The Tithe Applotment Books 1823-1837

 Hingertys in the Tithe Applotment Books 1823 - 1837

Background

In 1823 an Act of Parliament decreed that payment of tithes (taxes to be paid to maintain the Church of Ireland) was to change from payment in kind to payment in cash.

This change required a valuation of the whole of Ireland to determine what cash amount needed to be paid by each tenant. The amount payable was determined by size and value of the land. For the first time grazing land was included in the calculations along with arable land for crops. Previously only crop land had been eligible for the tithe payment.

The Tithe Applotment Books

This listing was the first complete register of the people of Ireland in relation to the working and tenancy of the land. As there are no existing Census records for this period in Ireland, as church records are patchy and Civil Registration of births, deaths and marriages was not yet established, the Tithe Applotment Books are very valuable for locating families within Ireland during this time period.

The books are indexed on Ancestry and at Roots Ireland. The original books can be viewed on Family Search and The National Archives of Ireland. 

To read more about the Tithe Applotment Books and to Browse by county or townland, or search by surname click on this link which will take you to the National Archives of Ireland website.

Search results

A search of the books for the surname "Hingerty" yields 5 results- all in Tipperary. On closer inspection these 5 records represent 3 plots of land tenanted by 3 different men.

In 1823 

James Hingerty is a tenant on 2 roods of land owned by Lord Dunnalley in Townfields, Modreeny.

James is to pay 1 shilling and 4 pence per year.

John Hingerty is a tenant on 2 roods 27 perches of land owned by Lord Dunnalley in Townfields, Modreeny. John is to pay 1 shilling and 9 pence per year.

Are James and John brothers? Father and son? Nephew and uncle? Do they have families to support? Are they young or old? Are their parcels of land adjoining?

Unfortunately the books do not tell us as they were designed to list land size and quality to specify the tithe to be paid.

In 1826

There seem to be two John Hingertys listed with land in two different locations. However, a close look at the records show that it is the same piece of land -  same size, same value, same tithe assessment with the same people in the list prior and after John's listing, just with slightly different locations listed.

John Hingerty is occupying a plot of land 19 acres 2 roods in Barnane, Barnane-ely or Kilfithmone (both listed) and has been assessed as needing to pay 17 shillings and 10 pence per year. 

In a listing for a time period up to 1836

John Hingerty is noted as not having paid his yearly tithe of 17 shillings and 10 pence on the land he farms at Barnane, Kilfithmone for the past 4 years.

There was much animosity towards the tithe from the Catholic tenant farmers. They objected to paying a tithe to support the Church of Ireland. From 1830 farmers began to with hold payment resulting in much conflict, some of it violent. 

In 1838 the Tithe Commutation Act shifted the responsibility for paying the tithe from tenants to land owners. 

There are lists of Tithe Defaulters. 

John Hingerty of Barnane, Barnane-Ely/Kilfithmore is listed in an 1831 list which has a note to the effect that, due to the wide scale refusal to pay, use of threats and recent land sales in neighbouring areas not being successful, it was reluctantly decided to desist from tithe arrears collection in the Barnane area. 

John would have been pleased!

With only 3 Hingerty men (assuming the John of Modreeny is different to the John of Barnane) listed as being farmers in Tipperary between 1823 and 1837 - 

Where are all the other Hingerty families? 

Are they all city/town dwellers? 

Or are they to be found among the 35 tenants listed in the Tithe Applotment Books as leasing 63 plots 

in Tipperary using the name Harrington ? 

(a search of theTithe Applotment Books using other Hingerty name variants produced no results)

More research required.........

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