A tithe barn was a type of barn used in England in the Middle Ages for storing the tithes - a tenth of the farm's produce which had to be given to the church. Abbey barns, large warehouse-like barns found on Abbey estates, are often mistakenly referred to as tithe barns. Tithe barns would usually have been smaller barns, often associated with the village church or rectory, to which independent farmers took their tithes. Abbey estates would not pay tithes as they were owned by the church in any case.
