Book Description

The Hearth Tax (1662-89) is the only national listing of people between the medieval poll taxes and the 19th-century census returns. It was a property tax, measured by the number of fireplaces in the dwelling of each eligible household. The data provides valuable insights into national wealth, population and social structure. This study goes further than any before in linking these general questions to a full investigation of changing and diverse forms of domestic building and house use.