Hearth taxes were levied in medieval and early modern Europe, notably in France and the
Low Countries, but were not levied in the British Isles until the late seventeenth
century. Following the Restoration of the Stuart monarchy in 1660, the hearth tax was
levied in England and Wales from 1662 until 1689 (it continued to be collected in
Ireland until the early nineteenth century). It was charged according to the number of
fireplaces in dwellings, and it was collected twice each year at one shilling per
hearth. It was also levied in Scotland in 1691 with collection lasting until 1695.
Hearth Tax Digital enables curious members of the general
public, students, scholars, family
historians, and genealogists to explore the information in the
records on individuals' names,
communities, whether heads of households were men or women,
their titles (e.g. Mr, Mrs, widow), and
for some their roles in society, including medical (e.g. doctor,
midwife, apothecary) and military professionals (e.g. captain,
lieutenant).
The documents are published unabridged and set out according to
the layout in the original manuscripts. The editors have dated the
documents and they are
available without having to search through catalogues. The
records are also available to browse and search without early modern
palaeography skills, and Latin text is transcribed, with indications
of abbreviations and translation into English. The Hearth Tax
Digital team has used Logeion,
(University of Chicago) for its translations, and professional
palaeographers and records consultants to find, date, and
check the transcripts undertaken by the volunteer transcribers
of the British Academy Hearth Tax Research Project. Thus, Hearth Tax
Digital enables remote access not only to The National Archives,
(Kew, London), but also to local archives from Bristol to Kendal
(Cumbria), providing perspectives from national to household levels
upon English society and its relationship with the state during the
Restoration period. New records will be added to Hearth Tax Digital on a
regular basis until 2026.
