Each year the king of England attempted to raise about £100,000
in taxes. A large amount
of this money went on military spending. The king also used taxes
to build castles
and palaces and to pay the wages of his servants.
At the beginning of the
14th Century, taxes were imposed on movable property. People
had to have their property valued by tax officials. They then had
to pay a percentage
of the value (most years it was 10%) to the king. People who owned
property valued at
less than £10 did not have to pay the tax.
The rich thought it was
unfair that most people did not pay the movable property tax. In 1334
Parliament managed to persuade King Edward III to change the tax system.
The king's taxes were now imposed on communities rather than individuals
with property. Under this new system of taxation, it was the lord
of the manor who decided how much each individual in the village should
pay in tax (lay subsidy).
In January 1377, King
Edward called a parliament to raise money to pay for a new
army to attack France.
After much debate it was decided to introduce a poll tax (a tax on
every adult). Every adult in England had to pay 4d. to the king.
People paid the tax because
they were concerned about the growing power of the French. During
the summer of 1377, the French made landings on the south coast. As
well as occupying the Isle of Wight, the French sacked Rye, Lewes,
Folkestone and Portsmouth.
Edward III died in June,
1377. Edward's eldest son, the Black Prince, was already dead, so
the throne passed to Richard, his ten year old son. However, as Richard
was so young, his uncle, John of Gaunt, made all the important decisions.
In 1378, John of Gaunt
led an expedition to France, but returned three months later without
success. The following year, John of Gaunt asked parliament to impose
another poll tax. Parliament decided that it was going to be a graduated
tax, which meant that the richer you were, the more tax you paid.
The money raised by the
poll tax was used to pay for another attack on France. This time the
invasion was led by John of Gaunt's younger brother, Thomas of Woodstock.
Once again the English army was unsuccessful. In 1379 plans were made
to take another army to France. Money was also needed for an army
to defend the English border against the Scots.
In December, 1380, parliament
decided that the people of England would have to pay another poll
tax (to be collected in March, 1381). This time the rate was increased
to 12d. (a shilling) per head. Another change in the tax was that
everybody had to pay the same amount. As everybody over the age of
15 had to pay the tax, large families found it especially difficult
to raise the money. For many, the only way they could pay the tax
was by selling their possessions.
(A)
Details of how much people had to pay as a result of the Poll-Tax
in 1379.
| dukes
and archbishops |
£6
13s. 4d. |
great
merchants |
£1
0s. 0d.
|
| bishops
and abbots |
£4
0s. 0d. |
monks
and priests |
3s.
4d. |
| dukes |
£2
0s. 0d. |
people
over 15 |
4d. |
(B)
John Wycliffe, sermon (1381)
Lords do wrong to poor
men by unreasonable taxes... the poor perish from hunger and
thirst and cold... In this manner, the lords eat and drink poor men's
flesh and blood.
(C)
Adult population of England as recorded in the Poll-Tax returns of
1377 & 1381.
| |
1377 |
1381 |
| Bedfordshire |
20,339 |
14,895 |
| Berkshire |
22,723 |
15,676 |
| Buckinghamshire |
24,672 |
17,997 |
| Cambridgeshire |
27,350 |
24,324 |
| Cornwall |
34,274 |
12,056 |
| Cumberland |
11,841 |
4,748 |
| Derbyshire |
23,243 |
15,637 |
| Devon |
45,635 |
20,656 |
| Dorset |
34,241 |
19,507 |
| Essex |
47,962 |
30,748 |
| Kent |
56,307 |
43,838 |
| Lancashire |
23,880 |
8,371 |
| Norfolk |
88,797 |
66,719 |
| Suffolk |
58,610 |
44,635 |
| Surrey |
18,039 |
12,684 |
| Sussex |
35,326 |
26,616 |
| Westmoreland |
7,389 |
3,859 |
| |
|
|
| Miscellaneous |
764,613 |
513,515 |
| |
|
|
| Total
adult population |
1,355,201 |
896,481 |
1. Describe the movable
property tax. Did the following groups like or dislike the
movable property tax: (a)
large landowners; (b) poor peasants?
2. Draw a table showing:
(a) how much poll tax Hugh, Earl of Stafford had to pay in 1379 and
1381; (b) how much poll tax you had to pay in 1379 and 1381.
3. Explain the main difference
between the poll taxes of 1379 and 1381.
4. What did the author
of sources B think about the 1381 poll tax? Would everyone in England
have agreed with him?
5. Study source C. Would
it be correct to say that the population of England dropped between
1377 and 1381?
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