Search Suffolk Hearth Tax Lists, 1662-1675
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Hearth Tax Lists document the payment of Hearth Tax that was levied in England and Wales between 1662-1689. The tax was introduced mainly to raise funds after the Restoration of Charles II. The collection contains over 100,000 records spanning 1662-1675. If your Suffolk ancestor does appear in the records, you can expect to find details such as the number of hearths in the property, address details and in some cases, additional comments about status or occupation. Hearth Tax Lists are a great way to trace your ancestors in the 17th century and can help to trace families in between gaps in parish registers.
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What can these records tell me?keyboard_arrow_down
Hearth tax lists can be a fantastic resource when researching ancestors in the 17th century. They can place an individual in a specific location at a specific time, which can help to fill gaps between parish registers and can be a good clue towards deciphering an individual's social status.
Each transcript will provide you with a combination of the following facts:
- First name
- Last name
- Year
- Hearths
- Place
- County
- Notes
- Archive reference
About Suffolk Hearth Tax Listskeyboard_arrow_down
The hearth tax returns are the nearest we come to having a census for 17th century Suffolk after the restoration. It was based on the number of hearths in a house with exemptions for paupers and those with property of a rentable value of less than £10. The tax returns lists the households who paid and those with exemptions. and identifies the number of hearths in the house. Thus, it is a measure of the wealth of the household. It was collected twice a year at Michaelmas (29 September) and Lady Day (25 March).
There are times when a parish may have variants of names. For example, 'Little Glemham' is also know as 'Glemham Parva' but also there is a 'Great Glemham'.
The data provided here © 2008 Desmond and Shelagh Herring. All rights reserved. Permission was granted by their family in 2025 for Suffolk FHS to share with Findmypast.
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