I can't speak for any parish other than my own and then only hazarding a guess based on a couple of very large sheets of rates accounts and assessments. The people mentioned on these sheets (and it has also to be said that it's a long time since I consulted them) seem to have had a property requirement, possibly similar to hearth tax assessments in a way. From what I remember, I think a certain amount of land either owned or rented was required before they would be rated. I can't remember if it stated anywhere how this was to be done and think I just went off the people I knew about who were on the list and how much they had to pay. The overseer for the poor, appointed by the vestry, was responsible for their collection and answerable to the vestry for it. Audrey ----- Original Message ----- From: "J.C.Christopher Glass" <chrisx@jccglass.fsnet.co.uk> To: <OLD-ENGLISH-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Monday, March 22, 2004 9:14 PM Subject: [OEL] Poor Rates > In tracing the painter Christian Frederick Zincke i have found him in the > Poor Rates 1715-1748 for St pauls covent garden london > > ive found several good sites on the poor laws > but none that explain who was liable to pay > and how their liabilty was calculated > > CFZ's stayed about the the same at 6sh 6pence 1710 till 1729 but it jumps > to > £1 16sh in 1733 and by 1741 had risen to £2 15sh > > having just recieved my council tax bill for this year i know just how he > must of felt > > chris Glass > ruislip Uk > > > > > > ==== OLD-ENGLISH Mailing List ==== > OLD-ENGLISH Web Page > http://homepages.rootsweb.com/~oel/ > >