(Picture above: the old brewhouse at Gents Farm, now Broad Green Farm).
Forasmuch as nothing conduceth more to the peace and prosperity of a nation, and the protection of every single person therein, than that the public revenue thereof may be in some measure proportioned to the public charges and expenses, we therefore, your Majesty’s most loyal and obedient subjects the Commons assembled in Parliament, having duly considered the premises, do give and grant unto your most excellent Majesty, your heirs and successors, the rate and duties hereinafter mentioned, and do most humbly beseech your Majesty that it may be enacted, and be it enacted … that from and after the five and twentieth day of March in the year of our Lord God one thousand six hundred and sixty and two every dwelling and other house and edifice, and all lodgings and chambers in the Inns of Court, Inns of Chancery, colleges and other societies that are or hereafter shall be erected within the kingdom of England, dominion of Wales and town of Berwick-upon-Tweed (other than such as in this Act are hereafter excepted and declared), shall be chargeable, and by his present Act be and are charged, with the annual payment to the king’s Majesty, his heirs and successors, for every fire-hearth and stove within every such house, edifice, chambers and lodgings as aforesaid, the sum of two shillings by the year, to be paid yearly and every year at the Feast of St. Michael the Archangel [1. 29 September] and the Feast of the Annunciation of the blessed Virgin St. Mary[2. 25 March], by even and equal portions, the first payment thereof to be paid upon the Feast day of St. Michael the Archangel which shall be in the year of our Lord one thousand six hundred and sixty and two…
And so it was that the inhabitants of Chrishall in 1662 heard that they were going to have to pay a tax on every hearth in their house. Finding at least another two shillings for tax in 1662 was obviously not good news and must have been a struggle for some people, but the good news for us is that it means there are records from this time. They are sketchy, just showing a name and the number of hearths but it’s another clue to add to the history of the village at that time. The church records were just starting so we have the first few births, marriages and deaths being officially recorded and here the curtain of time is parted just a little more to start to reveal what the houses were like of the people who were coming to church.
Some of the names that appear here persist through the years. Coleman, Greenhill and Potterell; Abrahams and James are all familiar. I think we can probably take some of the first names into a more known style: ‘Johes’ I think would be John, ‘Robtus’, Robert, ‘Willus’, William for example. But please correct me if I am wrong there.
Here are the Hearth Tax records for Chrishall from the first collection in 1662 and the Michaelmas return of 1670. The 1670 return was viewed by John Warren, Collector and John Southey, Constable.
| Surname, Firstname | Number of Hearths 1662 | Number of Hearths 1670 | Notes |
| Abraham Franciscus | 1 | 1 | |
| Abraham Johes | 1 | ||
| Allin Edwards | 1 | Receives alms therefore discharged by certificate | |
| Aylett Johes | 2 | ||
| Beale Thomas | 1 | 1? | Thomas Breake with one chimney in 1670 – possibly the same person |
| Blowse Thomas | 4 | 3 | Name spelt Blowes |
| Botterell Willelmus | 4 | ||
| Brice Stephus | 1 | ||
| Chapman vid | 1 | ||
| Chessey Thomas | 3 | ||
| Coldham — vid | 1 | Widow | |
| Coldham Robtus | 3 | ||
| Coleman Ricus | 2 | ||
| Coleman Robtus | 2 | 2 | |
| Coleman Roger | 2 | 2 | Name spelt Coeman |
| Cross Jeremia | 1 | ||
| Deadman Johannes | 2 | ||
| Debnam Johes | 3 | ||
| Dellowe Johannes | 1 | ||
| Doegood Johes | 1 | ||
| Freeman Thomas | 1 | Receive alms and therefore discharged by certificate | |
| Fortescue Robtus | 3 | ||
| Fortescue Robtus | 3 | ||
| Foscatt Willelmus | 3 | ||
| Gibbs Franc | 1 | ||
| Greenhall Franc | 2 | Receives alms therefore discharged by certificate | |
| Greenehill Seth | 1 | ||
| Griffin – vid | 1 | ||
| Hawkes Edwardus | 3 | ||
| Hopper vid | 2 | Widow. Receives alms and therefore discharged by certificate | |
