Poser 319 - Hearth tax roll for Dunfermline burgh, 1694
In this poser we asked you to identify two tradesmen and three types of property tenure in this extract from the hearth tax roll for Dunfermline.
Answers: The two tradesmen mentioned are William Smyth, Litster (line 7) and James Anderson, wright (line 11). A litster was a dyer, and a wright was a joiner or carpenter.
The three types of property holding are owner-occupancy, tenancy and life-renting. In line 1 Robert Broun is described as possessing two hearths and an oven. This means he was almost certainly the owner of the property. In most of the other entries the tax payers will almost certainly have been be the owners too, but two other types of tenure are specified.
In lines 3 and 10 the tax payers are tenants, and in line 2 Grissel Weild is described as the liferenter of the property. A liferenter was allowed to occupy (or else enjoy the income from) a property until he or she died. Often a liferent was the result to the succession of a property, leaving a widow or other dependant of the previous owner to be cared for by the new owner. It usually meant a widow living on, rent free, in the property until her death. In Grissell's case, she apparently occupied one property herself and rented the other to Hendrie Kirk, so she had a home and an income.
Transcription
Possest by Robert broun tuo hearths and an oven . . . 03
Lifrented by Grissell Weild an hearth . . . 01
Item by Hendrie Kirk hir tenant an . . . 01
John Andersone in Wdstergelletts tuo hearths . . . 02
Mr Thomas Martiall thre hearths . . . 03
Andrew Burne tuo hearths . . . 02
William Smyth Litster three . . . 03
Robert Wilsone tuo hearths . . . 02
Grissell Townart ane . . . 01
William Person tennent an . . . 01
James Anderson wright tuo hearths . . . 02
This week's poser was contributed by 'Fodiator', a researcher from Fife.
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