ANNATES, in the strictest sense of the word, the whole of the first year's profits of a spiritual benefice which, in all countries of the Roman obedience, were formerly paid into the papal treasury (Lat. annatae, from annus, year ; also primitiae, first-fruits). This custom was only of gradual growth. It had its origin in the right of the bishop to claim the first year's profits of the living from a newly inducted incumbent, of which the first mention is found under Pope Honorius (d. 1227). The earliest records show the annata to have been, sometimes a privilege conceded to the bishop for a term of years, sometimes a right based on immemorial precedent. In course of time the popes, under stress of financial crises, claimed the privilege for them selves, though at first only temporarily. Thus, in 1305, Clement V. claimed the first-fruits of all vacant benefices in England, and in 1319 John XXII. those of all Christendom vacated within the next two years. In those cases the rights of the bishops were frankly usurped by the Holy See, now regarded as the ultimate source of the episcopal jurisdiction; the more usual custom was for the pope to claim the first-fruits only of those benefices of which he had reserved the patronage to himself. It was from these claims that the papal annates, in the strict sense, in course of time developed.
The system of annates was at no time worked with absolute uniformity and completeness throughout the various parts of the church owning obedience to the Holy See, and it was never willingly submitted to by the clergy. Disagreements and dis putes were continual, and the easy expedient of rewarding the officials of the Curia and increasing the papal revenue by "reserv ing" more and more benefices was met by repeated protests, such as that of the bishops and barons of England (the chief sufferers), headed by Robert Grosseteste of Lincoln, at the Council of Lyons in 1245. The subject, indeed, frequently be came one of national interest, on account of the alarming amount of specie which was thus drained away, and hence numerous enactments exist in regard to it by the various national govern ments. In England the collection and payment of annates to the pope was prohibited in 1531 by statute. At that time the sum amounted to about £3,000 a year. In 1534 the annates were, along with the supremacy over the church in England, bestowed on the Crown; but in Feb. 1704 they were appropriated by Queen Anne to the assistance of the poorer clergy, and thus form what has since been known as "Queen Anne's Bounty" (q.v.) . ANNATTO (anatto, arnotto), a colouring matter produced from the seeds of Bixa orellana (family Bixaceae), a small tree which grows in Central and South America. The seeds are sur rounded with a thin coating of a waxy pulp, which is separated from them by washing in water, passing the liquid through a sieve and allowing the suspended pulp to deposit. The water is then drained away and the paste dried, till it is a thick, stiff unctu ous mass. In this state it has a dark orange-red colour and is known as "roll" or "flag" annatto, according to the form in which it is put up; when further dried it is called "cake" annatto. Annatto is "much used by South American Indians for painting their bodies ; among civilized communities its principal use is for colouring butter, cheese and varnishes. It yields a fugitive bright orange colour, and is used alone, or with other dyes, in the dyeing of silks and in calico printing. It contains a yellow colouring mat ter, bixin, CI6H2602