Definition
Decimæ (also rendered "decimz" in some historical typesettings) is an ecclesiastical law term referring to tenths, or tithes — specifically, the tenth part of the annual profit of each ecclesiastical living, historically payable to the Pope. Following the English Reformation, these payments were redirected to the Crown by statute and a new valuation of livings was established.
Why It Matters in Research
This term appears almost exclusively in pre-Reformation and early modern English ecclesiastical law sources. Researchers should be aware of two practical issues. First, the spelling "decimz" encountered in some digitized texts is a typographical artifact of historical printing conventions, where the ligature or terminal character "æ" was rendered inconsistently in older typefaces and OCR scanning — the canonical form is decimæ. Second, the term's legal significance shifts sharply at the Reformation: before 26 Hen. VIII, c. 3, decimæ were a papal revenue instrument; after that statute, they became a Crown prerogative with a freshly established valuation schedule. Research in pre- and post-Reformation ecclesiastical records must account for this change in the payee and the valuation basis. Researchers tracing tithe disputes in English ecclesiastical court records or in Chancery will encounter this term alongside annates, first fruits, and related revenue concepts. Blackstone's treatment at 1 Bl. Comm. 284 is the standard common-law reference point and should be consulted directly for the statutory lineage.
Historical Dictionary Support
Black's Law Dictionary (2nd Ed.) defines decimæ as tenths or tithes in ecclesiastical law — the tenth part of the annual profit of each living, formerly payable to the Pope, with the Crown substituted as recipient by 26 Hen. VIII, c. 3. Black's correctly ties the term to Blackstone and notes the valuation history. No divergence or elaboration appears across available source dictionaries; this is a narrow term of historical ecclesiastical law with limited treatment in American legal dictionaries generally, reflecting its primary relevance to English rather than U.S. law. Researchers should not expect robust coverage in later American editions of Black's or in other standard American reference works.
Jurisdictional Note
Decimæ is a term of English ecclesiastical law with no direct American legal counterpart. It has no operative significance in U.S. jurisdictions. Researchers working in American legal history may encounter it only when tracing the English common-law background of tithe or church property concepts.