Transcribing Tithe Maps

You can help the Cynefin Project digitize around 1,200 tithe maps by transcribing and geo-referencing a collection of 19th century maps of Wales. By contributing to this crowdsourcing effort you will help to create an online resource which will enable anyone to access and research Welsh tithe maps.

The Welsh tithe maps were created between 1838 and 1850 to show where land users were responsible for paying tithes. Tithes were a form of taxation imposed on land users, which were often paid in commodities, such as crops, wool, milk and stock.

The Cynefin Project consists of two main crowdsourcing tasks; one to geo-reference the maps and one to transcribe important information on the maps. The geo-referencing task consists of matching up recognizable features in the vintage tithe maps with the sames locations in a modern map. The transcribing task involves matching up the tithe registration field numbers on the map with the correct entries in the tithe apportionment document records.

Once all the tithe maps have been geo-referenced and transcribed the Cynefin Project will be able to provide an online resource which will enable researchers to easily access a fully indexed record of tithe field numbers, landowners, land occupiers, field names, land uses and payable tithes.