. Mainz is the capital and largest city. Other cities are ...

France

*Grange dimière, Tremblay-en-France *Grange de Meslay *Priory of Le Mont Saint-Michel (Ardevon). *Silve Bénite in Le Pin (12th century). * Écouen (14th–17th century). * Ardenne Abbey in Saint-Germain-la-Blanche-Herbe (12th century). * Samoreau (13th century). * Maubuisson Abbey (13th century). * Tremblay-en-France (13th century). * Wissous (13th century). * Chenu (13th century). * Dammarie-en-Puisaye. * Maroilles Abbey (1735). * Wallers.

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