Poser 375 - Hearth Tax for Argyll and Bute, 1694

This poser is taken from the Hearth Tax records for Argyll and Bute, and dates from 1694. (Crown copyright, National Records of Scotland, E69/3/1, page 10). The hearth tax was raised between 1691 and 1695 and was payable by both landowners and tenants based on the number of hearths in their homes.

This is a good example of late 17th/early 18th century handwriting, and the secretary hand c, e, and k are all quite typical. There are places where a run of minims together can make it difficult to determine individual letters, and also a couple of instances of a contracted name to look out for too. The writer uses large looping flourishes on many of his letters which can interfere with text on the same line, but helpfully indicates his letter u with a tittle mark above it (although not always directly above it!).

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Questions: How many women are listed in the extract and what are their names?

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Interference
17th century alphabet
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