Tracing Your Ancestors from 1066 to 1837 Read online

  From 1798, landowners could pay a lump sum to indemnify themselves against later payments of this tax. The records can be found at TNA in the series IR23, which is arranged by county, then parish, then individual. It lists the landowners’ tenants and contract number. Using this number, series IR24 can then be checked, which will give the acreage and where the owners lived. Land tax records are organized by parish, then, for an urban district, by street (but no street number is given).

  We should also remember the Land Tax Redemption Office’s Quotas and Assessments (TNA, IR23), which lists all property owners in England and Wales in 1798–9. Property owners are listed by parish.

  Miscellaneous Taxes and Duties

  There were a number of short-lived taxes. One was the marriage duty tax, imposed from 1695–1706 on bachelors aged over 25 and childless widowers. There are lists of City taxpayers for 1695 (only) at the LMA.

  Carriage duty was a tax imposed from 1747–82, and lists of payers and defaulters can be found at TNA for 1753–66 at T47/2–4. Clearly those listed were those who were fairly wealthy, but if you believe your ancestor was among this happy number, it is worth taking a look at these sources. Likewise, lists of those paying servant tax in 1780 (the tax was introduced in 1777 and in force until 1852) can be found, arranged by county, then parish at TNA in class T47/8. Those not paying, or paying in arrears for 1777–1830, are listed in E182. There are also householders’ returns for this tax for Clerkenwell residents for 1798–9 located at the LMA. Another tax for the late eighteenth century which was aimed at the better off in society was on hair powder. Hairpowder duty registers for 1795–7 exist at Essex Record Office, giving names of payers of duty, arranged by parish, listing their occupations and status.

  Harlech Castle: medieval taxes often paid for defence expenditure. Paul Lang’s collection.

  There were also a number of periodic subsidies levied by governments in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries and records of some of those assessed for these survive. Many of these can be found in the TNA in class E179. Searches by place (but not person) for these can be made on the TNA website, www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/e179.

  There is a list of subsidy payers of Westminster for 1625–45 at the Society of Genealogists’ Library. Civil War assessments can exist, too, there being detailed lists of taxpayers for 1641 and 1644 in the parishes making up the Hundred of Blackheath in The Greenwich and Lewisham Antiquarian Society Transactions of 1963.

  Death Duties

  From 1796, death duties became payable on estates as they passed from one owner on death to another. Until 1805, they only covered about a quarter of estates, but by 1857, all estates, unless valued at under £20, were included. If assets were valued at over £1,500, there would be a full reference. The surviving records are at TNA, IR26, with an index in IR27, and those from 1796–1811 are searchable by name online at TNA’s website. Death duty registers show different information to wills; the latter show intent, these registers show what happened. They may also give information about the beneficiaries, addresses, the dates of birth, marriage and death of the deceased, family and other useful information. They also state in which diocesan court a will was proved.

  As ever, tax records are more likely to exist for the wealthier members of society, but also serve as lists of most householders, except for the very poorest. The latter feature much less in these records than they do in others, such as the lists of those relieved with these rates and taxes, as mentioned in Chapter 3.

  Chapter 11

  LISTS OF PEOPLE

  Family historians need lists of names in order to search through them to find their ancestors, and as much information as can be ascertained about them. Few such lists survive which can claim to be anything near universal; from 1841 to 1911 these would be the national censuses. There is nothing like this for our period, but there are some major listings which do exist, and hopefully your ancestors will appear on one or more of them.

  Early Census Records

  Readers may be aware that, although the national census began in 1801 and then for each ten years thereafter, excepting 1941, there was no requirement for anything but numbers before that of 1841. Thus for the genealogist it is the censuses of 1841 and onwards which are of use and this is often stated in books about family history. And yet that is not, happily, the whole story. There have been censuses throughout England since the sixteenth century, and these have included names.

