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Duty not paid?

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  • Duty not paid?

    Going through some church records I came upon these burial entries. Apart from it being a sad thing what does it mean about 'Duty not paid'

    [I]Duty not paid, Henry son of a parish pensioner,Mary Horner, Nov 12
    Duty not paid, Jonathon so of parish pensioner, Mary Horner, Nov 16
    Duty not paid, John son of parish pensioner, Mary Horner , Nov 22I]
    Family details I'm looking for:- Edmondson-N/Yorkshire+Salford. Wilkinson-N/Yorks, [B]O'N[/B]eill-Manchester+Ireland?, Hill-Derbyshire, Warrington-Derbyshire +N.Zealand, Makin- Salford, Partington- Prestwich

  • #2
    There was a burial tax payable at one time, also a baptism tax.

    The poor were exempt, and I remember one parish where the Vicar, furious at being used as an unpaid tax collector, marked every burial "pauper" including the lord of the manor, lol.

    OC

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    • #3
      OCH, was the tax paid to the church as a form of wage for the grave digger, Vicer's wage or just a payment into the churches coffers.
      Family details I'm looking for:- Edmondson-N/Yorkshire+Salford. Wilkinson-N/Yorks, [B]O'N[/B]eill-Manchester+Ireland?, Hill-Derbyshire, Warrington-Derbyshire +N.Zealand, Makin- Salford, Partington- Prestwich

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      • #4
        No, it was paid to the Crown. Yet another crafty tax, but it didn't last long, only a few years.

        A variation on this theme, was fines for not baptising children, again paid to the Crown, and again, only lasted a few years.

        OC

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        • #5
          a stealth tax!
          ~ with love from Little Nell~
          Chowns, Dunt, Emms, Mealing, Purvey & Smoothy

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          • #6
            Yes, a stealth tax alright, and even the Church hated it, much as they wanted everyone to be baptised and/or decently buried.

            There have been all kinds of stealth taxes down the centuries, some fairer than others.

            Powdered wigs attracted a tax - the original Poll Tax (Poll as in head). Salt also attracted tax, very unfair as it was an essential preservative for food for poorer people.

            Hearth Tax was perhaps a bit fairer - my illustrious ancestor paid for eleven hearths!

            OC

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            • #7
              Wasn't there some sort of a tax paid on either wool, cotton or linen - not sure which - that had to be used to wrap a dead body in before burial? I seem to remember hearing about that at some stage?

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              • #8
                It was a rule about woollen shrouds. The wool industry was going through a bad patch (because of the importing of linen) and people were ordered to use woollen shrouds. I'm not sure about tax but I have found burial records with notes that a woollen shroud was used. Apparently there was a fine of £5 if any other material was used for a burial and poor people were buried naked.

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