Find your ancestors in Suffolk Hearth Tax Lists, 1662-1675

The hearth tax returns are the nearest we come to having a census for 17th century Suffolk after the restoration. It was based on the number of hearths in a house with exemptions for paupers and those with property of a rentable value of less than £10. The tax returns lists the households who paid and those with exemptions. and identifies the number of hearths in the house. Thus, it is a measure of the wealth of the household.

It was collected twice a year at Michaelmas (29 September) and Lady Day (25 March).

There are times when a parish may have variants of names. For example, 'Little Glemham' is also know as 'Glemham Parva' but also there is a 'Great Glemham'. The data provided here © 2008 Desmond and Shelagh Herring. All rights reserved. Permission was granted by their family in 2025 for Suffolk FHS to share with Findmypast.