The payment of one tenth of local produce to the church had been established in [[Anglo-Saxon England]] before the [[Norman Conquest]]. This was originally in kind -: every tenth stook of corn, etc. It originally supported the local priest, but in some cases, the right to receive the tithe was acquired by an organisation such as a monastery or college, who paid a [[curate]]. With the [[dissolution of the monasteries]], the right to receive tithes was acquired by a number of private landlords. In some instances, a [[tithe barn]] was built to hold the tithes. Tithes themselves were controversial, particularly among [[non conformistnonconformist]]s who resented supporting the established church,;<ref>Kain and Prince, p.1</ref> and payment in kind was sometimes not convenient for either the farmer or the tithe owner.
