Roehampton University
Open Spaces. Open Minds.
AHRC London Hearth Tax Project
AHRC grant no: AH/E008445/1
In June 2007 the London Hearth Tax project was awarded c. £87,700 by the Arts and Humanities Research Council to undertake work which involves collaboration between the research community, professional consultants and volunteer members of the public. This collaboration will result in a new analysis of London on the eve of the Great Fire (1666) by analysing the taxation returns of in excess of 44,000 London households. The project will look at links between wealth and poverty, the built environment and urban topography, thereby making a major contribution to the fields of urban, environmental and economic history.
This project will be the first occasion in which a hearth tax return and related non-payment sources have been subject to systematic and innovative analysis through the application of ICT. Thus, this complex and demanding source will be made accessible in its entirety, along with related materials via British History Online. The launch of the electronic London Hearth Tax in 2011 will be complemented by a hard-copy critical edition of the 1666 return, and a volume of essays written by international experts.
This project unites the expertise of the British Academy Hearth Tax Project, the Centre for Hearth Tax Research (Roehampton University London), Birkbeck College (University of London), and the Centre for Metropolitan History (Institute of Historical Research). The London Hearth Tax project will be of interest to historians, genealogists and all of those interested in London and its people at a time when the metropolis was experiencing an unprecedented degree of expansion on its way to becoming one of the most dynamic modern Global cities.
The image at the top right of this page shows the page of the hearth tax return which refers to the household and shop of the baker, Thomas Farynor, at Pudding Lane with its five fireplaces and an oven, which he forgot to douse on the evening of the 1st of September 1666, with catastrophic consequences for the City of London.
The AHRC funds postgraduate training and research in the arts and humanities, from archaeology and English literature to design and dance. The quality and range of research supported not only provides social and cultural benefits but also contributes to the economic success of the UK.
Further information can be found on the AHRC website.
Contacts:
Dr Andrew Wareham, Director, Centre for Hearth Tax Research, Roehampton University London
E-mail: a.wareham@roehampton.ac.uk
Dr Matthew Davies, Director of the Centre for Metropolitan History and Reader in Metropolitan History, Institute of Historical Research
E-mail: Matthew.Davies@sas.ac.uk
Dr Vanessa Harding, Reader in London History, Birkbeck College, University of London.
E-mail: v.harding@bbk.ac.uk
Partners:
Arts and Humanities Research Council
Birkbeck College, University of London
Centre for Hearth Tax Research, Roehampton University London
Centre for Metropolitan History, Institute of Historical Research
E179-252-32 EXCHEQUER GREAT FIRE (Hearth tax for 1666.jpg "Open book with classic handwriting")