Margaret Long of Maryland, USA has very kindly contributed the roll of people in Skelton who paid the Hearth Tax in 1673.
A Hearth Tax was an old idea to raise money from the populace by taxing a household, rather than each individual.
It was also called the “Chimney Tax” or “Chimney Money”, being levied on the number of hearths, which, being static, were deemed easier to count than people. However this entailed the tax collectors or “Chimney Men” having to inspect properties and this in itself caused resentment.
The Tax was introduced in 1662. Charles II, the Stuart King, had been restored to the throne in 1660 and more money was needed to pay him an annual income of over a million pounds per annum.
Initially it seemed that the richest in the population would pay the most, as in Skelton, for instance, Edward Trotter of Skelton Castle had 17 fireplaces and owned most of the buildings on his estate.
But the richest at that time also commanded Parliament and they soon changed the rules so that the burden fell on the tenants rather the owners of properties.
The tax was a shilling on each hearth, to be paid twice a year in March and September. People who did not pay the Poor Rates and Church Tithes, or whose property was worth less than one pound rental per year, or whose total assets were less than £10 were exempted, but still listed in the returns.
Thus, those who paid the most were the tenant farmers and tradesmen in the middle wealth group and the levy was very unpopular. There was much evasion. People who were found to have bricked up a fireplace were charged double.
When the Stuarts were kicked out in 1688 and William and Mary came to the throne a year later the tax was repealed as part of their popularity campaign. It was they said:-
“not only a great oppression to the poorer sort, but a badge of slavery upon the whole people, exposing every man’s house to be entered into, and searched at pleasure, by persons unknown to him.”
The list below gives 91 heads of households in Skelton and the number of fireplaces for each.
The Collector is given as Robert Sanders, aided by the local Constable, George Heaton, who was also a tax-payer.
There is some variation in the spelling of Surnames – Snawden/Snowden, Havelocke/Havelock Awmon/Hawman etc.
| Awmon Richard Barker Francis Bosman George Boucher William Bridell William Brotton George Brotton Henry Brotton Roger Carlile Thomas Carter John Castle Francis Chapman Mary Chapman Mary Coates Richard Cooke Ra Cornforth Henry Cotham John Dickinson Thomas Ellerbecke Widow Emerson Phillip Foster Mary Garbot John Hammon Andrew Hammond William Havelock Christopher Havelocke Robert Hawman George Hawman James Hawman John Hawman William Heaton George, the Constable. Hoope Tobias Hooper Joshua Hutchinson William Hutton Anne Hutton Anne Hutton John Hutton Richard Hutton Robert Jackson John King Thomas Kirke William Lambe Robert Lambe William Laton William Lawson Robert Lyon James d. Lyons Robert Lyons William Mawer Edward Mawer Thomas Mercer Mary Mercer Ra Moory Christopher Nelson William Nicholson Jo Pearson Luke Porrit John Robinson Henry Roger George Rogers Richard Sawer Robert Slater John Smith Anne Smith John Smith Margaret Smith Ra Smith Robert Smith Thomas Snawden William Snowden Thomas Sotheran Widow Stonas Tym Stoope Robert Thompson Henry Thornton Christopher, Priest Tiplady John Tiplady Thomas Tooes John Tooes Robert Tooes Robert jnr Trotter Edward esq, Castle Tyson Richard Tyson Thomas Warde Elizabeth Watson John Westland Margaret Westland Richard Westland William Wilkinson Anne Wilson John | 2 1 5 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 3 1 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 3 1 2 1 1 1 1 3 1 1 1 1 2 1 2 1 1 2 1 1 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 1 1 17 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 1 1 |