| Hopper Ricus | 2 | ||
| James Johes Ar | 5 | 20 | Name listed as Johannes James miles. Is 20 a misprint?! |
| Jegins Thomas | 1 | ||
| Johnson Robertus | 3 | ||
| King – vid | 1 | 2 | ‘vid’ means Widow. There are two entries for ‘King – vid’ on the 1670 – one with 1 hearth and one with 2 hearths |
| King Robtus | 3 | ||
| Lambert Johes | 2 | ||
| Lucas Johes | 2 | 2 | |
| Marshall Willus | 1 | 1 | Name spelt Willelmas |
| Mathew Johes | 2 | 4 | Name spelt Johannes Mathews |
| Miles Ricus | 4 | 4 | Name spelt Ricardus Mills |
| Miller Johes | 1 | ||
| Miller Johes | 1 | ||
| Morell Stephanus | 3 | ||
| Mowle Willus | 4 | ||
| (Mowle) ‘Idem Johes Mowle in vac domo’ | 3 | 7 | |
| Moule Johannes’ | 3 | ||
| Moyses Jacobus | 1 | ||
| Page Willus | 1 | ||
| Parker Johes | 1 | ||
| Parker Johannes | 1 | Receives alms therefore discharged by certificate | |
| Pluckrose Mathews | 1 | ||
| Potterell Henr sen | 3 | ||
| Potterell Henr jun | 4 | 5? | There is a Henricus Bottell with 5 chimneys – could this be the same person? |
| (Potterell, Henr) Idem in duabus vac domi bus | 2 | ||
| Potterell Johes | 1 | 1? | Name spelt Johannes Botterell |
| Read Georgius | 1 | ||
| (Read) Idem Georgius | 3 | ||
| Rowley Johannes | 5 | ||
| Rowley Michael | 5 | ||
| Runnam Willus | 1 | 1? | There is a Willelmus Rusted with 1 hearth on the 1670 and I wonder if this is the same person. |
| Rutland Stephus | 1 | ||
| Scott Johes | 1 | 1 | |
| Shearman Franc | 8 | ||
| Sherman Roger | 8 | ||
| Smith vid | 2 | ||
| Smith Thomas | 1 | ||
| Stern Thomas | 3 | 3 | Name spelt Thomas Stane |
| Stock Johes | 5 | ||
| (Stock) Idem Johes in Cottagis | 1 | ||
| Sutton Robtus | 2 | ||
| Thorne Willus | 2 | 2 | |
| Wattson Georg | 1 | ||
| Watson Johes | 2 | 2 | Name spelt Johannes Wattson |
| Wattson Johannes | 2 | Receives alms therefore discharged by certificate | |
| Watson Willus | 1 | ||
| Woodcock Johes | 1 | ||
| Woodcock Thomas | 1 | ||
| No. of households: | 58 | 39 |
Relief from the Hearth Tax came 27 years later in 1689 when the King graciously “… having been informed that the revenue of Hearth Money was grievous to the people, was pleased by his gracious message sent to the Commons assembled in Parliament to signify his pleasure either to agree to a regulation of it or to the taking it wholly away….”. It was abolished and hearths were once more genuinely ‘heart warming’! However the Window Tax was on the horizon…
What do we know about any of these people?
John Lucas: owner of 2 chimneys. Probably the village constable. You can read more about him here: John Lucas, Village Constable.
John Stock: owner of 5 chimneys, John Stock was obviously a man of means. We have two burial records for a John Stock buried 2 May 1706 – possibly the 5 chimney man? – and another John Stock buried 18 June 1718, maybe his son? But that’s all supposition. No proof as yet. Interestingly though there is a William Stock, born in Chrishall, who was admitted to Pembroke College (then Pembroke Hall) in Cambridge on 5 July 1664.
An excellent article and most helpful to me in my researches, Am I right in thinking the number after the name is the number of hearths in the village? Three of my ancestors that I know of feature in the list, ROBERT FORTESCUE, 03, JOHN LUCAS, 02, and JOHN MILLER, 01. I suppose this indicates their wealth at this time? So SHERMAN ROGER, 08 would have been the wealthiest? I think my FORTESCUE forefather came from a “Recusant” family so would not be popular among the village population, or is this just me being too clever?
Hello Alan – I find the Hearth tax records fascinating – the fact that we know something about the people and their houses in the village from so long ago. Yes the number is the number of hearths and yes it would indicate their wealth. So yes Roger Sherman would presumably have been the wealthiest. I’m not sure whether your Recusant relation would have been unpopular. It was the large number of people refusing to attend church that led to the building of the chapel in the village (we really need to get that history written up as it is another fascinating story) – so I think he was probably in good company!