| Description | This series consists of 2939 individually hand drawn plans showing land held by landowners on the Isle of Man, circa 1840. The plans were originally lodged with the Isle of Man Rolls Office under The Tithe Commutation Act 1839.
The plans are bound into a series of large volumes and are organised by parish. Some parishes extend over more than one volume. The date that the plans were bound is not known, but it appears plans were pasted onto paper or linen before binding. Any plan larger than the volume was folded, sometimes several times and in several directions, to fit.
Plans are numbered sequentially within each parish volume. The plans come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes, from 2 inch square to over 2 foot by 4 foot. Some are highly decorated and hand-coloured, while others are very rudimentary. |
| Administrative History | Tithe Commutation plans were created by an Act for the Commutation of Tithes in the Isle of Man in 1839 (The Tithe Commutation Act 1839). The Tithe Commutation Act 1839 meant that agricultural tithes paid to the Church were commutated to an annual cash payment based on the valuation of property. Unlike English tithe plans of a similar date, each property on the Isle of Man was surveyed and drawn separately. Although most plans date from circa 1840, some landowners submitted earlier plans. All landowners were required to furnish the valuers with a map, plan or survey of the extent, contents and bounds of any lands under their consideration. The valuers issued a number to every map, plan or survey they received.
All the tithe estimate and valuation information was entered into volumes, one for each parish. The estimates alongside the maps, plans and surveys were delivered to a specially convened Exchequer Court at Castle Rushen on 19 Feb 1841. The records were then deposited into the Rolls Office and were open to inspection for 30 days to allow the public to register any objections. After any required amendments, the Lieutenant Governor ordered and directed competent persons to divide and apportion the said composition of £5575. This information was then entered into the 'Tithe Composition Book'. The Book after being examined, corrected and confirmed by the Court of Appeal was then deposited in the Rolls Office on 10 Apr 1841. |
| Custodial History | Records comprising this accession were originally lodged with the Isle of Man Rolls Office, which in 1965 was amalgamated within General Registry. The records were later consigned at the Public Record Office on 22 Aug 2000 under section 3(8) of the Public Record Act 1999. The records were fully transferred on 13 Jun 2014 under section 3(4) of the Public Record Act 1999. |