HC Deb 11 February 1831 vol 2 c465
Lord Ebrington

presented a Petition from Trowbridge, praying for Economy, Retrenchment, and Reform in Parliament; also, Petitions from Parkham, and two other parishes in Devonshire, complaining of the Tithe-laws, and praying for a Commutation of Tithes. The noble Lord said, he was most anxious to see the Church maintained in opulence; but he was bound to say, that unless some mode was adopted of setting the tithe question at rest, he was apprehensive of the most grievous consequences. The county which he had the honour to represent was experiencing a degree of ferment on the subject, calculated to excite serious alarm. He feared that, unless the question was soon put at rest, the peace of the empire at large would be grievously affected.