Taxation

Taxation has been employed on a variety of items ranging from land and property to wig powder. The aim of such taxes was to extract money from individuals to support the state. The records that survive as a result of taxation may be helpful in locating your ancestors and providing additional information about their status and comparative wealth.
Not everybody was liable for taxation - the poor were usually exempted and like today many people found ways of avoiding payment. Out of the numerous taxes that were employed some of the most informative records survive for the
Hearth Tax, Land Tax, Window Tax, and the Finance (1909-1910) Act records.
Poor rate books and later local authority rate books can also provide valuable information on your ancestors when sources such as the census are unavailable.