Composition for Tithes (Ireland) Act 1823
The Composition for Tithes Act 1823, also known as the Tithe Composition Act 1823, was an act of the British Parliament requiring all occupiers of Irish agricultural holdings of over one acre to pay monetary tithes to support the Anglican Church in Ireland, instead of a percentage of agricultural yield. The act also allowed for those who paid a large tithe to be able to negotiate the composition of the tithes for their parish; that is to decide on what monetary basis the tithes would be based, so that the tithes would be reasonable in comparison to income for the tithe-payers and sufficient for the subsistence of the parishes. It was thought by some members of Parliament to be a conciliatory measure that would reduce the oppressive nature of the then current tithe system. Controversy Controversy rose up quickly, even in Parliament itself. Some Members of Parliament felt that the Irish clergy were already grossly overpaid compared to clergy in England. Catholics and Dissenters did not feel that the Composition Act reduced the oppression of the tithe system in light of the fact that the six million Catholics in Ireland were still forced to pay the tithes for churches that