Thanks again Stan. I am so amazed that even then our poor relatives were affected by taxes- the landlords will have profited by not providing windows! At least by 1850s it sems the value of light and air was deemed necessary. Going off on a tangent, you have made me think of the hearth tax now, I'm thinking about dwellings in Esh Co Durham 1700s (my Millburns came from there)- many poor dwellings didnt have fireplaces so the poor used to go to the bakehouse to pay to have bread baked etc, - some poor souls even went there to die! Im wondering if they didnt have fireplaces to avoid tax as well as maybe simply living in primative dwellings. Hard times- and heres me putting the heating on in Sunderland cos its cold! Carol