English/Welsh Land Tax Redemption records and London Land Tax records have recently been made available online.
Ancestry.co.uk has made these two Land Tax databases available. Ancestry says: “One of the keys to family history is discovering where your ancestors were at a particular time. This is fairly simple through the 19th century, thanks to census records. Now we’re making it easier to go beyond the censuses, and pinpoint your relatives up to 150 years earlier, with two new record collections.
“These new collections are made up of tax records. For centuries, people’s property has been vital in working out how much tax they should pay. That means the records tell you a huge amount about the places your relatives lived in.
House prices
“The first of our new collections, Land Tax Redemption, 1798, is a great example. It’s essentially a virtual ‘census’ put together more than 40 years ahead of the real thing.
“In this case, the tax was based completely on the value of a person’s home. The records provide your ancestors’ names, whether they owned or rented the property, and how much each house was worth – giving you a good idea of your ancestors’ social standing.
“Our second new collection again looks at Land Tax, but with a focus on the capital. London Land Tax Records, 1692–1932 goes right back to the days when William of Orange was raising money to fight off Catholic rebels.
“It reveals the names of property owners and tenants in various parts of London, and gives you their county, parish and often even street name, plus the year. That means you can discover exactly where these ancestors were living all the way into the 17th century.”
