Adequate Portion

In many Parish S of France under the Old Mode, the Dîme is not perceived directly by the Curé but by " large Décimateur s" called Cleaned primitive: those transfer with the priest serving part of this dîme called the adequate portion , which as its name indicates it, at the origin, must make it possible to the priest to suitably live.

The amount of this adequate portion evolved/moved. A royal edict of April 1571, fixes it at 120 pounds; a royal declaration of December 1634 allocates 200 pounds with the priests without Vicaire and 300 pounds with the others. In May 1768, on the condition of giving up other taxes, the priests receive 500 pounds and vicars 200. The Parlement S refuse to record the edict by asserting weakness of the adequate portion taking into consideration normal expenditure of a priest (food, clothing, domestic, horse). In September 1786, the king grants 700 pounds the priests and 350 with the vicars. The edict was not applied in Brittany where it was recorded only in March 1789 by the Parliament! On this occasion, finding the load too heavy, of many " large décimateurs" gave up their said to serving.

The increase at the 18th century compensates for only imperfectly the raising of prices. The Registers of grievances of the Tiers state of 1789 require that the adequate portion be increased to 1200 pounds. Animosity enters the " priest primitif" (High-clergy) and the serving priests (Low-clergy) supported the scission about the clergy in the first months of the Révolution of 1789 and the rallying of the low-clergy to the Tiers state, thus taking part in the collapse of the Ancien Mode and the Absolute monarchy.

Random links: