Iowa state bystander. [volume] (Des Moines, Iowa) 1894-1916, 1914-09-18
QUEER OLD i. TAXES
Boards, Windows and Hats Had
to Pay Tribute. rr-5.
Needy Kings In Ancient Times We're
Very unorthodox In Their Meth
DDS Of Raising Money--soIic-
tied Like 6eooars.

In early times it was common for
needy kings to raise money by very
unorthodox methods in England. Ed
ward l was accustomed to help him.
self to anything of value. and Edward
III had disturbing habit Of imposing
taxes without the consent Of rarlla-
ment.
Edward w solicited money like a
common, or rather sturdy, beggar.'
Richard II imposed poll tax which
affected both males and females from
sixteen years upward. An earl had to
pay four pounds, as also had the may
or Of London. while q married man had
to pay fourpence for himself and his
wife and a single woman had to pay
just as much. No wonder, remarks
the Nc York Press, this tax led to
Wat Tyler's rebellion.
Charles / was keen man for money
and he set parliament at defiance. One
Of his most remarkable proclamations
ordered the nobility and gentry to re-
tire to their country seats and cease
idling their time in London. under PEN
atty Of heavy fine.
We grumble nowadays at the taxea
imposed by the various budgets, bue
we are freed Of the freak taxes that
burdened our forefathers.
Boards were taxed at one time and
Henry VIII, who wore one himself free
of charge. graded the tax according to
the status Of the wearer. The arch
bishop Of Canterbury had to pay three
shillings fourpence for his face fun
gus, and this was the amount fixed by
Elizabeth on every beard OF over q
fortnights growth.
The most odious tax ever intro
duced was that Of the birth tax, which
came into operation in 1896. This tax
ranged from f30 on the birth OF q
child to a duke to two shillings for a
workingman's child. Taxes were also
imposed on burials and marriages.
William Pitt the younger, who was
the most Juvenile premier and chancel-
lor of the excheQuer Britain ever had
came into office at the age Of twenty
four, and as he found the public
finances in desperate state. he instr
tuted some weird taxes. He placed
tax on windows and tax on horses.
In defiance of the latter tax and by
way of drawing ridicule upon 1t, a man.
named Jonathan Thatcher rode MS
COW to and from the Stockport mar
| ket.
So recently as 1869 there was . tax
in England on hair powder, which was
first instituted in 1915. 1t cost guinea
a year for a license to display pow
dered hair, though striving parent
with more than two unmarried dauen-
tiers could obtain double license LOT
two zuineas. which allowed all the
girls Of the family to powder their
polls. ......
This tax was not so stupid as the
hat tax. which was introduced IN the
reign of George III, when money was
badly required to fight the French. For
a year there was tax on watches anu
clocks, and women will be Interested
to learn that from 1895 to l7oo there
was a tax on bachelors,
Every unwedded man over twenty
five had to pay into the treasury q
shilling a year, though in the case OF
a gentleman this amount was ,n'
creased to five shillings, and IN Inc
case Of q duke A12:10. 4
This tax brought in about one thou.
sand mounds a week and induced many
men to venture into matrimony'
| hAASAA " Il.