ESSEX HEARTH TAX RETURN MICHAELMAS 1670 

 

 

Edited by Catherine Ferguson, Christopher Thornton and Andrew Wareham

                                                                                                                                                     

British Record Society, Hearth Tax Series, vol. 8 

xvi + 670pp (including 27 colour illustrations and maps)

 

£28 + post & packing

 

The aim of the British Academy Hearth Tax Project, based at the University of Roehampton, is to transcribe, analyse and publish the most complete hearth tax returns for twenty three counties.

            This volume publishes the Essex return for Michaelmas 1670, housed in the Essex Record Office in Chelmsford.  The document is in Latin, but the book aims to make this completely accessible to the ordinary reader, so it has been transcribed and, in places, translated. Remaining Latin phrases, names and words are identified and accessible through an easy-to-use glossary.  As with all our volumes, this edition is fully indexed for names, places and subjects, with statistical tables, coloured maps and plates.

            The material is analysed by three historians: Elizabeth Parkinson explains how the hearth tax was administered and how this affects the interpretation. Professor Henry French explores numerous crucial aspects of Essex’s rural and urban society. Pat Ryan, D. Stenning and D. Andrews examine Essex houses and the hearth tax and the development of vernacular architecture. A complete list of surviving exemption certificates is included.

            This book’s strong appeal for local, national and family historians is reflected in its publication by the British Record Society and sponsorship from the Essex Society for Archaeology and History. There are nearly 30,000 names listed in the volume, each with their number of hearths.

                 

How much does it cost?

£28 plus post/packing. This is the same price as membership of the British Record Society. Orders from the BRS Treasurer, Rosemount, Riggs Place, Cupar, Fife, KY15 5JZ  treasurer@britishrecordsociety.org. Alternatively, why not subscribe to the British Record Society? It is only £28 a year for individuals and you receive the latest publications FREE.  Our next publication will be London and Middlesex 1666 (2 vols). See our website  http://www.britishrecordsociety.org  or contact the Treasurer.