Payment in kind was a right that could be invoked; tithe owners could demand their dues to be paid in this form. This cumbersome form of collecting the tithe in kind was not the preferred option for most tithe owners from the mid-17th century; it did, however, still exist in the 18th century, in no small measure, according to Evans (1976).

The problems associated with payments in kind were manifold. It necessitated, in the first instance, co-operation and communication between the tithe owner and the farmers. At the time of harvest the farmer had to inform the tithe owner, who then had to collect his dues. In order to collect substantial amounts of produce, at least a team of carts and horses was needed. In most cases a collector and assistants were employed at considerable cost and there were numerous tithe barns around the country, built just to store the collected goods. The fact that not all goods were harvested at the same time and not at the same time by different farmers was at best inconvenient. In less accessible parts of the country it was near impossible. The fact that the farmer had to delay the harvest for the tithe owner to collect his share was again inconvenient and sometimes disastrous.

"It frequently happens that though a field of corn be perfectly fit for leading and stacking, but the cultivator is prevented from embracing the opportunity." (Evans, 1976, p.23)

An ill-timed thunderstorm or the onset of a wet weather episode in this period could severely damage the crop. This possibility did not endear the tithe owner to the farmer, who in most cases regarded the tithe owner unfavourably.

"But the strongest hostility was felt by farmers charged with the support of a sleeping partner who put nothing into their business but harassed them at lambing time, at haymaking and at harvest, at the very moment when the rewards of their efforts were being reaped." (Kain & Prince, 2000, p.1)

Perishable produce, moreover, posed other problems, mostly for the collector of small tithes, i.e. the local vicar. Collecting small quantities regularly over varying distances proved difficult. The tithe owner incurred other problems and costs when it came to selling off the collected goods. He had to familiarise himself with the market and organise the sale. Most tithe owners were still clerics and if one considers their background and usual occupation, a certain adaptation was required. Evans (1976) quotes a vicar who collected tithes from garden produce in kind peddling his collected wares:

"Come buy my asparagus: Oh, rare cauliflower".

There were many instances where both the tithe owner and the farmer went out of their way to make payment or collection as difficult as possible. On the owner's side this included leaving gates open for cattle to stray or leaving horses to trample in the fields, on the payer's side it has been recorded that farmers called out collectors often to collect small quantities. Evans (1976) provides recorded and anecdotal instances of such kind.