By Bernie Bell.

I remember the demonstrations against the Poll Tax.

And before that, there was the Window Tax.

I‘m dipping into a book entitled ‘Kilmactigue Parish: History & Memories’ –  Kilmactigue being my parent’s home parish in Ireland – and read the following account of the Hearth Tax…

“Hearth Money Rolls, Sligo, Kilmacteige 1665

The Hearth Money Roll also known as the Hearth Tax was a tax imposed by the British Parliament in 1662 to support the Royal Household of King Charles 11 following the restoration of the monarchy in 1660.

Parliament had calculated that the Royal Household needed an annual income of £1,200,000. This Hearth Tax was a supplemental tax to make the shortfall. It was considered easier to establish the number of hearths than the number of heads.

The basis for the tax was the number of hearths in each household, therefore they cross the economic social classes. This tax led to the open hearth architecture in Irish cottages where there was intentionally no hearth built and the fire was placed on the floor directly below the chimney.

The tax was payable twice-yearly at Lady Day (25th March) and Michelmas (29th September) at a rate of two shillings per year. It was levied by the Sheriff of each county on the basis of lists of the names of householders which had been compiled by local Justices of the Peace.

The lists the households that were required to pay the Hearth Tax became known as the Hearth Money Rolls which were then arranged by county, barony, parish and townland. The assessments were organised by county and parish.

The Hearth Tax was abolished in England in 1689, however it continued in Ireland until the early 19th century. It was reformed towards the end of the 18th century.”

I’d never heard of this and my response is that we’re still paying for the Royal family!

I’ve never understood why, having got rid of the Monarchy, Britain decided to re-instate it.  Then, having done so, the government put in place a tax which meant that the public, right down to the poorest person, had to cough up to subsidize the Royals.

I was discussing this with someone, who gave a reasonable answer…

“I think we can use one word….fear….. fear of the new stylized republic and what it would mean for the landowners…. But aristocrats never had it all their own way again…. They had to be careful and therefore their power waned.”

Their power waned, but it’s still basically the same old same olds holding the reins – and spending our money.

Roll on Scottish Independence!