Poll Tax of 1379 facts for kids

The Poll Tax of 1379 was a special tax in England. It was approved by the nobles, ordinary people's representatives, and church leaders. This tax helped King Richard II pay for the Hundred Years' War against France. Unlike other taxes, this one was "graduated." This means people paid different amounts based on their wealth or social standing. The idea was to make it seem fairer. Leaders hoped to collect over £50,000, but they got less than half of that.

Why the Tax Was Needed

England needed a lot of money because of the Hundred Years' War. This long war was very expensive. In 1377, a group called the Bad Parliament agreed to a tax. Everyone over 14 years old had to pay four pence, except for very poor people. Church leaders also paid a tax. Special teams collected this money. This first tax brought in about £22,607.

The war continued, and French forces attacked towns on England's southern coast. Places like Dartmouth and Plymouth were hit. So, in 1377, a new parliament approved more taxes. They taxed goods that people owned and also charged customs duties on things like wool. Even with these taxes, England still did not have enough money for the war.

In 1378, another parliament approved more taxes, but it still wasn't enough. So, the parliament in 1379 decided to try a new kind of tax. They chose a poll tax because it was thought to be easier and faster to collect.

The 1379 Poll Tax Explained

The new poll tax of 1379 was designed to be "graduated." This meant that people paid different amounts based on their social rank or job. This was supposed to make the tax feel more fair to everyone. The tax list showed different groups of people and how much each group had to pay.

There were four main groups for the tax:

• People based on their high social rank.
• People who worked in law.
• People in important city roles.
• Other people.

Two groups of officials were set up. One group decided how much people owed, and the other group collected the money. Later in 1379, more officials were sent out to check the tax amounts again. The government hoped to collect more than £50,000 from this tax. However, they ended up collecting less than half of that amount. Church leaders also agreed to pay a similar poll tax for their own members.

How Much People Paid

This table shows how much different people had to pay in the Poll Tax of 1379. It shows how the tax was "graduated" based on a person's social standing or job.