BELPER HEARTH TAX

The Hearth Tax, introduced in the reign of King Charles 2nd, was a payment of a shilling for each hearth in a house, if the occupants were rate-payers.

Hearth taxes applied from around 1662 - 1688, but not all records are avilable or useful. For many years during that time, proper records were not kept.

Although full details of the locality are not given (since there were many exemptions) the names of some householders and the number of hearths does give some indication of local families and their status. A large number of hearths indicates nobility, yeomen and craftsmen might have two hearths, whereas humble labouring households had only one.

Only people whose house was worth more than twenty shillings a year, and who were local ratepayers of church and poor rates, were required to pay the hearth tax. Thus, many people living in the locality were not recorded at all. In addition, people avoided paying this unpopular tax.

There were also some exemptions, such as for industrial hearths such as such as kilns and furnaces (but not smithies and bakeries); some chariities and paupers; and people inhabiting a house worth less than 20s a year who did not have any other property over that value. but in that case, the owners were obliged to provide an exemption certificate. They are listed in the Hearth Tax returns as "not chargeable".

Belper Hearth Tax 1664 (Appletree Hundred)

There are a number of names here that interest me - the Bridges and Taylors for instance. The entry for George ?Gratige is probably George Gratian who was certainly in Belper at this date. I note that a John Taylor and a William Taylor together with Thomas Slater are listed as "Holbrooke" Not Chargeable.