  Early censuses were created by some parishes, although it is not always known why they were created. Certainly there was no known central directive. Some are extremely detailed. That for Ealing in Middlesex of 1598 is arranged by household. It lists each resident, with age and occupation. One entry for one household tells us that Richard Rogers, husbandman, aged 50 is its head, then there are Elizabeth Rogers, his wife, aged 32, Elizabeth their daughter, aged 6, and Ellen their other daughter, aged 4. Also living with the family were Elizabeth Burgese, a servant, aged 20, and Nicholas Kinge, 36, and Robert Brown, aged 18, both described as ‘servant husbandman’. There are also ‘Easter books’ which exist for the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. These list all those in the parish who took communion at Easter, so will presumably exclude members of religious minorities such as Nonconformists, Catholics and Jews. Sometimes these books exist for a number of years. For example, there are Easter books for Ryton in Durham from 1593–1615.

  There are hundreds of census returns for the years 1801–31 which list names, though this is still a minority of the whole. The returns in these years were composed by parish officials, who sometimes recorded names. Often these were only the names of the heads of the household and the numbers in that household. An example from Ealing in 1811 tells that Edward Roberts was the householder and that one family dwelt there. It consisted of six males and five females; none was engaged in agriculture, but nine were involved in ‘Trade, Manufacture or handicraft’ and two fitted neither category. Yet all householders are included; unlike the lists of ratepayers, which only list those paying rates. In some cases, all the family are listed; occasionally ages are given. Those for Foxley, Norfolk, in 1831 list all names and birth dates are also included. The information is far less than in later censuses, but is invaluable in listing where someone was in given years.

  1811 Ealing Census Ealing. Local History Library.

  These census returns are usually found where the parish archives are held; in the county or borough record office. Some have been published and indexed by family history societies, so a quick search is possible. The best guide to what exists and its whereabouts is Jeremy Gibson and Mervyn Medlycott’s Local Census Listings, 1522–1930.

  Militia and Volunteer Forces

  We have already surveyed sources for the regular forces of the Crown. Men have been occasionally armed and organized to supplement them since Anglo-Saxon times for home defence. These men were known as the fyrd and composed most of Harold’s army at Hastings in 1066, yet we know nothing about individuals who served therein. In the sixteenth century the militia was deemed that force of men aged 16–60 summoned by the Lords Lieutenant of the counties in times of rebellion and feared invasion as ordered by the monarch. They would be armed with pikes, longbows and makeshift weaponry and formed into units, but would usually not serve beyond their county’s borders and even then only for a very limited period. Musters of the militia were meant to be held every year for training, but these were often infrequent. Many were summoned at the time of the Spanish Armada in 1588. In 1662, there was new legislation, stating that propertied individuals had to supply a man for the militia. In 1757, the new Militia Act gave this responsibility to the parish, with men chosen by ballot, though those chosen could pay for a substitute.

  There are a number of militia lists for the Tudor and Stuart periods. Some are held at TNA. These are lists of over 300 pikemen and musketeers of 1539. Another roll thirty years later lists 6,000 Londoners. Other rolls cover 1590–1601, giving names of hundreds of men, with details
of their birthplaces and current parish. The LMA holds City muster rolls for a number of years between 1682 and 1724. There are two very useful guides to the location of militia records; J S W Gibson and A Dell, Tudor and Stuart Muster Rollsv (1991). Muster Rolls should list the militiamen and their arms, as well as parish of residence and occupation. Some have been published, such as J Smith, Men and Armour for Gloucestershire in 1608, which includes almost 20,000 names.

  Then there are the records of London’s oldest military unit, if we except the Yeoman of the Guard. This is the Honourable Artillery Company, founded in 1537. Muster rolls exist from 1611–1862 and then onwards for officers only (the earlier rolls were lost during the Civil Wars). These give the names, ages, heights and ranks of those men who composed the Company. All men were volunteers and there are over 30,000 names on the rolls. These cannot be inspected by the public, but the Company’s Archivist must be contacted with details of any individual for whom information is required. Lists, with details of men who formed the King’s bodyguards, the Yeomen of the Guard, can be found at TNA.

