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PROCEEDINGS

RELATIVE TO

QUEEN ANNE'S BOUNTY.

The Origin of First Fruits and Tenths.

and Tenths.

IN giving an account of the proceedings of the Cor- First Fruits poration of the Governors of the Bounty of Queen Anne, for the augmentation of the maintenance of the poor Clergy, it seems necessary to advert to the history of the First Fruits and Tenths of Spiritual Preferments in this kingdom, because the revenue hence arising, which formerly belonged to the Crown, was, on the establishment of the Corporation by Queen Anne, granted to the Governors; as the fund with which they were to effect her Majesty's pious intentions.

count of

of them

A short account will be sufficient to shew the na- Short Acture and origin of the First Fruits and Tenths as im- the Nature posed upon the Clergy by the See of Rome, claiming and Origin the disposal of ecclesiastical livings within Christen- proposed. dom; as also to record the subsequent annexation thereof to the Crown of England, and the ultimate appropriation of them to the augmentation of small livings.

B

Extract

from Colly

Collyer, in his Ecclesiastical History in Henry the

er's Ecclesi- Third's Reign, (A.D. 1229,) gives the following parti

astical His

tory.

The Pope's

Tenths.

--

culars "The Pope having gratified the King in an Archbishop, sent one Stephen, his Nuncio, into England, to move farther for the grant of the Tenths. The King being acquainted with his business, summoned a Parliament to Westminster; where, besides the Lords Spiritual and Temporal, those who held of the King in capite made part of the session. The demand of Nuncio read the Pope's letters in Parliament, and insisted upon a tenth of their moveables to carry on the war against the Emperor. The King being preengaged by his promise, was silent upon the demand. The temporal Barons gave a positive denial; the Bishops desired three or four days to consider the matter, but wanting resolution to stand the Pope's censures, they gave their consent. The Nuncio's business being thus far effected, he produced an authority from the Pope to collect the tax. And here he had particular instructions to inquire into the utmost value, and assess the subject accordingly. And in case the collectors met with any opposition, they were to proceed to the censures of excommunication and the interdict. And because the Pope wanted a present supply against the Emperor, the prelates were compelled to furnish the money before hand, with a promise of being reimbursed when the tax was paid Collections in. In short, the rigour was such, that the Clergy enforced. were forced to pawn and sell the church plate, and

Assented

to.

rigorously

take up money at interest of Italian merchants. And thus the kingdom was miserably exhausted of its treasure: there being none but Ralph Earl of Chester, who had the courage to oppose the encroachment."

collected by

the Pope's

Nuncio.

First Fruits.

And the same author, in that part of his History First Fruits which relates to the reign of King Edward the First, (A. D. 1307,) states-" and to gratify his Holiness farther, he allows his Nuncio, as far as in him lies, to collect the First Fruits of vacant benefices, either with or without cure, for the term required by his Holiness, (that is for three years,) the prohibitions made in Parliament notwithstanding; upon condition however that they do not collect any of the revenues of the vacant Monasteries for the Pope's use. They were likewise enjoined not to transport any of the money, collected in specie, but only remit it by bills of exchange. Upon this occasion it may not be improper to say something concerning the import and original of First Fruits or Origin of Annates. By the term we are to understand a year's revenue, or tax upon the revenue of the first year of a vacant benefice. As to the time when this practice began, it is observed that ever since the twelfth century, some Bishops or Abbots have either by custom or particular privilege received Annates of the benefices belonging to their patronage or jurisdiction. Thus, in the year 1126, Peter, Bishop of Beauvois, gave the canons regular of the church of St. Quintin, the Annates of all the prebends of his cathedral. The same grant was made in the same century to the canons regular of the abbey of St. Victor, by the Bishop and Chapter of Notre Dame at Paris. As to the payments of Annates to the Pope, we find by the remonstrance at Carlisle, it was altogether new and unprecedented. But the Court of Rome, which was almost always gaining upon the liberties of the Church, seldom gave over any project of interest. Thus Pope Secured to John XXII. secured the Annates of all vacant bene- of Rome.

the Court

The Pay

ment of

resisted.

fices for three years together, bishopricks and abbeys only excepted. This was going upon the precedent of Clement V. (already mentioned.) The successors of John improved this advantage into a standing claim, and likewise hooked the Bishops and Abbots into the common servitude. Platina reports that Boniface IX. set this custom on foot, but then he was so favourable as not to charge the Annates any deeper than half the revenue of the first year. The payment of Annates

First Fruits has been all along grudged the Pope, and was warmly contested in the Council of Constance in 1414. Neither could the Court of Rome carry their point there, because the delegates of the French nation stood stiffly against this exaction. The Council of Basil likewise, held in 1431, forbad the payment of Annates by a decree of the 12th session. But then, at the same time, they ordered that the Pope should have a reasonable aid granted, to put him in a condition to manage the affairs of the Church, and support the Cardinals. The Council of Bourges, in 1438, approved the decree of the Synod of Basil against this payment. To which we might add it's being forbidden and put down by But conti- several edicts of the French king. As to England, the encroachment of the Court of Rome went on till the reign of Henry the Eighth." [Collyer's Ecclesiastical History.]

nued in

England

till the reign of

Henry VIII.

Further
Particulars

of the Ori

gin of First

Fruits and

Tenths.

The following extracts from the authorities referred to, throw further light on the subject:

"First Fruits and Tenths were originally a part of the Papal usurpations over the Clergy of these kingdoms, first introduced by Pandulph the Pope's legate, during the reigns of king John and Henry the Third, in the See of Norwich, and afterwards attempted to

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