Dagenham Analysis
It is possible to create a picture of the world in which our l7th Century villagers lived, particularly when we can augment the Returns with wills, inventories and parish registers.
One hearth usually implies a house of between 2 and 4 rooms, with no upper floor, which belonged to a labourer or smallholder (husbandman). These men farmed small areas of up to 40 acres, but most farmed far less. A glance at the Returns shows that all those poor people who were exempt had houses of only one hearth.
The wealthier folk in the village lived in houses with two hearths - usually the craftsmen, yeomen and husbandmen with larger acreages. This group was particularly prominent in. We know from other sources that they included: tailors, a blacksmith and a carpenter. There were other trades in the village too, although we don't know the size of their houses: a shoemaker, a miller, a woolcomber, a victualler, a carver and a barber as well as a maltster.
Those with three or more hearths were the wealthiest, with many leaving a large sum of money at their deaths.
Hearth Tax Returns 1662: for Dagenham Ward [ERO: Q/RTh 1]
Original Return No No of Hearths Allibon, Job gent 39 5 Arnold, John 81 3 Baushame? John 31 13 Bennett, Thomas 100 1 Berrington, Josephine 52 1 Bonham, Thomas gent 32 15 Boothe, William 69 2 Burrell, ? 85 1 Bussett, Rosalind? 53 4 Crofte, William 102 2 Comyns, Robert 34 10 Crowefield 63 4 Dove, Stephen 90 2 Dove, Thomas 67 2 Edlym 73 3 Eldress, Josephine? 92 3 Elliot, John 94 2 Ellyeott, Georgina 51 4 Estbroke, William 45 8 Eve, Simon 48 6 Fields, John 83 1 Fields, Robert 63 7 Gaunt, John 98 2 Gibson, Walter 99 3 Gill 54 4 Gower, John senior 77 5 Grove, John 95 5 Hollingsworth, John 64 2 Jolly, Thomas gentleman 65 4 Jones, John 89 3 Joyce, Edward 60 5 Jud ? 84 1 Lilly, Thomas 79 2 Little, Thomas 58 3 Little, Thomas 66 4 Mathewson? 80 2 More 40 6 More, Samuel gentleman 36 8 Nicholls, William 72 5 Osborne, Isaac? 96 1 Parsons, Thomas 75 3 Peacock, William 46 3 Peoolly? Samuel 88 2 Pragell, Richard? 101 2 Reading, James 87 5 Shipton, William 38 6 Sparks, Thomas 93 3 Speller, William 47 4 Stafford, Thomas 68 2 Stockdales 56 3 Stockdale, William 55 3 Surridge, Henry 70 1 Surridge, John gentleman 35 5 Swingate, Spencer 43 10 Suezern? Georgina 59 2 Taverner, Robert 57 2 Teaton, Thomas 82 1 Thorogood, John 91 5 Trapper, Walter 74 2 Truelove, Thomas 33 5 Twyford? Thomas 44 5 Tydie, Robert 61 2 Tylney ? 37 7 Vesper? Thomas 93 3 Vinton, John 86 1 Walker 49 4 Walker, John 50 1 Whitte, John 41 7 Whitham, Thomas 42 6 Wilson, John 97 2 Willson, Christopher 76 2 Woodruffe, William 78 1 Woolston, Samuel 71 2
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