  There is a myth encouraged by standard texts and works on the militia that the institution was moribund between 1660 and 1757. This is not the case. They were called out to deal with public disorder as well as internal rebellion in the later seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Crises in the seventeenth century such as the Venner revolt of 1661 and the Monmouth rebellion of 1685 (to name but two) led to their being summoned into action. After 1685, the next conflict in which large number of men were involved in military activity was during the Jacobite rebellions of 1715 and 1745. Although the militia were called out in 1715, relatively few records survive. One exception is for Berkshire, where there are lists of men from the county’s four companies, but no further information is given. There are lists of militia officers, but not men, for other counties. Survival of lists from 1745 is rather better. Lists of men from the Cumberland and Westmorland Militia, differentiated between Horse and Foot, can be found in Rupert Jarvis, The Jacobite Risings of 1715 and 1745 (1954). Durham’s Dean and Chapter Archives list, in the Sharp MSS, the members of Durham’s Horse Volunteers and York City Archives has lists of that city’s volunteer forces. Yet in some cases only lists of officers survive, such as those of the Liverpool Blues, in the Shairp MSS at the Merseyside Maritime Museum, and in any case there is little else except names. Furthermore, in 1745, many noblemen chose to raise men in newly formed regiments of the regular army but no lists of these survive.

  The New Militia of 1757 resulted in the constable of each parish drawing up lists of able-bodied men, with occupations, which were to be sent to the Lords Lieutenant of the county. Some occupations, such as clergymen, sailors and apprentices, were excused. These men might not be included in the constables’ lists. Poverty and ill health were other reasons for exemptions. There would then be a ballot to decide who would serve. These lists provide the most comprehensive lists of adult men prior to the national censuses. J S W Gibson and M Medlycott, Militia Rolls and Musters, 1757–1876 (1994) should be consulted on the whereabouts of such archives.

  Then there were the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars of 1793–1815. At the end of the eighteenth century, with heightened fears of an invasion from France, apart from the men in the army and Navy, many flocked to join militia, volunteer and yeomanry forces, as occurred more famously in 1940. It has been estimated that, at the end of 1803, there were 35,256 men in the London, Middlesex, Tower Hamlets and Westminster volunteer forces. In the following year, there were twenty-six units formed in Middlesex and twenty-three in London.

  Although there are published Militia, Yeomanry and Volunteer Lists, produced annually for this period, only the officers are listed, with rank and date enlisted. We can learn that Thomas Clutterbuck was captain of the Great Stanmore company, that Richard Andrews was his lieutenant and Francis Schrafton the ensign, and that the first two joined on 18 August 1803 and the latter on 29 October 1803. The Spelthorne Legion was a regiment with thirty-eight officers. From 1804 the lists are indexed by name and place, and are arranged in alphabetical order by county. Yet, as before, there are no names of those who served as sergeants, corporals and privates. They were clearly not viewed as being important enough to merit inclusion as named individuals.

  Some other institutions hold military archives for the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. The LMA holds the enormous militia ballot for Westminster of 28,000 names. There are also held there discharge papers of 4,000 men who had seen active military and naval service and so were exempt from the usual requirement to be a Freeman in order to trade in the City. Some local authority archives have archives of military bodies; Bexley has militia pay lists for Bexley parish, 1803–1809, Chislehurst and Footscray, 1803–1805, and a muster roll for Crayford for 1803 and the total number of names in these is 500. Militia Attestation Rolls from 1806–1915 can be searched at findmy.past.com.

