Commutation of Tithes Act Law and Legal Definition
Commutation of Tithes Act is an English statute that permitted tithes to be levied and collected in the form of cash rents rather than labor and goods in kind. Tithes were originally paid as one tenth of the produce of the land to the rector as alms and for payment for his services. The act substituted a variable monetary payment for any existing tithe in kind. This payment was originally calculated on the basis of a seven-year average price of wheat, barley, and oats, with each grain contributing an equal part to the total. Valuation of current tithes was to be worked out by the parties, or in the absence of an agreement, by a commission appointed for the purpose.
