Hihi folks,
Historical Tax Rolls - browseable, however, only the Clock and watch tax rolls & the Farm Horse Tax 1797-1798 are available free of charge. The rest requires a subscription.
When searching through the pages of the registers, one has to bear in mind that only those who could afford or whose work demanded/justified a horse, a dog, a watch, a servant or whatever, would be listed in the relevant tax returns register. So if you're a farm labourer, you may not get a mention. Still, searching the freebies will give you an idea of what is available and allow to make up your mind if you want a sub for the rest.
enjoy
I've just joined the forum and thought I should also recommend this site. Since the original post, a lot of new records have been transcribed, such as the Ornance Survey Year Books giving detailed discriptions of places and even individual cottages. Yes, access is by subscription but you can also volunteer to transcribe, which for a couple of hours her week, gives you free access.
Also, although, the original poster is correct in that the taxes related to the well-off, mamy records include the names of the servants. Maybe only useful if your ancestor had an unusual name or you knew in advance who their employer was or where they worked.
However, a really useful feature of the site, which does not require a subscription or registration, is the ability to look up a place name. How often have you been reading an original document but can't quite make out the place name but know that it is in, for example, 'Carluke, Lanark'.
Type your place name into the search box at the top of the screen.
In my view this is a highly recommended site for those with Scottish ancestry.
Regards
ColinT
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