  Following the defeat of Napoleon in 1815, other units were formed to deal with any home-grown revolutionary activity. These units were often cavalry, the yeomanry, made up of gentlemen and their servants, uniformed and armed. They had a bad reputation for poor discipline, as occurred at Peterloo in 1819 where several civilians were killed, but in fact few saw action. Lists of members can be found at county and borough record offices, though it is more common to find the names of officers rather than rank and file.

  Lists of Loyalty

  There were many periods of serious crisis for the state in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Rebellion, conspiracy and invasion were all feared by the government, especially by those of the state’s religious minorities at a time when it was thought that political and religious loyalty went hand in hand. Periodic fears about Catholics were especially frequent because, although relatively few in number, they might be sympathetic to Catholic powers hostile to Britain, notably France and Spain. So the government and its allies in local administration worked together to encourage manifestations of loyalty, among both allies and suspected enemies, and this activity created paperwork listing people.

  One of the first examples is the Protestation Lists of 1642, drawn up when the country was on the brink of Civil War. Churchwardens and constables of each parish had to draw up lists of those adult men who would ‘live and die for the true Protestant religion, the liberties and rights of subjects and the privileges of Parliament’. These lists enumerated the parish’s Protestant men and the Catholic men; no more information is given. These surviving lists can be found in the House of Lords Record Office; there are some copies at the British Library Manuscripts Room. Some county and borough record offices have copies.

  Jacobite threats resulted in other lists being drawn up from 1696 to 1745. Following an assassination plot against William III in 1696, lists of London men who took the oath of allegiance to the reigning monarch were drawn up and can be found at TNA (ref. C214/9). Association Rolls for 1696 can be seen on Origins.net. In 1745 those in Middlesex who supported George II and paid for military support appended their names and sums promised to a list (found at the Bodleian Library). There were other lists of Catholics drawn up at other times, known as the Recusant Rolls of 1592–1691, listing those who did not attend Anglican service and so were fined (located at TNA, E376–7) and during 1778–1857 (TNA again, E169/79–83). County record offices often hold lists created at this time, though those listed are usually among the more affluent in society and mostly men.

  Catholics and Nonconformists were often suspected of disloyalty towards the state, especially during times of crisis, such as war and rebellion. Because of this, the state took a great, if occasional, interest in their affairs and so records were created about them and their property. Many lists of individuals (mostly adult males) are held at TNA. Pipe Rolls and Recusancy Rolls which exist at TNA (E372, 376, 377) list Catholics from 1581–1691. Sometimes, parish officials were requested to make returns of Catholics within their parish; several occurred in the early seventeenth centu
ry (located in TNA, SP 16/495), one was made in 1708 (TNA, SP 34/26) and others later in the century, and there is a published Returns of Papists, 1767: Dioceses of England and Wales except Chester (1989). Another published list is the Cosin’s list, The Names of Roman Catholics, Non Jurors and others who refus’d to take the Oaths (1862). G L Turner’s Original Records of Early Nonconformity under Persecution and Indulgence lists many Dissenters, with names and addresses and denominations, taken from numerous sources. The Association Oath of 1696 to William III resulted in lists of London Dissenters (C214/9) and Baptist ministers in London (C213/170). Quaker lawyers made similar declarations in 1831–42 (E3 and CP10). Likewise, there are lists of Catholic lawyers, 1790–1836 at TNA (CP10, C217/180/5) and for 1830–75 (E3). More general oaths of allegiance are located at TNA (E169/79–83), which cover 1778–1857, giving names and addresses. Quarter session indictments often list Dissenters and Catholics who did not attend the services at the Anglican parish church and these people were named and fined, especially in the sixteenth and seventeenth century.

  Although there was less persecution after 1689, it still occurred periodically, especially for Catholics who were often assumed to be in league with the exiled Catholic Stuart pretenders. This resulted in Catholics coming under the state’s attention. For example, in George I’s reign, all Catholic property owners had their estates detailed by officials for the government (records existing at TNA, E174). Details of Catholic estates for 1625–84 are located at TNA, E351/414–52.