Basing House , an enormous mansion near Basingstoke, Hampshire, was burnt to the ground during the English Civil wars of the seventeenth century. Smaller houses and farm buildings were rebuilt on the site. This brick Building is a Tithe barn- designed to hold the tenth of the crop that was the parson's portion- not just for himself but to provide for the needy if necessary. Many villages have a 'tithe barn', not all genuine.When the open fields were enclosed, the parson was often granted an allotment of land in lieu of the tithe, which effectively made him a farmer. Such land is often named "Glebe", and glebe fields are commonly found near churches today.
