Legal Definitions - tithing

A tithing was a historical administrative unit, primarily in Anglo-Saxon England, consisting of ten households or ten men. Under the frankpledge system, members of a tithing were collectively responsible for each other's conduct and for ensuring that any member accused of a crime appeared in court. This system aimed to maintain peace and order by making local communities accountable for the actions of their residents.

• Example 1: Collective Responsibility for an Offender

  Imagine a small village in 11th-century England. If a man named Æthelred, who was part of the local tithing, committed a theft and then tried to flee, the other nine households in his tithing would be legally obligated to either bring him to justice or face penalties themselves. This illustrates how the tithing system enforced collective responsibility, ensuring that communities had a strong incentive to prevent crime and apprehend offenders.

• Example 2: Administrative Structure and Leadership

  In another village, the local lord needed to collect taxes or gather men for a militia. Instead of dealing with every single household individually, he would often interact with the head of each tithing, known as the "tithingman" or "chief-pledge." This tithingman would then be responsible for relaying instructions and ensuring compliance from the nine other households within his tithing, demonstrating the tithing's role as a basic administrative subdivision for local governance.

• Example 3: Maintaining Local Order

  Consider a scenario where a dispute arose between two villagers, potentially escalating into violence. Within the frankpledge system, the tithing to which these individuals belonged would have a vested interest in resolving the conflict peacefully. If the dispute led to a breach of the peace, the entire tithing could be held accountable, encouraging internal mechanisms for dispute resolution and highlighting the tithing's function in maintaining local order.