Hearth Tax Info

The tremendously unpopular "Hearth Tax" which taxed your home on the number of hearths it held was incredibly unpopular with the people of England. This tax only lasted from 1662 until 1689 and was paid twice a year. First on Lady Day (March 25th) and then again on Michaelmas (September 29th). Lists were made of every house that had two or more hearths to avoid tax avoidance. This was a tax that did not distinguish whether an owner or renter paid the tax. It was ALWAYS the occupant who paid the hearth tax, so it was a good list of occupants of a home. This will mostly aid in your genealogical research by estimating the wealth of your ancestors. However, very few tax records remain in England from this time period. --Gayla Mendenhall