Composition For Tithes (Ireland) Act 1823 - Controversy

Controversy

Controversy rose up quickly, even in Parliament itself. Some Members of Parliament felt that the Irish clergy were already grossly overpaid when 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 they did not attend or use. They saw this as persecution by the English Anglicans towards people who were not members of the established Church.

It also seemed to critics that the Act did nothing to reform the problems in the Irish clergy – that they were often absent from their parishes and that they held enormous wealth. A change in the composition of tithes would have had no effect on the level of clergymens' wealth. While the Irish clergy and their supporters refuted these claims, popular opinion seemed to overshadow their arguments. Specifically, non-resident clergy were resident elsewhere and thus could not be considered absentee. In support of the clergy's point of view, however, their income had also diminished due to a reduction in tithe-rates. In this way, the Act would have helped the clergy, as currency was much more versatile in helping the church than raw goods.