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Court of First Fruits and Tenths
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Court of First Fruits and Tenths

British court system
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The Court of First Fruits and Tenths was a financial court established in England in 1540 during the reign of Henry VIII. It was created to collect specific payments from clerical benefices that were previously sent to Rome. These payments included "first fruits," which was the entire profit of a benefice for the first year, and "tenths," which was 10 percent of the annual income. This court was part of a group of financial courts instituted to give the crown better control over its lands and finances, particularly following the dissolution of the monasteries. In 1554, its functions, along with those of the Court of Augmentations and the Court of General Surveyors, were absorbed by the Exchequer.1

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2 Britannica Sources
  1. Court of Augmentations
  2. Court of High Commission

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