Rachel Thank you for that advice and the correct name of the Act plus the Websites. (not being a web person, myself, I hope that they will be helpful for others) If as the Act suggests that those defending Londonderry City, were given an exemption from Taxation (of some sort), you would EXPECT that there was both a "local" and "central" listing maintained. People as you suggested may have had to apply for the exemption, so you would have expected advice to have gone from a "central" area - London or Dublin - back to the local town or County authority, they knew not to collect taxes from that person. Then we have the problem of those people going to the USA or Canada or even to England itself. So it may be a line of research what is worth following up on if people think or know that there families may have come from that period. Mike Boyd Brisbane ----- Original Message ----- From: "Records" <records@dysarts.co.uk> To: <NIR-DERRY-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Wednesday, December 27, 2006 4:11 AM Subject: [NIR-DERRY] Fw: Siege of Londonderry in 1689 > > > Your source mentions the "Tolerant Act of 1689". Ths could be the > Toleration Act. > > However I've read through a couple of on line versions and as far as I can > see it doesn't specifically mention the defenders of Londonderry. It is > concerned with exempting Protestants from existing laws restricting the > worship, practice of their beliefs. > It's possible I missed something re Londonderry while in a post Christmas > haze. I have also previoulsy found that some Acts of P have addenda that > don't make it online- all those boring lists of names that are meat and > drink to family historians! > > The source for anything like this is the Calendar of State paper (CSP) > Domestic- there's another one for overseas. You may find it in a good > university library - it is also in the National Archives in London.(TNA). > However you are in luck as a lot of this is being put on line > http://www.british-history.ac.uk/ > The site is still growing but the William and Mary era is there > http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.asp?compid=46304 > The Toleration act is listed under 1688 and not by that name. > > If you go further down the list of Statutes you will find various relating > to relieving distress in Ireland . The site enables you do a search for > for > words or phrases , though putting in 'Londonderry' quite often brings up > the Earl of Londonderry. > > This site gives amodern English version of the Toleration Act > http://www.agh-attorneys.com/4_act_of_toleration_1689.htm > My own feeling is that if provision was made for William's supporters it > would have been along the lines of a general grant/exemption-whatever- and > individuals would have applied for it. I don't think there is something > specific in an Act naming all those supporters - though I notice he did > naturalise many of his commanders. > > > However I could be wrong - if you do find further info, let me know. > On your other questions, I'd say any records still existing would either > be > in TNA in London or if held in Dublin could have been destroyed in the > 1922 > fire. > > As to how useful these records are to family history, they are > useful if you had an ancestor who made good, was an aristocrat or > gentry,or > well known for some reason. For the footsoldiers and small farmers of > history, there is a > chance they will turn up in some return, someone was required to make or > something compiled as evidence for a parliamenary committee. > > Rachel > > __________________________________________________________________ > snip............................ > While reading the Jameson Paper again last night, I came across this > quotation:- > > "So important was Londonderry's defense that William obtained the Tolerant >>> Act, May 24, 1689, which exempted from taxation throughout the land, >>> "...all >>> who bore arms in the city during the siege, and of this act those who >>> settled in Nutfield [NH] availed themselves until the American >>> Revolution, >>> occupying lands known as the "exempt farms." " >>> >>> When was this Tolerant Act of 1689 deleated from the Statue Books? >>> >>> To enforce this Act some records must have been maintained. If so, >>> where >>> would they be today? >>> >>> It would seem that at least in America this exemption was in force >>> until >>> 1776. >>> >>> Has anyone had experience researching these and how useful are they in >>> trecing your family of the years? >>> >>> Mike Boyd >>> Historical Commitee, HBS >>> >>> >>> ------------------------------- >>> To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to >>> NIR-DERRY-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the >>> quotes in the subject and the body of the message >> > > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > NIR-DERRY-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the > quotes in the subject and the body of the message