England Taxation Licences (National Institute)

Licences
A licence was required by many of our ancestors in order to conduct their business or trade, and two kinds of records were usually kept:


 * A register of licences issued with names, dates, any fees paid, any oaths or agreements signed, and perhaps occupations and addresses.


 * Paper licences issued to the applicant. These are less likely to have survived.

Some of these licences are listed examples transcribed below.

Chart: Licenses

Chart: Register of Ale House Licences 1828 Harlow Hundred, Essex (Markwell and Saul)

Chart: Licensed Badgers and Hucksters from Michaelma Quater Sessions 1759 Canterbury, Kent

Chart: Registration of a Barge 1795 Cheshire (Markwell and Saul)





Chart: Licensed Victualler’s Recognizance 1821



Early records, such as the licences required by midwives, schoolmasters, physicians and surgeons after the Reformation, may be found in diocesan archives. Others were issued by local authorities such as boroughs or county quarter sessions and will be found with their records. A few were nationally administered, such as the licences to pass beyond the seas and surviving records will be at TNA. Many are filmed, particularly in collections of local material, so a detailed search of the FHLC for contents of each film for your area at parish and county levels will be fruitful.

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Information in this Wiki page is excerpted from the online course English: Taxes, Lists, Business, Electoral and Insurance Records offered by The National Institute for Genealogical Studies. To learn more about this course or other courses available from the Institute, see our website. We can be contacted at [mailto:wiki@genealogicalstudies.com wiki@genealogicalstudies.com]

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