Woodborough’s Heritage

Woodborough, a Sherwood Forest Village, recorded in Domesday

Hearth Taxes levied on Woodborough dwellings - 1662-1689

What was the Hearth Tax? To our 17th  century ancestors it was an offensive tax that brought the taxman right into the most private part of their homes: the fireplace or hearth, the centre of family life. The tax years were between 1662 and 1689.

Following the Restoration of the monarchy with King Charles II in 1660 after the end of the ‘Commonwealth’ ruled over by Oliver Cromwell and, after his death, his son, Richard (1649-1660) Parliament calculated that the Royal Household needed an annual income of £1,200,000. In 1662 Parliament, therefore, imposed a Hearth Tax, also known as hearth money, chimney tax or chimney money. This continued until 1689 and does provide a useful census of heads of families.

Every occupier was required to pay a tax of two shillings a year for each hearth or stove in their property, being collected half-yearly at Lady Day (25th March) and Michaelmas (29th September) by the ‘petty constable’, who had the right of entry if in any doubt. The constable would receive two pence in the pound for their considerable trouble.

There were, however, various exceptions. Poorer people did not pay and were not listed; examples being those who did not pay church or poor rate, or who received poor relief. However, there would be no exception if these were more than two hearths. However, in 1663 all hearths were listed, whether taxed or not, these numbers being estimated as much as 30 to 50 percent. In 1664 local collectors were replaced by ‘sub-collectors’ called ‘chimney men’ who went round with the constable.

The number of hearths will roughly indicate the size of the property and thus one’s position in society, i.e. one hearth equalling a cottage with two rooms; two hearths equals four rooms, three hearths equals five rooms, four hearths equals seven rooms. Those properties up to seven hearths would suggest craftsmen, tradesmen and merchants. More than seven hearths indicate the well-to-do (gentry) in their mansions.

A detailed Hearth Tax of 1674 does exist for Woodborough and the summarised details are as follows. 33 properties surveyed and charged. No uncharged properties were listed so an accurate assessment of the village population is difficult. A total of 80 hearths were taxed made up by:-

•  1 hearth (11)
•  2 hearths (11)
•  3 hearths (7)
•  4 or more hearths (4)

The following list of occupants with the number of hearths for their dwellings for the year 1674, there are similar records for other years during the period that this tax was collected:-

Acknowledgement:

• Peter Saunders

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What do we know about the occupations of those villagers who inhabited Woodborough during the period of the Hearth Tax. Agriculture was the main pursuit. The greater part of the village land consisted of large green fields divided into strips. The three Manors had already enclosed about one third of the land and needed labourers to work it. The latter were classed as labourers or cottagers but still had a little land surrounding their homes to keep them self-sufficient in basic foods.

The Yeomen farmers were the most prosperous usually caring for about 60 acres of land, and as well as having strips in the Open Fields they had also consolidated some of the strips into small fields. The Husbandmen relied almost entirely on the purchase of the strips with their sheep and cattle grazing in the town meadow or on the fallows.

Tradesmen had their place too, although they had their strips in the open fields to help out with food for themselves. The tradesmen, according to their occupations given in marriage licences, wills and inventories, were varied but provided the services one would see as necessary at the time. Some examples of the codes shown below.  

Robert Ousell was the carpenter. Jonathon Soresby - blacksmith. Robert Scotherne - butcher.

Francis Pepper - cordwinder (shoe maker). Nathaniel Wild - chandler. William Lees - clothier.

Christopher Wild - weavers. Mark Hather - yeoman and maltster. George Rimington - miller. John Lees - F.W.K.

The list below, which is undated but is thought to pre-date the 1674, gives a greater amount of information about occupations, values of inventories and rooms. For details about the rooms see the above explanation: