The Sun.
London, England, 1850-09-24 00:00:00

THE FINANCIAL REFORM

ASSOCIATION.

TAXES LEVIED FllOll THE YEAR 991 'FO 1399.
A summary of the taxes levied in England, so far
as recorded in history, presents us with some curious
and instructive facts.
The Danegelt was levied first in the reign of Ethel-
dred II ; in 991, 10,0001 ; in 999, 30,000/. ' • in 1003,
36,0001.; in 1012, 43,0001. These sums failed in
their purpose ; the Danes returned to, and remained
in England; the English King left the country, to
the grief of his subjects, Afterwards, 1014, he re-
turned, to their great joy; but he began to tax them
for his own avarice, and incited them to indignation,
and almost to a preference of the Danes.
1017. Canute, the Dane, was king. He exacted a
sum of 100,0001. in one year, to pay his Danish
troops. In 1018, 82,0001. was raised, whereof the
land-tax paid by the city of London was 11,0001.
1039. A heavy tax, " which rendered King Harold
unpopular." No further particulars.
1040. Hardicanute, a Dane, was king. A heavy
tax was imposed to defray the expenses of the Danish
fleet.
1041. A second tax, amounting to 29,0291, and
another to 11,0481., which occasioned an insurrectien
in Worcestershire, and the collectors (November 12)
were killed. The county laid waste by the king as a
punishment.
1051. The Danegelt, after having been paid for
38 years, and which formed a considerable part of the
royal revenue, was remitted by dward the Con-
fesßor, who was now king.
Harold, the successor of she Confessor, is not men-
tioned in connexion with taxes.
William 1., the Conqueror, successor of Harold,
became sovereign in 1066 ; died 1087. He held, as
crown lands, 1,422 manors, besides many farms and
lands in Middlesex, Shropshire, and Rutlandshire.
He laid waste the country for an extent of 30 miles
in Hampshire as a hunting-ground, and called it the
New Forest. His fixed annual income, exclusive of
fines, escheats, reliefs, and other casual profits, was
computed at 400,0001. A pound in that age con-
tained three times the weight of silver that it does
now, and the same weight of silver would then pur-
chase near ten times more of the necessaries of life.
His revenue, therefore, was equal to nine or ten mil-
lions of present money. He had neither fleet nor
army to support; the former being only an occa-
sional expense, and the latter was formed and sup-
ported by his military vassals. The Danegelt was
re-imposed by him in 1068.
'William Rufus, was king from 1087 to 1100. In
1089 a new survey of England was made, and heavy
taxes imposed, which created great disturbances.
Another in 1093 ; all in addition to the enormous
crown property.
Henry I. was king from 1100 to 1135. In the
sixth year of his reign he set a sum upon every,
parish church, and compelled the incumbent to re-
deem his church. He had, also, during his whole
reign, a tax of 12d. upon every hide (140 acres) of
land. In 1107, at the height of his popularity, he re-
vived the odious tax of Danegelt, and was hated for
it to the end of his reign. In 1109 he imposed a tax
of 3s. upon every hide of land for the marriage of his
daughter Matilda, and raised 824,0001. as her portion;
the royal power became odious in consequence.
Stephen was king from 1135 to 1154. Civil war
all the while ; there was no regular taxation ; but
the contending parties, Stephen and the Empress
Maud (the Matilda whose marriage cost so much in
the former reign) maintained themselves by the plun-
der of each other's tenants.
Henry 11. was king from 1154 to 1189. In 1159
a war arose between England and France about the
town of Toulouse. It was to purchase exemption
from this expedition to Toulouse that the holders of
land by military tenure first compounded for a scu-
tage (pecuniary tax). The invasion of Ireland in
this reign, the murder of Thomas A'Becket, Arch-
bishop of Canterbury (for which Henry submitted to
corporal punishment), the quarrels and conspiracies
about that questionable lady, Fair Rosamond, led to
the imposition of many taxes. For the first time we
find " moveablea," as well as land, to have been taxed.
In the last year of this reign a tax was raised, for the
crusade, of a" tenth of all rents and moveables."
Richard I. was king from 1189 to 1199. He was
crowned at Westminster, Sept. 3, when the Jews
who came to pay the presents expected of them were
murdered and their houses plundered ; so at Norwich,
Lincoln, and York ; at the latter place they cut their
own throats rather than yieli. The king was privy
to those atrocities. He sold nearly all the
crown lands to prepare for the crusade, and said
that, if he could find a purchaser, he would
sell London itself. In the first year of his reign
there was levied a scutage of 10s. fur every
knight's fee. In the second, towards the expenses to
the Holy Land, two saddle horses and two sumpter
(baggage carrying) horses were taken from every
city ; of every abbey one saddle and one sutnpter
horse ; the same of every of the Kings and the abbey
manors. For his ransom, in 1193, every kinght's fee
paid 205.; the laity a fourth of all rents ; some clergy
the same; and a tenth of the rents of all other clergy;
also all the gold and silver of the churches, and all
the wool of that year belonging to Cistercian monks
and the order of Semplingham. His other taxes,
after being ransomed, were 2s. from every plough-
land, paid by the husbandman or occupiers. For his
expedition to Normandy, May 12, 1194, a third part
of every knight's fee; and all the wool of the Cister-
cians was demanded, but they compounded and paid
money. In April, 1196, there were sedition and riots
in London, "on account of the taxes," headed by
William Fitzosbert ; the ringleaders executed. In
this year one million of marks were raised, but it is
not recorded how ; also an aid of five shillings for
every plough-land. Earls, barons, and knights paid for
liberty of tournament. Great sums were also raised
by seizures, fines on renewal of charters, and sale of
the demesne lands.
John was king from 1199 to 1216. A scutage of
two marks on every knight's fee ; the same for
license to stay at home from the expedition to France.
A seventh part of' all the goods of earls and barons
who left him in France. 1204, Parliament grante-1 a
scutage of 24 marks on every knight's fee. This was
the first time the right of voting supplies was conceded
to Parliament. In 1205, John levied vast sums upon
the earls and barons who refused to follow him beyond
sea. 1207, he took a thirteenth part of all moveables
from laymen and ecclesiastics. 1216, he levied upon
the abbeys and monasteries 149,0001. In 1214, three
marks from every knight's fee who was not with him
in France.
Henry 111. was king from 1216 to 1272. In 1224,
2s. granted on every plough-land by Parliament, and
a 15th on all moveables, on condition of a renewal of
the Magna Charta, signel by the late King John. It
is to be, observed that now, when the barons had the
privilege of voting taxes, they inclined to lay them on
plough-lands—on the occupying or industrial inte-
rest, and on moveables rather than on their own
estates. 1226, a 15th levied on the clergy; 5,000
marks paid by the city of London ; 1,230 bishops and
abbots gave large sums ; the Je Ns a third of their
treasure and effects. 1231, a scutage of three marks
on every knight's fee. 1232 a 40th part of all
move'ihles. 1235, a 30th of moveables, and two marks
for every plough-land. 1237, a 30th of all move-
ables. 1242, three marks on every knight's fee.
1244, 20e. on every knight's fee for marriages of
king's daughter; a 10th of all ecclesiastical revenues
for three years ; the nobility and knights, three
marks on every knight's fee, for relief of the Holy
Land. 1251, three years tenth of all church ,reve-
nues. 1254, a 20th part of lay revenues granted by
Parliament. Some other levies not recorded.
Edward I. was king from 1272 to 1307. In 1284
an important Act passed, which secured the trans-
mission of estates through different generations of the
same family (became the law of entail and primo-
geniture), though the object of the barons was only
to secure their own reversionary rights by narrowing
the power of alienation or escheat to the crown ;on
failure of heirs, Next year, 1285, the charter of
London City taken away, because the Mayor, George
Bacooksby, gave license to bakers to sell bread
short of weight ; the charter restored on pay-
ment of heavy fines to the King. May 2, 1286, the
Jews were all seized by order of the King, who ex-
torted large sums of money from them, to the amount
of 12,000 pounds weight of silver. In 1290 subinfeud-
ation prohibited ; that is, the creation of new manors
by inferior lords. To this day no manorial claim is
legal if it did not exist before 1290. 1297, the clergy
refusing to grant the King taxes for his wars with
the Scots and French, he seized their lay fees (lands),
whereupon they submitted and granted a fifth of their
goods. From the twenty-second year of this reign,
1294, there has been a continuous succession of Par-
liaments down to the present time, and by a law made
August 1, 1297, as an addition to Magna Charta, it
was enacted that no taxes should be levied without
consent of the knights, citizens, and burgesses as-
sembled in Parliament. The taxes leaded after this
law were (1297) an eighth of the laity, a tenth of
the clergy ; 1301, a fifteenth of the laity (all in laud);
1302, a fifteenth of all moveables; 1304, a tollage of
the cities and boroughs by poll, and a fifteenth of all
lend ; 1305, the thirtieth penny cif all moveables ;
1306 fir the knightage of the King's son, the clergy
and laity granted a thirtieth of their moveables, and
the tenants in demesne (the industrial working
tenen's) a twentieth.
The statute of mortmain passed in this reign, which
prevented the clergy taking bequests of lands from
dying persons, which had been done to a great extent,
as a price for a promi,ed absolution. Taxes were
also, for the first time, levied in this reign (so far as
we know) for the institution of a London police
watch. Hedges were ordered to be cut on the way-
side, as a part of the same measure, the more readily
to (-xp3se the concealment of robbers:
Edward 11. was king from 1307 to 1327. First
year the laity gave a twentieth of moveables; second
year a twenty-fifth ; seventh year, a twentieth ; eighth